Mark Sisson's Blog, page 61

How to Foster Healthy Body Image in Children

I belong to a ladies’ trail running community online. These women are cool, badass humans who perform amazing feats with their bodies. Last month, someone asked the group if they ever struggle with body image. The responses were overwhelmingly affirmative. Hundreds upon hundreds of women responded, “Yes! Me. Every single day.” Only a very few said no.

It was eye-opening and also woefully unsurprising. Most adults I know struggle with body image on some level.

Those of us who are parents would love to spare our children from this emotional baggage, but how do we help our kids develop healthy body image in today’s world? We’re up against massive biological and, especially, social forces. Humans are hardwired to see — and judge — faces and bodies, looking for signs of friendliness, similarity, and fertility. Our early survival as a species depended on it.

The modern diet and beauty industries have taken these natural propensities and exploited them to the nth degree. They bombard us with messaging, both subtle and overt, telling us we must do everything in our power to be as physically attractive as possible. No amount of time or money is too much to invest in the quest for beauty and the “perfect” physique. Oh, and definitely don’t show any signs of aging. The wrinkles, gray hair, and natural softening of the body that comes with growing older? Not allowed! Obviously, if you fail to live up to the ever-changing ideal, it is 100 percent your fault.

Short of moving to the woods and disconnecting from society entirely, we can’t keep our kids from being exposed. Our best hope is to help them develop a healthy body image early. Give them a strong foundation so when they inevitably get caught up in Hurricane Diet Culture, they may waver, but they’ll stay standing.

The strategy is two-fold: First, do your best not to repeat and perpetuate the culture that creates insecurity and negative body image. Second, teach kids to trust, respect, and appreciate their bodies regardless of appearance.

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What is a Healthy Body Image, Anyway?

If you had asked me this a couple years ago, I would have said it’s feeling attractive in your own skin. You should love your body and feel confident no matter what you look like because all bodies are beautiful.

My thinking has changed, though. Now I think a healthy body image means seeing your body as worthy of care and respect — especially self-care and self-respect — period. Instead of focusing on self-love and feeling attractive, I hope my children respect their bodies, want to be good stewards of their health, and anchor their self-worth and self-esteem in factors other than physical appearance.

This isn’t the definitive definition of healthy body image. It’s what we strive for in our family. I don’t pretend that society doesn’t care about appearance, nor tell them that they shouldn’t care either. That would be impossible. Rather, I want them to know that their appearance is only one of many of their qualities, by far not the most interesting or important one, and certainly not the one that determines their value as a person.

9 Ways to Support Healthy Body Image in Kids

I’ll tell you up front: you probably do some of these things “wrong” right now. That’s natural. As parents, we try to bolster our children’s self-esteem. As Primal enthusiasts, we want to teach them about nutrition and building healthy bodies. Our natural inclinations will sometimes lead us afoul of the recommendations below, which come from childhood body image and eating disorder experts.

1. Cut The Negative Body Talk

Negative body talk is when you disparage your own or someone else’s body. It should go without saying that if you want your child to have a healthy body image, don’t criticize their body. That’s the bare minimum. You also have to watch how you talk about other people’s bodies, including your own.

Kids are always listening and internalizing. Negative body talk communicates to them explicitly or implicitly that some bodies are better. They naturally start to see themselves as objects of judgment and wonder whether their bodies are good enough.

“Ugh, I look so gross today.”

“Wow, that person should really avoid spandex, yikes.”

“That skirt is cute, but I can’t wear it with these thighs.”

“I have to put on makeup before this Zoom so I look presentable. Nobody wants to see these eye bags.”

Negative body talk usually comes from a place of insecurity and judgment. It’s also extremely common. Women especially learn that this is a safe way to communicate with female friends.” No dessert for me. I feel so fat today.” “You?! You look amazing. Look at me!” Once you start to tune into it, you realize just how pervasive it is.

Before commenting on your own or someone else’s body, ask yourself: “What is the underlying message I’m sending my kid with this statement? Could it cause them to feel insecure about their own body?” If yes, keep it to yourself.

2. Compliment Your Child on Features Other Than Appearance

Compliments like, “You’re so cute!” or “Don’t you look beautiful in that dress?” are undoubtedly well-meaning. The problem is, they also reinforce to kids that when they are pretty or handsome, that pleases the adults in their life. Being pretty must be important. If they aren’t pretty or handsome, is that displeasing then?

Of course we think our kids are adorable, but kids don’t need to know they are cute. They need to know they are valued and loved. Try these instead:

“Thank you for singing me that silly song. It made my heart happy!”

“You’ve been working so hard on your guitar lessons. You’re really dedicated, that’s awesome.”

“I love how sparkly your dress is! I can’t wait for you to come home and tell me all about the dance.”

This also applies when you’re talking about other people. Instead of, “Your friend Lily is so pretty,” go with “I love to listen to Lily laugh,” or “Lily is such a kind friend.”

3. Focus on What Their Body Does Rather than What It Looks Like

Bodies are made for function, not for decoration. Not all bodies have the same abilities or chronic health issues, of course, but every body is still miraculous. The fact that synapses fire and hearts beat is amazing. Our bodies are basically sacks of meat and fluid that allow us to move through time and space — wild!

Help your child celebrate the wondrous things their body does that have nothing to do with how it looks. “I can tell that your soccer drills are helping you dribble with more precision.” “Isn’t climbing trees fun? You pulled yourself up so quickly!”

4. Speak Respectfully about Your Own Body

Your body is every bit as wondrous as your child’s, but what do they hear you say about it? Most of us rarely speak positively about our bodies, lest we seem conceited. More to the point, we may find it difficult to find nice things to say about ourselves. It’s bad for our children’s body image, and it’s bad for ours.

Kids need to see that it’s ok to talk kindly about their bodies. Just as importantly, it’s possible to be neutral and not judge at all. “Flaws” are just features that don’t have to carry a bunch of emotional weight. If your kids are like mine, they will give you plenty of openings to model speaking respectfully about your body.

“Why is your tummy squishy?” “Tummies come in lots of shapes. This is mine.”

“What are those scars on your legs?” “Those are stretch marks from when my body grew when I was growing you inside me. I like that they remind me of that special time.”

“Your arms are flabby.” “I think my arms are perfect for hugging, thank you very much.”

You can also turn their comments around and ask questions like, “What do you like to do best with your arms?”

5. Banish Diet and Weight-Loss Talk

Your kids will get plenty of exposure to weight-loss and diet culture outside the home. They don’t need to know if you’re trying to lose weight. It’s a slippery slope into making them self-conscious about their own bodies.

The corollary to this is you should avoid labeling some foods as “fattening” or even as “bad.” In fact, avoid attaching good/bad labels to food altogether. This can be especially tricky for us Primal folks who have specific beliefs about what constitutes a healthy way of eating. Lead by example with your food choices. When they inevitably ask why you don’t eat bread or whatever, focus on the pros of the foods you do choose rather than demonizing the foods you avoid. 

You can say things like, “Bread isn’t working for me right now. I feel like I have the energy to do more fun things when I have lots colorful vegetables instead!”

You don’t have to pretend all foods are equally nutritious, nor let food be a free-for-all in your house. The goal is to avoid moralizing and creating shame or guilt around food choices. Young kids won’t understand the concept of protein, fats, and carbs, but you can encourage them to eat a rainbow of foods to get lots of different building blocks. With older kids, gently introduce the concept that some foods can help them feel better and have more energy without condemning “junk foods.”

6. Celebrate Body Diversity

If everybody ate the same foods and did the same exercises, our bodies would still look different. Some people are tall, short, thin, fat, lean, muscly, blond, brunette. Children will always notice these differences, of course, so teach them to notice without judgment. Human diversity is a part of the awe-inspiring diversity of nature.

As they grow, your child will start to realize that their bodies are different from their friends’. Help them appreciate that, even — especially — when they are feeling insecure. “Yes, Max is taller than you, that’s true. I wonder how tall you’ll both be as adults. It’s interesting how some people are tall, while others are short. Everyone gets to see the world a little differently!”

7. Encourage Them to Move for Pleasure

The purpose of exercise needn’t be losing weight, burning calories, “earning” food, or punishing ourselves for something we already ate. Workouts build muscles, speed, or agility. Play engages body and mind, relieves stress, and offers fun and pleasure. Movement of all types feels good and provides energy. That’s why we should be moving our bodies as much as possible. Sometimes even we grown-ups forget that.

Some kids are naturally more active than others. If you have a kiddo who’d happily sit and read for 14 hours while their sibling plays in the pool, don’t make it a battle of wills. Lead by example, modeling everyday movement. Plan active family outings. Better yet, ask them to help you plan activities that they’ll enjoy and which the whole family can do together.

8. Instill Body Trust and Autonomy

In order for your kids to have a healthy body image, they have to feel connected to their bodies. You can support this by teaching them to trust and respond to their bodies’ signals, and by allowing them, within reason, to make choices about their bodies.

This one’s hard because you have to cede some control to your kids: letting them eat when you think they should be full, skip a meal when they should be hungry, don shorts on a cold day, wear a shirt that is two sizes too small, or get a haircut that you think is truly wretched. Sometimes it may even mean letting them choose foods for themselves that you usually avoid.

Think of it as short term pain for long term gain on your part. It might irk the bejeezus out of you when they eat nothing but cheese for lunch for a week, but who’s it hurting really? Nobody who isn’t lactose intolerant.

9. Teach Media Literacy

How great would it be if we could wipe out all body insecurity by simply teaching kids that the images they see in the media are the work of glam squads, body shapers, and lots of photoshopping? Alas, it’s not that simple, but it’s still an important lesson as kids get older.

As they start to notice all the ads for weight-loss programs and laser resculpting, discuss how advertising exploits our insecurities to get us to spend money. Let them be offended by it. Good, maybe they won’t be so easily manipulated.

Guide them in limiting their exposure to media and accounts that make them feel “less than.” Talk to them about what they see and how it makes them feel.

Parenting from a Place of Love and Support Rather than Fear

Years ago, Mark wrote a post about the delicacy of talking to kids about weight. One commenter shared that the best thing their parents could have done would have been to talk to her about weight and health from a place of love instead of judgment and projecting their own fear.

Fear is understandable. We know that this world is not kind to fat people. Fat children commonly experience bullying.1 Fat adults experience street harassment and job discrimination.2 Weight stigma, including at the hands of medical professionals, leads to worse health outcomes for both kids and adults, which then gets attributed to the weight itself.3 4 5

Of course we want our children to grow up healthy and happy, liked by their peers, and accepted by society. We’ll jump at the chance to help them avoid pain whenever possible. Parents who operate from a place of fear usually try to fit their kids to the cultural ideal, which is just as unrealistic for most kids as it is for adults. The better, more sustainable option is to operate from a place of love and acceptance, helping your kid feel good in their current body.

What if I am Really Concerned About My Child’s Health?

If you are genuinely concerned that your child is developing unhealthy habits, please seek out expert guidance from childhood nutrition and movement experts who are also versed in childhood eating disorders. A lot of eating disorders start in childhood when well-intentioned parents put their kids on diet and exercise programs in the name of health.

Body Image is Always a Work in Progress

Prepare yourself for many bumps in the road. As kids grow and their bodies change, they will come up against new challenges. Their peers’ bodies will change at different rates and in different ways than theirs. Even if you try to innoculate them early, they will confront unreasonable beauty standards and diet talk as they engage more with media and as their friends do the same.

You’ll be working on “body stuff” for as long as you parent. Keeping the lines of communication open is one of the best ways to help your kid navigate their way through tricky body image issues. Let them know they can come to you with their insecurities and fears, confident that you will listen without judgment.

Give Yourself the Same Gift of Working on a Healthy Body Image

No parent looks down at their precious newborn and thinks, “I can’t wait to pass all my hang-ups and insecurities on to you.” Somehow, we believe we can instill a healthy body image in our kids, then turn around and hate on our own bodies. That’s some magical thinking right there.

You have to walk the talk. Do you trust your body’s signals and allow yourself to respond with food, rest, or movement as needed? Do you move for pleasure or punishment? Do you speak to yourself with kind words or harsh criticism?

Put on your own oxygen mask before helping someone else, right?

References https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17592956/https://www.omicsonline.org/open-access/weight-bias-in-the-workplace-a-literature-review-2329-6879-1000206.php?aid=55088https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6311448/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29171076https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4381543/

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Whey Protein Isolate, Hydrolysate, and Concentrate: Which Is Best?

You may think of protein supplements as a concern for muscle heads, but they’re for everyone – provided that you choose the right one for you. You need dietary protein for your body’s day-to-day upkeep and to age well. Up to a third of older adults don’t get enough protein for various reasons, like reduced appetite and changing tastes.1 There are lots of ways to get protein, and here, I’ll go through one of the most convenient and beneficial forms: whey protein.

What is Whey Protein?

Whey is a protein-packed byproduct of cheese production. It’s that pseudo-clear liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained. Cheese makers used to toss it aside as waste material, until food scientists started to understand its value.

Today, we know that whey protein isn’t just a single protein. Instead, it houses an impressive array of proteins: beta-lactoglobulin, alpha-lactalbumin, and serum albumin. These are complete proteins, comprised of the essential amino acids central to protein synthesis and increased muscular hypertrophy (muscle growth).

Our bodies can produce non-essential amino acids from lesser amino acids, but we cannot produce the essentials ourselves; we must eat quality protein sources. Whey is a naturally occurring, essential protein that satisfies the body’s protein requirements – hence its popularity.

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Is Whey Protein Dairy?

Whey comes from milk products, so yes, protein is dairy. However, some people who cannot tolerate dairy can tolerate whey.

It depends on which component of dairy gives you trouble. Most people are either:

Lactose intolerant. Lactose intolerance is a sensitivity to a form of sugar in dairy products
Casein sensitive. Casein sensitivity is an intolerance of one of the proteins in dairy products

Some dairy-sensitive people react to both lactose and casein.

Whey protein contains trace elements of lactose, so extremely sensitive people may have problems digesting it properly. Because whey is, by definition, the stuff that separates from the casein (a milk protein) when it curdles, it has even less casein (save for trace amounts) – rarely enough to be noticeable to anyone but the most casein-intolerant. But that’s pure whey, straight from the cheese factory. Whey protein powders have been processed to have even less of both.

With whey protein supplements, lactose may pose a problem, but casein almost certainly will not. But, certain forms of protein supplements have enough of the casein and lactose removed that they will be agreeable to people with sensitivities.

Whey Protein Isolate vs. Concentrate vs. Hydrolysate

When choosing a whey protein powder, you’ve got a couple options:

Whey protein concentrate
Whey protein isolate
Whey protein hydrolysate

Whey Protein Concentrate

Whey protein concentrate contains about 70-80% protein, along with some fat and lactose. Whey protein concentrate is less processed and more whole, but has less protein.  Otherwise, it’s probably fine to go with concentrate for most applications (or otherwise further you could just eat a steak instead).

Whey Protein Isolate

Whey protein isolate is about 90-94% protein, and is made up of pretty much pure protein with very little of the other dairy elements remaining. To get there, it goes through a more rigorous refinement process than whey protein concentrate and hydrolysate do.

Bodybuilders are drawn to the “purity” of whey isolate, lured by the moderately higher protein counts. Isolate is also considerably more expensive than concentrate, and the purported boost in beneficial effects on protein synthesis are overstated; drinking any kind of whey protein shake will have a beneficial effect on your muscle recovery and protein synthesis. If cost is not an issue, or you’re mildly sensitive to dairy, then isolate is your best choice.

Sweetened with monk fruit extract and coconut milk powder, this mix is made with only the good stuff, so you can shake up your day and help support lean muscle mass without compromise. Get Primal Fuel in Vanilla or Chocolate

Whey Protein Hydrolysate

Whey protein hydrolysate is “predigested” whey, or whey that has been partially broken down using enzymes. The process makes it easier to absorb, and potential allergens are broken down to inactive forms. That said, people who have dairy allergies should consult their doctors before ingesting.

The catch? It’s expensive. Whey in general is already highly bioavailable and easily absorbed by our bodies, so absorption is rarely an issue with whey. Hydrolysate is great marketing. That’s about it. The elite of the elite – those hulking magazine cover superheroes with tanned, smiling faces atop straining, veiny necks – may have actual cause to maximize protein absorption, but most of us definitely don’t need to fuss over that stuff.

The exception would be if you are old enough to have dental issues or compromised digestion that would make it hard for you to absorb protein. In that case, skipping a few steps in the breakdown process may be a good thing.

If you’re keto, keep in mind that whey protein hydrolysate could spike your blood sugar.2

How Much Protein Do You Need?

The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDI) for protein is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight, or 0.36 g protein/lb.

That’s the official, on-the-books answer, but I have differing opinions on actual protein needs. I’ve been an elite competitive athlete, and I have lots of friends who have various reasons to optimize their protein intake. Protein needs are highly individual, and depend heavily on your goals, age, and activity level.

I go into the details in this article.

Is Whey Protein Primal?

Whey protein falls into the 80/20 category. It isn’t strictly Primal (and certainly not paleo) in that it wasn’t available to Grok, but it can be an effective, occasional high-protein meal replacement with most – if not all – of the potential allergens mitigated or negated. It’s an analog, a bit like dairy itself. If you can’t handle any dairy, skip it, or see how you do with whey isolate. If you can handle dairy without a problem, a whey protein powder is a pretty good way to shuttle nutrients into your body, especially if you’ve chosen to go the post-workout nutrition route  – which I usually don’t.

Going Primal means acknowledging both the limitations and the advantages of modern life. I wish I could laze around on the savannah for days following a successful kill. I wish I had ten hours of leisure time every day. The reality is that we’re a busy bunch of people, and if we’re truly serious about maximizing our quality of life, slamming down a quick protein shake so we can get to the office a little earlier might mean we can leave earlier, too, and get home in time for a date with the significant other, a hike at dusk, or an extra couple chapters on that great book we’ve been meaning to read. If that isn’t a feature of modern life that can help us follow the Primal ways more easily, I’m not sure what qualifies.

References https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6110262/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18679613/

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Keto Completo Hot Dog Recipe

The sun may have set on summer, but fall grilling is just getting started. Today, we’re putting a keto spin on a Chilean favorite, the Completo Hot Dog.

What Is a Completo Hot Dog?

What is a keto completo? It’s two things. First, it’s a fun tongue-twister (say “keto completo” five times fast).

More seriously though…

A completo hot dog is the South American interpretation of the loaded hot dog. You start with a warm hot dog roll, add a frank hot off the grill, then stack it with ingredients that take it from a humble hot dog to a next-level “complete” meal that fits in your palm … barely.

The Keto Bread is fantastic with this hot dog. The batter will fill about 5 hot dog molds, but will depend on the mold size. Make sure the molds are well greased (we like to spray them with Avocado Oil Spray), and then fill the molds 1/2 to 2/3 of the way. If you want to skip the bread, you can also wrap the hot dog in large leaves of butter lettuce.

Let’s get to it.

Completo Hot Dog Recipe

Serves: 5

Time in the kitchen: 15 minutes plus time to bake the keto hot dog rolls, if using

Ingredients

1 batch Keto Bread, baked in hot dog mold trays
5 grass-fed or pasture raised beef hot dogs
2 small to medium avocados
Juice from ½ lime
1/2 cup sauerkraut (bought or homemade)
1/4 chopped red onion
2 chopped tomatoes
Avocado oil mayo, to drizzle on top

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare the Keto Bread recipe based on the instructions and pour the bread mixture into 4-6 hot dog molds, depending on the size of the molds. Bake at 350 for about 18 minutes, or until the buns are firm and golden.

Preheat your grill to medium high heat. Once hot, place the hot dogs on the grill. Flip them every 30 seconds or so until they are hot and have nice grill marks.

Cut the avocados and scoop out the inside, discarding the pit. Mash the avocado with the lime juice.

Carefully slice the sides of the hot dog bun just enough to be able to place the hot dog in them, but not enough that they split. Nestle the hot dog in the middle.

Spread some of the avocado mixture on top of the hot dog. Add the chopped onion, tomato and sauerkraut on top.

Place some of the Primal Kitchen Mayonnaise in a squeeze bottle or piping bag and drizzle it all over the top of the hot dog. Repeat with the remaining hot dogs. Enjoy immediately!

Nutrition Facts (assuming recipe makes 5 hot dogs, without the mayonnaise):

Calories: 766

Total Fat: 69g

Total Carbs: 15g

Net Carbs: 6g

Protein: 25g

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Weekly Link Love — Edition 101

Research of the Week

Statins result in a “surprisingly small average gain in overall survival” and may not be worth it for people who experience side effects.

What attracts readers to an article’s title.

Stretching your hamstrings before squatting increases biceps femoris thickness without impairing performance.

Why young people are having less sex.

New Primal Blueprint Podcasts

Episode 449: Alisa Vitti: Host Elle Russ welcomes Alisa Vitti, who helps women use their unique hormonal and neurochemical codes to create incredible lives.

Primal Health Coach Radio Episode 78: Laura and Erin chat with Diana Rodgers.

Media, Schmedia

There’s nothing counterintuitive about it.

Sparkling water can be high in PFAS residues. Topo Chico is the worst offender.

Interesting Blog Posts

100 miles, 5 days, no food.

Social Notes

Amazing to see.

A different kind of coffee break.

Everything Else

Polynesian weaponry.

Subway bread has too much sugar to be called bread and Subway chicken has too much soy to be considered chicken.

Things I’m Up to and Interested In

Thanks, guys: The major genetic risk factor for COVID-19 was a gift from Neanderthals.

Great title: Carseats as contraception.

Good piece (and Kravitz looks great): Lenny Kravitz’s guide to immortality.

Could have been worse: Especially when it includes Whole Foods workers.

Big if true: Compact nuclear fusion reactors by 2025.

Question I’m Asking

What’s your favorite productivity “hack”?

Recipe Corner

Asian sticky wings.
Indian chicken.

Time Capsule

One year ago (Sep 26 – Oct 1)

Whey Protein vs Pea Protein – Who wins?
Dear Mark: EVOO, Supplements, Autoimmune Arthritis, Sauna, Keto Camping, Ketones for Autoimmune  – Answering questions about all of this stuff.

Comment of the Week

“My wife and I just lost our home in the Southern Oregon, Almeda fire on Sept. 8th. I had less than 3 minutes to get out and had some sweats on and a t-shirt. Made it to my wifes office where we slept on the floor for 3 nights. The Red Cross is an awesome organization and the generosity of the people who live here are tremendous. We are pretty stable and getting a bit better everyday. So many more people lost everything and had no insurance. We’ll get through this and time will heal.

I started back with my Essential Primal Movements this week and hope to start back sprinting this weekend. My food intake has been low, but high quality. The stress was incredible, but I believe I weathered the worse of it due to being Primal.

All the best to this community and hold your loved ones close. I hope to join back in with the banter when things settle for us.”

-Sorry to hear, Nocona. All the best.

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Why It’s So Hard to Ditch Grains (When Everyone Else is Eating Them)

We’re lucky over here at Mark’s Daily Apple. We’ve got a solid group of individuals committed to improving their health by educating themselves on the oh-so-harmful effects of the Standard American Diet.1 But if you step outside this tiny corner of the Internet, there’s a whole world out there singing the praises of freshly baked bread smothered in butter substitute, hot-from-the-oven oatmeal raisin cookies, and bowls of “heart-healthy” cereal swimming in non-fat milk.

Not coincidentally, a lot of those same people are struggling with achy joints, brain fog, and extra weight, completely oblivious that a diagnosis of diabetes or high-blood pressure may soon be on the horizon.

This could, in fact, be where you are right this very second. Maybe you’ve been on the fence about cleaning up your diet. Or you’re finally fed up with being fat and foggy and have decided that you really do deserve to feel better. Or maybe you’ve been watching someone in your family deal with a chronic health issue. No matter what’s prompting your change, I’m glad you’re here, because the more people we can get to understand how food affects our bodies, the bigger impact we’ll have.

So, What’s Wrong with Grains?

If you’ve been around here for more than a minute, you know that grains are often problematic in the body. Not only do they elicit an insulin response and add to more fat storage (as do all excess carbohydrates), they contain lectins, a naturally found toxin that impacts the permeability of the gut wall. Which, of course can lead to everything from food allergies to auto-immune disorders. 2 But I digress.

You probably don’t need another lesson in why grains or industrialized oils or sugar is toxic to your body. What you might need though — if you’re struggling with the same types of things as my own clients — is how to successfully ditch them from your diet when it feels like everyone and their sister are Instagramming their overly art directed avocado toast 24/7.

Why Are They So Hard to Avoid?

Grains are intricately woven into nearly every aspect of our society. And unless you were brought up on an ancestral kind of diet, your preferences for starchy foods were likely dictated from an early age. Studies show that most infants prefer sweet tastes over bitter and sour ones, which may reflect a biological instinct to choose foods that are more in the calorically dense carbohydrate camp. 3

The good news is that your likes and dislikes, even those influenced by innate preferences, can be modified. So, at least biologically, you’re not stuck with your sweet tooth.

But if it’s not physical cravings causing it, what’s at play here?

Research in social science shows that eating the same food as other people makes you feel more connected to them. It also makes you appear more trustworthy and cooperative. As a matter of fact, researchers from the University of Chicago, ran a series of experiments testing the effects of eating together and what happens when people ate the same food. 4

In one experiment, participants played the role of either a manager or union representative and had to come up with an hourly wage that was agreeable to both sides. At different times during the negotiations, the pairs were given the same kind of food to snack on. At other times, they were each given different foods. Researchers found that an agreement was made significantly more quickly when the participants ate the same things. They also discovered that they were more likely to trust the information each other was conveying when the same foods were eaten.

Simply Put, We Crave Connection

For most people, food is a shared experience that often imprints joyful, lasting memories. Think about holiday celebrations, birthday parties, weddings, a pre-Covid work BBQ.

Food is just one of the ways we connect to each other. As I’m sure you’ve noticed, eating the same foods as others creates a positive feeling of belonging. In contrast, when we choose to eat differently, even if those foods have been proven to drastically improve our health, our happiness, and the way our clothes fit, we can feel isolated.

That need to connect is so wired in our DNA then when social bonds are threatened, it can impact our confidence and self-esteem.5 That’s why, in most situations, we do whatever we can to prove that we’re worthy of belonging — even when it goes against our beliefs.

How to Go Against the Grain (Pun Intended)

I’ll tell you that 9 times out of 10, my clients who are new to the whole “you don’t eat bread?!” conversation will, at least temporarily, revert back to their old eating habits just to fit in. Or more, accurately, not to be left out or judged. That’s about the time I break out these strategies for going against the grain in a world where everyone seems to be bread-obsessed.

1. Be Comfortable with Your Why. I realize I sound like a broken record here, but understanding your deep-down reason for doing whatever it is you’re doing is a game changer when it comes to weathering the ups and downs of your health journey.

2. Check Your People-Pleasing Beliefs. Don’t be fooled here. People-pleasing isn’t about being amiable and easy-going. It’s about acting a certain way in the hopes that others will like and accept you, which in turn helps quantify your self-worth.

3. Get Clear on Your Boundaries. Without boundaries, it’s easy to get caught up in what’s important to otherpeople. Take time to figure out what’s okay with you and what’s not okay. If you really want to live a life you’re proud of, it’s crucial to know (and uphold) your boundaries.

4. Appreciate the Differences. What fun would it be if we were all the same? A bunch of robots walking around eating the same exact foods, doing the same jobs, it would be mind-numbing. Try embracing the differences in the people around you (instead of judging them) and see what happens.

5. Find Healthier Ways to Connect. Just because you’re not scarfing down plates of pasta together, doesn’t mean you can’t feel a connection to others. Carving out one-on-one time and (when it’s socially appropriate again) hugging also release the bonding hormone, oxytocin.

6. Know Who Has Your Back. Being part of a community, like the one here at Mark’s Daily Apple, creates a sense of belonging. It also gives you the confidence to know that your goals are not only obtainable, they’re supported by literally hundreds of thousands of other health enthusiasts.

6 Strategies for Ditching Grains for Good

Any kind of change can be challenging. But being surrounded by friends and family members who are up in arms because you’re not a fan of the food pyramid, makes it even harder. Kudos to you for following your truth — and remember to use these strategies next time you’re confronted by someone asking why you’re not eating bread.

Be comfortable with your why
Check your people-pleasing beliefs
Get clear on your boundaries
Appreciate the differences
Find healthier ways to connect
Know who has your back

Now it’s your turn! I’d love to hear what’s worked for you. Tell me about it in the comments below.

References https://www.researchgate.net/publicat...https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1115436/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S096098221300208Xhttps://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/sharing-a-plate-of-food-leads-to-more-successful-negotiations.htmlhttps://www.scientificamerican.com/ar...

The post Why It’s So Hard to Ditch Grains (When Everyone Else is Eating Them) appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

What Are the Best Probiotic Strains?

“You should take probiotics.”

“I heard probiotics are good for you.”

“Oh, probiotics are so, so important.”

Yes, yes. These are all true statements. But they are broad. Which probiotics? Which strains for what purpose? Simply saying “probiotics” tells us very little about what we’re supposed to be taking. It’s like saying “You should eat food.” Technically accurate yet operationally useless.

Today I’m going to rectify that. I’m going to describe the best probiotic strains for each desired purpose, because there is no single strain to rule them all. The probiotic strain that’s best for anxiety may not be the best probiotic strain for allergies, and so on.

Of course, these aren’t the final word. What follows is the best available evidence as it exists today. That may change tomorrow. And it will certainly change based on your individual makeup.

With all that in mind, let’s get right down to it.

Instantly download your Guide to Gut Health

Best Probiotic for Anxiety

The existence of the gut-brain axis — that mysterious thoroughfare running from the gut to the brain and back again — and the presence and even production of neurotransmitters along the gut suggests that “gut feelings” describe real phenomena. Mental and gut health are strongly linked, and it’s most likely a bi-directional relationship where each affect the other. You know this already, though, don’t you?

We’ve all felt fear or discomfort in our guts.

We’ve all had instinctual responses to certain people that seemed to manifest in our stomachs (and later be proven).

These are real. They aren’t figments of our imagination.

For instance, we know that some strains of gut bacteria can produce GABA, the “chill-out” neurotransmitter responsible for sleep and relaxation. We know that feeding prebiotics (bacteria food) to people can lower their cortisol and induce them to focus on positive stimuli instead of negative stimuli. We know that the greater the intake of fermented food like yogurt, kefir, kimchi, or sauerkraut, the lower the incidence of social anxiety.

The best candidate for anxiety is Lactobacillus rhamnosus. Although no human anxiety studies for this strain exist (yet), there are plenty of animal studies that support it. One notable paper found that dosing mice with L. rhamnosus increased cortical expression of GABA genes and reduced cortisol and anxiety-like behaviors.1

Best Probiotic for IBS

Irritable bowel syndrome is, well, irritating. Even more irritating is the fact that it describes a confluence of symptoms rather than a specific disease; two people, each with “IBS,” can have disorders with completely different etiologies. This complicates the probiotic you choose.

In one study, IBS patients who took a combo of Saccharomyces boulardii, Bifidobacterium lactis, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Lactobacillus plantarum saw a 73% improvement in symptoms—but only if they also had small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). IBS patients without SIBO only had a 10% improvement.2

(Side note: since gastro-esophageal reflux disease, or GERD, usually presents with SIBO, there’s a good chance that this lineup of strains could also help there)

Another paper, a meta-analysis from 2019, sought to determine which strains were best for IBS patients. While they didn’t come up with one prevailing strain, they did find that multi-strain probiotics generally worked better than single-strain probiotics, and that Lactobacillus acidophilus appeared in all the successful multi-strain studies.3

Get Primal Probiotics, which includes 4 of my favorite strains plus a prebiotic blend (food for friendly bacteria) to help them take root – all in one convenient capsule

Best Probiotic for Leaky Gut

The intestinal lining is not a passive, inert barrier but rather a dynamic, selective filter. Lining the gut are epithelial cells whose cell membranes fuse together to form protein complexes called tight junctions. The tight junctions serve as doormen: their job is to discern between what belongs inside and what doesn’t. In a perfect world, these tight junctions keep out pathogens, antigens, and toxins while admitting nutrients and water. But it’s not a perfect world, and sometimes the intestinal tight junctions are asleep at the post. Sometimes the gut is leaky.

Addressing leaky gut isn’t as simple as popping a few pills. Defeating it requires a multi-pronged approach, including sleep, diet, exercise, sun, and all the other regular lifestyle pieces I’ve covered in previous posts. But certain probiotic strains really do seem to help. In children with atopic dermatitis, for example, L. rhamnosus and L. reuteri supplements reduce leaky gut and improve symptoms.4 L. rhamnosus also helps restore the gut barrier in kids with acute gastroenteritis.5 And in rats with leaky gut, yogurt improves gut barrier function.6 We aren’t rats, but yogurt is a safe bet (as is the Lactobacillus acidophilus that appears in most yogurts).

Best Probiotic for Diarrhea

Diarrhea after a round of antibiotics is a common side effect, especially in kids. A 2016 analysis of 23 studies of almost 4000 total pediatric subjects concluded that probiotics are effective at reducing the risk of antibiotic-related diarrhea, with L. rhamnosus and Saccharomyces boulardii as the safest bets.7

In adults coming off antibiotics, a combo of Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM, Lactobacillus rhamnosus Lr-32, Bifidobacterium breve M-16V, Bifidobacterum longum BB536, Bifidobacterium lactis BL-04 and Bifidobacterium bifidum BB-02 was effective at reducing diarrhea.8

Best Probiotic for Constipation

Among young college-aged women with constipation, a combo of Bifidobacterium lactis BL 04, Bifidobacterium bifidum Bb-06, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, and Lactococcus lactis improved symptoms and quality of life.9 Another study found that B. lactis reduced symptoms in constipated adults.10

Other than that, the rest of the constipation/probiotic literature is pretty inconclusive and meager. What does seem to help is combining probiotics with prebiotics—ie, food for the gut bugs.11 Probiotic-enhanced artichokes are probably my favorite incarnation of this concept.12

Best Probiotic for Allergies

Probably the best anti-allergy probiotic strain is Lactobacillus paracasei.

L. paracasei has been shown to improve symptoms in subjects with hay fever across a number of studies. In adults with grass pollen hay fever, a fermented milk made using L. paracasei reduced nasal itching and congestion.13 In kids with hay fever, L. paracasei reduced nasal itching, sneezing, and eye swelling.14

L. paracasei also reduces eczema, probably by strengthening the skin barrier and improving water retention.1516

Best Probiotic for Immunity

The gut is in many ways the first line of our immune system. Some of the infectious diseases you don’t typically think of as gut-related can gain entry and spread via the gut. COVID-19, for example, often presents with gastrointestinal symptoms and researchers are examining whether probiotic supplementation can help reduce your risk of developing severe COVID.17

A meta-analysis of studies in elite athletes found a number of probiotic strains to be helpful in preserving immune function during extreme training. Athletes are a great population to study because their training places incredible stress on their immune systems; I remember back when I was running hundreds of miles a week, I’d constantly be coming down with something or getting over something else. So, which probiotics help?

Once again, the big names of the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium genera reign:18

Lactobacillus paracasei

Lactobacillus acidophilus 

Lactobacillus rhamnosus

Lactobacillus reuteri

Lactobacillus fermentum

Bifidobacterium lactis

Bifidobacterium bifidum

Overall, these strains from the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium genera are the best-studied for most applications. They’re often what appear in human guts and the fermented foods we’ve eaten for many thousands of years. It’s safe to assume that we’re well-adapted hosts to them.

There are so many more exotic strains out there. There are soil-based bacteria. There are strains unique to the Hadza hunter-gatherers of Tanzania. There are probably some interesting strains living in other traditional peoples in other regions. And I imagine many of them have potential to do us all a lot of good. But they may also have unwanted, unexpected effects.

The thing about probiotics is that you never really know which one will work best until you try. It’s a very personal thing. Each strain is going to react different to your unique intestinal ecosystem and genome. What we can say with fairly strong confidence is that probiotics are generally very safe. Not every strain recommended here will work for everyone, but luckily there’s not much harm in trying.

Which strains are your favorites? What have you tried? What hasn’t worked?

Let me know down below. Thanks for reading!

References https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21876150/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29508268/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6769995/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15520759https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24501384https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18427990https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5140692/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6609938/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31657615/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22284965/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30402873/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22225544/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21395878https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24269033https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21269308https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24322880https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7357989/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6888046/

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How to Stop Drinking Coffee, and Why You Should Consider It

Thank you for reading past the title of this post. I wasn’t sure anyone would. After all, here I am offering advice on how to quit the world’s most beloved beverage. (“Hold my beer,” says Beer.)

The love of coffee transcends national and cultural borders. Around the world, most of us start our day with coffee. Folks take pride in sourcing the best beans and pairing them with the ideal grind and brewing method. We meet friends, clients, and first dates for coffee because coffee shops are comforting, safe spaces.

As good ol’ Anonymous observed, “Humanity runs on coffee.”

Yet here I am suggesting you might want to quit. Before I get into why, let me assure you that by and large, I still think coffee has more benefits than downsides. It improves workouts and memory, fights fatigue, and epidemiological evidence links coffee consumption to a host of health benefits. You can check out my Definitive Guide to Coffee to learn more.

There are downsides, though. In the pursuit of optimal health, it’s essential to examine our choices and behaviors and ask which of them might be undermining your health and longevity goals. That’s what I’m suggesting you do today.

Stay on track no matter where you are! Instantly download your copy of the Primal and Keto Guide to Eating Out

Why Would You Want to Quit Coffee?

Because you’re a masochist.

Kidding, of course. Really, if you think quitting coffee will be that painful, that’s a sure sign that you need to take a break. No substance aside from water or air should hold you so firmly in its grasp. I want to enjoy, not depend on, my morning coffee (and maybe a glass of red wine at dinner).

As to whether coffee is truly addictive, we clearly shouldn’t be talking about coffee in the same breath as something like heroin. However, there’s no question that it shares common features with other addictive substances. It stimulates dopamine release in the brain, creating a “feels good, want more” effect. With repeated exposure, you develop a tolerance such that caffeine no longer exerts the same effects. Plus, as many of you know if you’ve tried to kick the habit before, the withdrawal can be brutal.1

Even if you don’t feel dependent on coffee, taking a break from coffee is akin to doing a 21-Day Primal Transformation or a Keto Reset. It’s a chance to shake things up and try something new. You might feel better, worse, or the same. In any case, you’ll have learned something about yourself. We should all strive to be curious and open-minded in the pursuit of health. For many people, coffee is a blind spot. They conveniently overlook the ways in which it’s not serving them and how they’re more dependent on it than they’d like.

Besides the philosophical, there are concrete reasons for taking a more honest look at your coffee habit.

Coffee: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

As I said, on the whole, I think that coffee consumption is beneficial for most people, assuming you drink it in reasonable quantities. Nobody needs a gallon of coffee per day, sorry. A “reasonable quantity” is up to four cups a day, or so say the experts. As a one-or-two-cup-a-day guy, that sounds like a lot to me.

Even at that level of consumption, some people can have adverse reactions to caffeine depending on their genetics and underlying health issues. Headaches, jitters, and racing heartbeat are common, and of course it can majorly mess with your sleep. It’s easy to slip into a vicious cycle where you’re sleeping poorly, so you drink coffee throughout the day to combat fatigue, which means you don’t get enough restorative sleep that night, and repeat ad infinitum.

Caffeine can also cause your adrenal glands to release cortisol, although this effect is tempered in habitual coffee drinkers.2 For people dealing with a lot of stress—and who isn’t right now—drinking too much coffee may not be wise. It can interfere with your body’s ability to regulate cortisol and cope with the stressors.3 This is why practitioners often recommend that folks with HPA axis disorders limit or avoid coffee.

Caffeine consumption also worsens anxiety in some people and can even trigger panic attacks.4 5 People with certain psychiatric conditions are advised to limit or avoid caffeine consumption.6 On the other hand, two recent meta-analyses concluded that coffee actually helps with symptoms of depression.7 8

If you’re a menopausal woman, think twice about drinking too much coffee. In two studies, caffeine intake was associated with increased vasomotor symptoms like hot flashes.9 10 Those were correlational studies, but in a separate experiment, researchers administered caffeine to pre- and perimenopausal women who were or were not on estrogen therapy. Perimenopausal women’s blood pressure rose significantly after taking 250 mg of caffeine (equivalent to two to three cups of coffee), regardless of estrogen status.11

Need I go on? Okay, one more: caffeine can interact with prescription drugs, blocking absorption, increasing absorption rates to unsafe levels, or otherwise changing their effects.12

Many of these side effects are dose-dependent, meaning they get worse the more coffee you drink. For most people, modest coffee intake—two or four cups per day—is probably fine, maybe even desirable. Nevertheless, there’s always the possibility that you could quit coffee and feel better than you do today. Wouldn’t you want to know that?

Other Potential Benefits of Quitting Caffeine

Anecdotally, people notice all sorts of benefits once they significantly reduce or give up coffee. They promise glowing skin, whiter teeth, and better digestion.

They also promise you’ll save money, but in my experience, I just end up reinvesting those supposed savings into trying new teas, so that’s a wash. That said, I also don’t buy multiple frappe drinks from Starbucks every day. If you do, you might put some cash back in your pocket.

Who Should Take a Break from Coffee?

For the sake of self-experimentation, I’m going to go ahead and say: everybody.

It’s especially pressing if:

Your inner voice is telling you that you have become dependent on caffeine
Your sleep is anything other than deep and plentiful
You have health issues that might be exacerbated by coffee

Also, if you’ve built up a tolerance—and you certainly have if coffee is a regular habit—taking a break means you should be able to return to your beloved coffee and actually feel the desirable effects of caffeine again when you use it strategically. That would be nice.

Anyway, aren’t you a little curious?

How to Stop Drinking Coffee
Time It Right

Unless you have an urgent health concern that means you should stop ASAP, consider waiting until a lower-stress period. Normally I’d say vacation is a perfect time, but we’re not taking many vacations right now. Perhaps a staycation is in order (for more reasons than one).

I wouldn’t advise ditching coffee the same week you have to deliver a big presentation at work, your kids are starting a new schedule at school, or you’ll otherwise be stretched thin enough as it is. Coffee withdrawal can lead to some pretty miserable symptoms—migraines, fatigue, irritability. Pick a week where you’ll have the mental capacity to deal with those, the ability to sneak away for naps, and ideally, fun distractions to keep your mind off the suck.

Pick Your Strategy

Some people have no problem quitting cold turkey, but tapering down your caffeine intake will probably be more pleasant. Start cutting your regular coffee with decaf, and slowly decrease the amount you consume altogether. Make your coffee weaker, and stop adding cream and sweeteners so it’s not as appealing. If you’re drinking coffee in the afternoon, cut that first.

Whatever you do, don’t compensate by adding caffeine back in the form of energy drinks or caffeine pills. Don’t drink energy drinks anyway, but definitely not now. That defeats the purpose entirely.

How Long Will it Take to Get off Coffee Completely?

The half-life of caffeine is about five hours, so within a day of quitting, your body should be free of it. However, withdrawal symptoms can last significantly longer—a week to ten days or more, though some lucky people don’t experience any noticeable withdrawal.

Beyond the chemical dependency, there is also a behavioral component to coffee. For most coffee drinkers, it is a habit, and habits are harder to break. You might find yourself headed to the coffee pot in the morning, or reaching for the mug that’s usually on your desk, well after the initial weaning period.

Worthy Alternatives to Coffee

For some people, coffee is merely a caffeine delivery system. Others enjoy the rituals around coffee—preparing it in the morning, breathing in the aroma, sipping a hot beverage while they work, and communing with coworkers and friends over a cup. You can still have all those things if you strategically replace coffee with an alternative that fills the hole coffee leaves.

The most obvious answer is switching to tea. There are so many different types of tea, each with its own benefits and flavor profile. If you were a snob about your coffee, you can easily channel that energy into tea. Brewing tea is an art unto itself. Just watch your caffeine intake. Teas vary considerably in caffeine content, though they are still lower than the average cup of joe.

You might also consider mushroom coffee, which has about half the caffeine of regular coffee, or chicory root coffee or dandelion tea, which offer some of the coffee flavor with none of the caffeine. Fans of these options swear they get a lift similar to the one they got from coffee without the jitters.

My go-to hot or iced option is Primal Kitchen’s Matcha and Chai Collagen Keto Lattes, and not just for the obvious reason. Caffeine can inhibit collagen synthesis in the body.13 I intentionally supplement collagen to combat this effect.

Finally, if it’s a calming morning routine you crave, consider alternatives like journaling, meditation or deep breathing exercises, yoga or tai chi, doing a crossword puzzle (my favorite), or reading. Just don’t read the news!

Sip on a Matcha or Chai Collagen Keto Latte, or for a no caffeine option, mix up a soothing turmeric tea using Golden Milk Collagen Fuel 

What if You Quit Coffee and Don’t Feel Better (Or Even Feel Worse)?

As with any big change, you’ll have an initial adjustment period after quitting coffee. After that, you should feel better. Still, some people don’t. Let’s go through the difference between the initial withdrawal and other reasons you might not have a great experience with the change.

Caffeine Withdrawal Symptoms

For a few days, you may experience caffeine withdrawal symptoms, like:

Tiredness
Headache
Feeling anxious or “on edge”
Irritabiliy
Low mood

These should resolve within a few days. After about a week, you can truly assess how you feel without coffee.

If you don’t notice any differences once you quit coffee, then I’d say go back to drinking it in moderation to reap all the great benefits.

If you end up feeling worse, that doesn’t mean that you need coffee. It’s possible you were using coffee to mask the symptoms of an underlying health issue. Maybe you already suspect that’s the case, and you’re using coffee to push off having to deal with it? Before you go diving for your French press, take a health inventory, and see a doctor if necessary.

I’m not suggesting that you give up coffee for the rest of your life. I certainly don’t intend to. Coffee is one of life’s pleasures, as far as I’m concerned. However, it shouldn’t be a vice, and that can be a slippery slope. Periodically taking a break from coffee allows you to make sure you still have a handle on things and see more clearly where you need to be paying more attention to your health and stress management. Give it a try. There’s always a Starbucks on the next corner awaiting your return.

References https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/jcr.2013.0016https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2257922/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21346100/https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/493529https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12825092 https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/ef8c/e1f994091de73049df7e08d71b6497fe86bf.pdfhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26339067https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26518745https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25051286/https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/6be1/708f6629c6e67a23126688d31585b6d08791.pdfhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8980163https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12397877/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4206198/

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Fudgy Keto Zucchini Brownies Recipe

It’s the tail end of zucchini season. After you’ve grown tired of zucchini noodles, zucchini bread, and all the other zucchini creations, what’s left? Zucchini brownies are a great way to use up the last of your zucchini, while sneaking in some veggies into your dessert.

Here’s how to make them.

Fudgy Keto Zucchini Brownies Recipe

Serves: 6

Time in the kitchen: 30 minutes, including 20 minutes bake time

Ingredients:

¾ c squeezed dry grated zucchini (about 1 medium zucchini)
¼ c salted butter
? c almond butter
50g dark chocolate (we used 90%)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
7 Tbsp. coconut sugar (or granulated monkfruit sweetener)
? c almond flour
5 Tbsp. cacao powder
½ Tbsp. tapioca starch
2 large eggs
50g dark chocolate, either chips or chopped chocolate (we used 90%)

Directions:

Using a box grater, grate a zucchini using the side of the grater that has small holes. Squeeze the zucchini out using paper towels or a small towel until it is quite dry. Measure out the zucchini after squeezing the liquid out.

Melt the butter and chocolate and then mix in the almond butter. Fold in the grated zucchini and vanilla extract.

Add in the almond flour, sweetener, cacao powder and tapioca starch.

Whisk the eggs and mix them into the batter. Fold the chopped chocolate/chocolate chips into the batter.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a square baking pan with parchment and pour the batter into the pan. If desired, you can also sprinkle some extra chopped chocolate on top.

Bake the brownies for 10 minutes, then remove them from the oven and allow them to rest for 6-8 minutes.

Place the brownies back into the oven for an additional 8-10 minutes, or until the center of the brownies reads 180 degrees Fahrenheit with a food thermometer.

Allow the brownies to cool prior to removing them from the pan and slicing them into 16 squares.

Tips:

Make sure to squeeze out the zucchini well after grating it.
The double bake method for brownies helps the outside edges of the brownie cook at the same rate as the center of the brownies, so you get fudgy brownies in every bite.
This version of brownie is dense and fudgy. If you’d rather have a cakier brownie, add ¼-½ teaspoon of baking soda to the batter and then bake according to the instructions.
We used 90% chocolate for both the batter and the chunks for a super rich, but not too sweet, chocolatey brownie, but you can use your favorite dark chocolate.

Nutrition Info (1/16th of recipe):

Calories: 145

Fat: 11g

Total Carbs: 10g

Net Carbs: 7g

Protein: 4g

The post Fudgy Keto Zucchini Brownies Recipe appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

Weekly Link Love — Edition 100

Research of the Week

More sugary drinks, less brain volume.

Less zinc in the blood, greater risk of COVID death.

Minorities are more likely to test positive for COVID, a disparity not fully explained by pre-existing conditions.

Some East Asian populations have metabolic adaptations to rice-based diets.

Living with kids lowers the risk of COVID.

Beyond meat, there’s a place where bones crumble.

New Primal Blueprint Podcasts

Episode 448: Tara Youngblood: Host Elle Russ welcomes Tara Youngblood, co-founder and chief science officer at Kryo, makers of chiliPAD.

Primal Health Coach Radio Episode 77: Laura and Erin chat with Jamie Shapiro about unlocking the power of both mind and body.

Media, Schmedia

Whole Foods CEO John Mackey’s take on why people are obese.

Fascinating post on why you shouldn’t judge your posture by how it “feels.”

Interesting Blog Posts

Decent article on omega-6 fats that still ends up toeing the official line.

Ancient history looked a lot like Robert E. Howard envisioned it.

Social Notes

Art.

Why I love the beach.

Everything Else

Human migratory history is looking a lot more complex.

Interesting podcast with Dave Feldman on the future of health tech.

Take more awe-full walks.

A “druggable pocket” discovered on the coronavirus.

Things I’m Up to and Interested In

Just as I always say: Genes are not always your destiny.

Worth a shot: Take action.

This is awesome: Dr. Bronner creates a label for psychedelic-assisted therapy.

Seems like fairly good stats: COVID survival rates by age.

I’m not surprised: Having both intuitive judgers and analytical judgers leads to better outcomes.

Question I’m Asking

What do you think about John Mackey’s take on obesity?

Recipe Corner

Apple bundt cake, paleo and gluten-free.
Gluten-free battered shrimp. Dip these in some Primal Kitchen chipotle mayo.

Time Capsule

One year ago (Sep 19 – Sep 25)

8 Life Lessons From a Primal Elder to Younger Groks   – What worked.
Dear Mark: Oily Fish Limit, Diet and Posture, Acid Reflux, Whey Replacement, Milk and Fasting, and Remembering to Live  – Answering questions about all of this stuff.

Comment of the Week

“Kids so happy. They have an half hour teleconference in the morning, work on their assignments every so often over the course of the day, and really just play a lot. We have to essentially hire a full time governess, but they like it. When they eventually start spending two days a week in person, I expect their satisfaction to drop.”

-Glad to hear, Ion. I also wonder how the “hybrid” approach will work. Worst of both worlds?

The post Weekly Link Love — Edition 100 appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

How Do You Start Asking for Help?

Feel like you’ve got the weight of the world on your shoulders? I can totally relate. If the struggles of living in an overly busy, stressed out society weren’t enough, the fear of navigating it all mid-COVID is the proverbial icing on the cake.

Whether it’s the overwhelm of managing day-to-day tasks or deciding to get a handle on your mental or physical health, it can be hard to go it alone. Which leads me to the question: why do we feel compelled to do it all ourselves?

Do You Have a Do-It-All-Myself Mentality?

I ask my health coaching clients this question anytime I can feel them slinking back into their old patterns of avoiding asking for help. We sort of live by this notion that we should all be able to handle anything that comes our way. And if we can’t handle it ourselves, well, that’s a sure sign (at least in our own minds) that we’re weak, incompetent, or somehow unworthy of achieving success in that area. New health diagnosis? Sure, no problem. Relationship problems? Got it all under control. Global pandemic like we haven’t seen in our lifetime? No freakin’ sweat.

The trouble is, asking for help can bring up similar, uncomfortable feelings. Research done in the fields of neuroscience and psychology confirm that there really are social threats involved in doing so. In fact, researchers found that an emotionally painful threat activates the same parts of the brain as physical pain does — which of course gives us even more reason to avoid asking and continue struggling in silence.

Reasons You Avoid Asking for Help

You may avoid asking for help for several reasons:

You’re unsure where to turn
You don’t want to be seen as weak
Fear of being rejected
Showing vulnerability
Not sure how to ask
Feeling like a burden
Worrying people won’t like you
Relinquishing control
Admitting you can’t do it all
Feeling like your problems are less significant
You grew up with a pattern of being let down in childhood

There’s no shortage of reasons why it feels hard to ask for help, but here’s where it gets wild. Studies show that people actually like helping other people — they get a huge benefit from it.1 Nothing we do as humans proves to be as fulfilling as lending a hand to someone else.

To test this theory, researchers had participants write either a supportive note to a friend or write about their route to school or work before undergoing a lab-based stress task.2 Physiological responses like heart rate, blood pressure, salivary alpha-amylase, and salivary cortisol, as well as self-reported stress were collected and measured throughout the experiment. They found that participants who had written the supportive notes had lower sympathetic-related responses than their counterparts who just wrote about their routine.

Asking for help makes people like you more too. This concept is called the Benjamin Franklin effect and is based on cognitive dissonance theory,3 which refers to “a situation involving conflicting attitudes, beliefs or behaviors.” Which, in real language, means that when a person does a favor for someone they don’t like (or feels neutral about), it creates a mismatched feeling between their actions and their attitude. To avoid cognitive dissonance, your mind essentially makes you believe that you must really value this person in order to do such a nice thing for them. When you ask someone for help, it builds likeability and trust, and starts to form a bond between you and the other person.

On top of that, asking for help makes you stronger. One of the best things you can do for yourself is to unapologetically ask for help when you need it. While that might feel outside of your comfort zone right now, I can tell you from personal experience that growth happens when you start to get comfortable with a little discomfort. Any time you force yourself to do something outside your norm, you become a stronger person for it.

How to Get Better at Asking for Help

Honestly, most people underestimate how willing people are to help them. It could from a limiting belief they have from their past. Or maybe it’s the negative self-talk that creeps up now and then. Or perhaps you’ve had some less-than-awesome people in your life that literally weren’t able or willing to help you. Even if those scenarios ring true for you, it doesn’t mean you can’t get better at asking for the help you need. Keep in mind that these are for non-emergency situations. If you need immediate help, please reach out to a crisis hotline.

Here’s a quick look at different ways you can make asking for help easier. Hang tight, I’m going to unpack these strategies down below.

Make small requests
Ask people you trust
Be clear about what you’re asking
Focus on the end result
Remove any judgement

1. Make small requests.

Big asks can feel daunting, especially at first. So, start by getting comfortable with making smaller ones. Ask your significant other to cook up a pan of eggs and bacon in the morning. Or get your kids to walk with you so you stay on track. Seeing yourself ask for — and receive help gets the ball rolling on building your confidence in this area.

2. Ask people you trust.

The risk of being rejected or dismissed drops dramatically when you request help from people you have a solid rapport with. It’s much less scary to be vulnerable with your spouse or family members than it is with your boss or the new guy at work.

3. Be clear about what you’re asking.

Assuming people know what you need is the fastest way NOT to get it. Sure, it would be great if people immediately offered to help the second the thought entered your mind, but that’s not how it works. Instead, get clear on what you’re struggling with and what exactly you could use help with (i.e. I’m following the Primal Blueprint, so please don’t bring home donuts). The more you practice asking for help directly, the easier it gets.

4. Focus on the end result.

Imagine for a minute that you got all the help you needed. What benefit would that bring you? Would you be less stressed out? Less grumpy? Less apt to skip your workout? By focusing on the outcome, you take the attention away from the uncomfortable feeling of asking and put it on the fantastic feeling of having gotten the help you need.

5. Remove any judgement.

Don’t assume you know what people are thinking about you. It’s so easy to presume that you’re a burden or being perceived as weak when you ask for help, but you have no clue what’s going through their mind. Also, don’t compare your struggles to someone else’s. Everyone processes things differently and at different paces.

And remember, you can always hire a professional to help — in practically any area of your life. That’s what we’re here for!

Are you good at asking for help? Or is it something you struggle with? Share your experiences in the comments below.

References https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/helping-people-changing-lives-the-6-health-benefits-of-volunteeringhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26575283/https://www.simplypsychology.org/cognitive-dissonance.html

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