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Robb WolfQ&A with the

Paleo movement’s Big Daddy

Apr/May 2012

paleomagonline.com $5.99

Apr/May 2012

paleomagonline.com $5.99

1-yr

Anniversary Issue!

Carbohydrate Conundrums& Fat Fallacieswith Nora Gedgaudas

Digestive IssuesOvercoming through diet

Pearly WhitesDiet and healthy teeth

The FoodNut Free Maple Granola

Recipes kids will loveAlmond Macaroons

Shrimp CevicheEgg CustardBeef BrisketBeet Kvass

Community Supported AgricultureSupport your local farmer

Header Info

4 Paleo Magazine Apr/May 2012

Contents

LEARN23 The Benefits of Joining a CSA

By Diana Rodgers

Joining a local CSA gives you more benefits than saving money or getting awesome produce.

MOVEMENT62 Moving Naturally

By Clifton Harski

This issue’s combo explores what it really means to move naturally.

NUTRITION30 Digestive Illness & Paleo

By Adam Farrah

Adam reveals how eating a Paleo diet helped him overcome Ulcerative Colitis.

Dick’s KitchenBusiness Spotlight (pg 20)

With a constantly evolving menu, and a never-ending search for better ingredients, Dick’s Kitchen is at the

forefront of restaurants working to provide healthy alternatives to

the home cooked meal.

ON THE COVER• Springtime on the farm.Photo: © Fritz Langmann | Dreamstime.com

40 Carbohydrate Conundrums & Fat FallaciesBy Nora Gedgaudas, CNS, CNT

Nora gives her take on the role of carbohydrates, and fats, in a Paleo-oriented diet.

30

56

23

28 Give Beets a ChanceBy Lisa Herndon

The health benefits of Beet Kvass and a “no-miss” recipe to make it at home.

59 Paleo and Dental HealthBy David Csonka

What role does food play in our dental health and how can a Paleo diet help keep teeth healthy.

Paleo Magazine Apr/May 2012 5

contents

THE FOOD34 Kids Meals The Healthy Gluten Free Life Cookbook

Got picky eaters at home? We’re giving you four great tasting meal ideas kids will love!

52 Beet Kvass Lisa Herndon from LisasCounterCulture.comDon’t be scared of fermentation and ensure success, right from the start, with this tasty recipe!

53 Shrimp Ceviche Sarah Fragoso from EverydayPaleo.comIncredibly fast and easy, a tasty dish that can be made ahead of time.

54 Beef Brisket with Roasted Veggies Primal-Palate.comA fantastic holiday dinner option, allowing you to make the entree and side dish at the same time.

55 Nut Free Maple Granola The Paleo Magazine KitchenSuper fast, super easy and perfect for anyone with a nut allergy who wants to enjoy granola.

56 Egg Custard Primal-Palate.comEgg custards with bacon, mushrooms and chives. A fun way to spice up a family brunch!

COLUMNS18 The Exuberant Animal

34 Paleo Kids

37 Paleo RD

47 From the Doc

IN EVERY ISSUE9

10

15

17

Editor’s Note

Short Plate

Research Roundup

Reviews

Paleo Body48

65 Average Joe Paleo

62

40

20 Business Spotlight57 Passover Almond Macaroons Primal-Palate.comA perfect “not-so-sweet” treat for the end of any meal.

26 In Season


The Healthy GF Life, LLCdba, Paleo Magazine

Publisher

Executive EditorCain Credicott

Creative Director/PhotographerTammy Credicott

Graphic DesignerCain Credicott

[email protected]

Research ProofreaderAmy Kubal, RD

Contributing Photographers

Paul Cary GoldbergBill Staley

Contributing Writers Find more info on our contributors atwww.paleomagonline.com/contributors.html

Clifton HarskiMovNat

Jason Kremer, DC, CCSP, CSCSAsk the Doc

Amy Kubal, RDQ&A with the Paleo RD

Tyler MilesAverage Joe Paleo

Liz WolfePaleo Body

Frank ForencichExuberant Animal

Paleo Magazine

PO Box 2066Bend, OR 97709(541) 350-6088

www.paleomagonline.com

Paleo magazine is published bi-monthly by The Healthy GF Life, LLC dba Paleo Magazine and may not be reproduced without express written permission, all rights reserved. No liability is assumed by Paleo Magazine or The Healthy GF Life, LLC regarding any content in this publication. It is vital that before

implementing any diet or exercise routines, you first consult with a qualified health care provider.

Paleo Magazine and The Healthy GF Life, LLC are not responsible for advertiser claims. We reserve the right to refuse advertising without

explanation.

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Contributors

David Csonka is a blogger and natural health enthusiast living in Denver, Colorado. His blog, NaturallyEngineered.com, covers topics ranging from evolutionary diets to barefoot running and natural movement. His interests include exercising outdoors, hiking and exploring.

Adam Farrah is a popular blogger (PracticalPaleolithic.com) and author of “The Paleo Dieter’s Missing Link.” He holds a BS in Chemistry Cum Laude from the University of Connecticut and multiple CrossFit & IKFF Kettlebell certifications. Once suffering from Ulcerative Colitis he’s regained his health through Paleo.

Nora Gedgaudas, CNS, CNT, is the author of the ground breaking book, Primal Body, Primal Mind. A sought after speaker and lecturer, she maintains a private practice in Portland, OR. You can listen to her Primal Body Primal Mind podcasts on iTunes and find out more about Nora at Primalbody-Primalmind.com.

Lisa Herndon, the founder of Lisa’s Counter Culture (LisasCounterCulture.com), is passionate about real food and loves being able to share her recipes and techniques for creating nourishing and traditional food. She is especially interested and skilled in fermentation.

Diana Rodgers, NTP is the owner of Radiance Nutritional Therapy and lives with her husband and two children at Green Meadows Farm, a CSA north of Boston where they raise organic vegetables, pasture raised chickens, pigs and sheep. She’s a crossfitter and author of “The Cultivator” the farm’s CSA newsletter.

Diane Sanfilippo runs the popular site, BalancedBites.com and is a Holistic Nutritionist specializing in Paleo nutrition, blood sugar regulation, food allergies/intolerances and digestive health. She believes that the only way to truly change someone’s diet and lifestyle is to help them to create new habits.


Reader BoardMail’s Getting Through

“Yeah! The February/March issue arrived today! Your new service is working well!!!!”Ruth L. (from Facebook)

Lovin’ This New Lifestyle

“My boyfriend and I are finishing up our first month of hardcore Paleo and we are stoked about the results. We have more energy, more stamina, less gas (!), and the weight loss is more than we expected. I’m down 22 lbs, he’s down 26. Still a long way to go, but we love this lifestyle and I can’t imagine going back to our old, SAD diet.”Kristi L. (from Facebook)

Tanning Bed Fail

“@paleomagonline I was excited to read the new issue, then thoroughly dismayed by the article advocating the use of tanning beds #fail”@McGMar (Twitter)

Editor’s Note: The article, A Safe Tan? Weighing the costs and benefits (PM Feb/Mar 2012), and the quoted research citations, were presented as an opposing view to the bombardment of negative publicity to UV exposure, both from the sun and tanning beds. As we noted in the accompanying research summary, “We are not advocating for or against tanning bed use, and the choice is ultimately up to you...”

Equipment Is Key

“So I made Macadamia Nut Bars last night from a recipe from Paleo magazine. (A few substitutions, ofcourse) The mix tastes great but it’s

more of a granola as they don’t appear to be able to stick together.This is where a proper food processor would have made all the difference. Tasty all the same!Victoria W. (from Facebook)

A Paleo Preacher

Great article [Paleo Is Here To Stay, Paleo Mag Feb/Mar 2012], just today I was doing my sales pitch on a potential partner to my gym “Paleo Boot Camp”. I told them Paleo is not a fad diet, people who eat paleo most likely never go back to wheat gluten, If they cheat its with gluten free food and the longer they do paleo the cheating becomes less and less, due to how crappy they feel, physically and mentally. I am paleo preacher, I don’t care how crazy people think I am now, because as time goes by more people become believers. In 2004 when I read “The Paleo Diet” and “Dangerous Grains” and I told people grains were bad, especially wheat, I got some strange looks. Today its gets easier and easier to get the message across. Thanks to people like Robb Wolf, Matt Lalonde, Dr. Cordaine and now Paleo Magazine.Rob R. (online)

Sound Off

Have a comment, suggestion, praise or

criticism you want to share? Contact us at

[email protected]

OR

Paleo MagazinePO Box 2066

Bend, OR 97709


From the Editor

It’s Our Birthday!

It’s been one year since we decided to launch Paleo magazine, and what a year it’s been, both for us and the Paleo community as a whole!

To accommodate the huge growth of the Paleo movement, we’ve seen the first ever gathering of the Paleo community - leaders, practitioners, educators and individuals wanting to learn more - with the Ancestral Health Symposium last August at UCLA. (This year’s event will be held at Harvard) This massive event is now being complimented by, what will hopefully become another annual event, PaleoFX, which was held in Austin, TX in March.

There has also been an explosion of cookbooks and guidebooks dedicated to the Paleo lifestyle, all of which are enjoying tremendous sales as more and more people hear about this amazing lifestyle; most of who try it and never look back.

Paleo magazine continues to grow, expanding into digital versions and adding to our distribution with every issue. With each issue, we slowly inch closer to my goal of having this magazine sitting next to all the other “health” and “fitness” magazines in as many stores as possible, and staring people in the face as they wait in the checkout line at their local supermarket.

As I look back on this year, I am excited about where Paleo magazine, and the Paleo movement, is heading and am extremely proud to be a part of it. The support that this community shows is absolutely amazing and I am humbled by the response we’ve received from everyone this past year.

Thank you for your support and for an amazing first year. I can’t wait to see what 2012 brings!

Cain


Grass Fed: Better for More than Your Health

Modeling work by ARS researchers in University Park, PA found that total emissions

for methane, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide were 8% lower in pastured production systems than in CAFOs. They also found that keeping dairy cows outdoors year-round reduced ammonia emissions by 30%.

Short Plate

Word on the Street

“Demand references from absolutely everyone who tries to influence your health.”

Jason Seib, (www.facebook.com/jaseib) on the importance of research

“We either make ourselves miserable, or we make our-selves strong. The amount of work is the same.”

Carlos Castaneda, author

“If a product is shouting its health claims, its probably not that healthy.”

Lori Zanteson, (lorizanteson.com) on the importance of reading food labels and the truth about food and health claims (from Whole9Life.com guest post)

“Self experimentation is the only way to truly know what works for YOU!”

Big Tim, (bigtimsprimaljourney.com) talking about the importance of knowing your own body, rather than relying on “experts”

“I think very few people actually have any idea how important it [sleep] is; not only for fat

loss and muscle recovery, but for your nervous system, hormones, brain and immune system.”

Tyler, (Evolutionaryhealthsystems.com), about the importance of sleeping in complete darkness

IBS affects between 25 and 45 million people in the US and roughly 9% to 23% of the population worldwide.If you’re one of them, try homemade bone broth to aid digestion.

http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/why-broth-is-beautiful

One Tough Nut

It takes 300lbs per square inch to break the shell of a macadamia nut!


Short Plate

Just Breathe...Reducing stress is key in

maintaining your overall health. While there are various ways to alleviate stress - exercise, breathing, meditation - aromatherapy can also play a key role in helping you relax. Next time you’re feeling stressed, give these essential oils a try.

Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) has been shown to calm, relieve tension and depression and can be effective for insomnia.

Palmarosa (Cymbopogon martini) is used to calm and help uplift and clear the mind.

Bergamot (Citrus aurantium var. bergamia) may help relieve depression, stress and tension.

Frankincense (Boswellia carteri) has been used to help calm anxiety and is great to use when meditating.


Short PlateAs the popularity of farmers markets has

exploded, growing from 1,750 to over 7,100 in the last 15 years or so, there has been an increase in the criticism of local food. Critics claim the prices at farmers markets make the food out of reach for average people, seniors and the poor.A study by SCALE, Inc (www.ruralscale.com), published last fall, attempted to find out how farmers markets compared to supermarkets in regards to cost.

While there are limitations to the study - specific geographic area, time of year, small number of markets - the findings do show the criticism of affordability may be misplaced. According to study authors, overall, the farmers markets studied were highly competitive with mainstream supermarkets in the pricing of produce, meats and eggs. They also found:

74% communities studied where produce was less expensive at the farmers markets

Average savings of that produce? 22%

88% communities where organic produce was less expensive at the farmers markets

Average savings of that organic produce? 16%“When the lowest priced comparable item was used for comparison, farmers markets were less expensive than supermarkets in 74% of all cases, by an average of 12%.”1

1 “Is Local Food Affordable for Ordinary Folks? A Comparison of Farmers Markets and Supermarkets in Nineteen Communities in the Southeast” Flaccavento, Anthony, SCALE, Inc. Nov. 1, 2011

Last year, a team of scientists collected data from different grazing systems and manure management and plugged it into a computer model to see what the environmental effects of four different dairy farms would be over 25 years. All four of the farms in the model used the same land and were standardized to produce about the same amount of milk, once adjusted for fat and protein.

Here’s how the four farming systems were set up.

Farm A• Confinement farm with a herd of 85 large-framed Holsteins and 76

replacement heifers. Each cow produced 22,000 pounds of milk every year.

Farm B• Confinement farm with a herd of 100 moderate-framed Holsteins

and 80 replacement heifers. Each cow produced 18,500 pounds of milk every year.

Farm C• A herd of 100 moderate-framed Holsteins and 80 replacement

heifers were allowed to graze for up to 7 months each year. Each cow produced 18,500 pounds of milk every year.

Farm D• A herd of 130 small-framed Holstein/Jersey crossbred cows and 95

replacement heifers were outside year-round, calved in spring and man-aged with rotational grazing during the summer. Each cow produced about 13,000 pounds of milk every year.

Researchers found that the total emissions for methane, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide were 8% lower in the year round production system than in the confinement system farms. The ammonia emissions were also about 30% lower by keeping the cows outdoors year-round.

Carbon sequestration levels shot up from zero to as much as 3,400 pounds per acre every year when fields formerly used for feed crops were converted to perennial grasslands for grazing. Sediment erosion fell 87% to an average of 330 pounds per acre and runoff of phosphorus dropped from 57 pounds to 44 pounds per acre when cows were allowed to forage.“Putting Dairy Cows Out to Pasture: An Environmental Plus” May/June 2011 issue of Agricultural Research magazine. http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/2011/may11/cows0511.htm

Cows living in a natural environment are better for the, uhh...environment.


Short PlateKnow Your FoodNew Hampshire Red

New Hampshire Reds are a relatively new chicken breed. They were originally bred by farmers in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, from the Rhode Island Red breed in 1915 and were admitted to the Standard in 1935. They were bred for rapid growth, fast feathering and early maturity. Intended as a dual-purpose bird, they produce more meat, but less eggs (about 120/year) than the Rhode Islands.

While still relatively common, New Hampshire Reds are listed as “Watch” with the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (www.albc-usa.org). This means there are “fewer than 5,000 breeding birds in the US, with ten or fewer primary breeding flocks, and an estimated global population less than 10,000.”

As their name implies, New Hampshire Reds are red/reddish-brown in color and at 7-8 pounds, are a decent sized bird. The hens generally make good mothers and have a good instinct to “go broody”, where they stop laying new eggs and incubate their eggs until they hatch. While the birds can be aggressive with other chickens, they tend to have good temperaments with people and are usually easily handled. They prefer a free-range environment and are particularly hardy, with the ability to cope well in most climates. They are not the best flyers, excellent runners and can be contained, if necessary, with a low fence.

New Hampshire Reds can be an excellent choice for the backyard “farm”. To find a breeder near you, visit www.albc-usa.org/heritagechicken/producers.html.

If actually raising the birds yourself isn’t your thing, you can find a farmer in your area that produces this particular breed, or other heritage birds, by visiting www.localharvest.org/features/pastured.jsp

Photo Credit: blog.bigpig.net


You can now add another book to your Paleo library wish list!

The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Eating Paleo offers readers a guide not only to the diet and science behind the diet, but guidance on how to follow the plan, tips and tricks for sticking to it and key insight on enjoying the long-term health benefits that are a result of this ancestral way of nourishing our bodies. In addition, The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Eating Paleo contains meal plans and over 100 delicious recipes that are true to the Paleo lifestyle.

The authors, Neely Quinn, ICNT, CLT and Jason Glaspey, are the founders of PaleoPlan.com, a website that provides a weekly meal plan subscription service and an ebook to help make Paleo as affordable and easy to do as possible. By providing you with delicious recipes and a companion shopping list for the entire week, it’s easier than ever to follow a Paleo diet!

The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Eating Paleo will be released on April 3, 2012.

Short Plate

PORTLAND’S

STONE AGE DINERWe feature a selection of tasty Paleo-friendly meals.From 100% grass-fed hamburgers, other game, wild salmon and veggie burgers... to fresh veggies, salads, soups and home-made desserts... offering many gluten-free and non-dairy options!

Palæo The Paleo lifestyle continues to spread, with more restaurants beginning to offer menu items that appeal to those following a Paleo diet. Some though, are ditching the more “Neolithic” foods altogether. Palæo, located in Copenhagen, is one such restaurant.

A “fast-food” restaurant, offering 24-hour take out, Palæo is the brain-child of Thomas Rode Andersen, an award winning chef who started eating a Paleo diet back in 2005.

The creative menu, available online, is enough to make any Paleo dieter start to drool. Some of the items include

• Meatza (ground beef topped with tomato compote, pickled mushrooms and parsley pesto)

• Vegetable “spaghetti” with duck heart meat sauce and parsley pesto

• Hot Dog (egg based wrapper with organic pork sausage and mushroom remoulade)

Check out their menu online

http://www.xn--palo-xoa.dk/palaeo_menukort.pdf

Neely Quinn, ICNT, CLT, and Jason Glaspey

Eating PaleoDiscover the health and weight loss benefits of eating like our ancestors

“… the perfect crash-course for regaining that essential connection.”

—Foreword by Mark Sissonauthor of The Primal Blueprint


Research RoundupFructose consumption and Cardiometabolic risk markers

This study looked at the association between total fructose intake and markers of cardiometabolic risk in adolescents aged 14-18 years.

In addition to looking at physical activity and fat-free/fat mass, researchers measured BP, fasting glucose, insulin, lipids, adiponectin and C-reactive protein. They found that the kids that consumed a lot of fructose, and had excess fat around their midsections, had higher blood pressure, fasting glucose, insulin resistance and other cardiovascular risk factors. These same kids also had lower levels of HDL and adiponectin (a protein hormone that regulates the metabolism of lipids and glucose).

While these increased risks were apparent in kids with the biggest bellies who ate a large amount of fructose, it was not seen in those without the excess belly fat.

Pollock, N., Bundy, V., Kanto, W., Davis, C., Bernard, P., Zhu, H., Gutin, B., Dong, Y. (2012). Greater fructose consumption is associated with cardiometabolic risk markers and visceral adiposity in adolescents [Abstract]. The Journal of Nutrition, 142(2), 251-257. doi:10.3945/jn.111.150219

Intestinal microbiota and myocardial infarction

This animal study suggests that by looking at the types and amount of bacteria in the gut, doctors could potentially predict the likelihood of someone having a heart attack and that manipulating that microflora could help reduce the risk of having a heart attack in the first place.

For this study, researchers used three groups of rats - the first was fed a regular diet, the second was treated orally with Vancomycin (an antibiotic) in their drinking water and the third was fed a commercially available probiotic supplement, Goodbelly.

They found that, compared to the rats fed the regular diet, those given the antibiotic had a 38% decrease in

circulating leptin levels, which resulted in less severe heart attacks (27% less) and improved recovery (35%). The rats given Goodbelly experienced a 41% decrease in leptin levels, a 29% reduction in heart attack severity and a 23% improvement in recovery of mechanical function.

Lam, V., Su, J., Koprowski, S., Hsu, A., Tweddell, J., Rafiee, P., Gross, G., Salzman, N., Baker, J. (2012). Intestinal microbiota determine severity of myocardial infarction in rats [Abstract]. The FASEB Journal. doi:10.1096/fj.11-197921.

Estrogens in the daily dietMost food contains a variety of

estrogen-like compounds and exposes us to endocrine active compounds. However, phytoestrogens, especially from soy, are the major dietary source of estrogenicity. Researchers utilized the Yeast Estrogen Screen, , to determine the total estrogenic activity of 18 different food samples and five milk based infant formulas.

While they found dietary estrogens in all the samples, the soy-based products contains “potent estrogenicity of 100-1500ng estradiol equivalents per kilogram,” with soy lecithin demonstrating strong estrogenic activity. The levels in soy-free products was much lower at 10-40ng EEQ/kg and three of the infant formulas contained significant amounts at 14-22ng EEQ/kg.

Researchers concluded “that dietary estrogens are omnipresent and not limited to soy-based foods” and that while our exposure may be lower than previously thought, there are still many different foods that need toxicological evaluation to identify estrogen-like compounds.

Behr, M, et al. (2011). Estrogens in the daily diet: in vitro analysis indicates that estrogenic activity is omnipresent in foodstuff and infant formula [Abstract]. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 49(10), 2681-2688. PMID 21801783

Diet and risk of pancreatic cancer

This study, originally published back in 1995, looked at the effects of diet on pancreatic cancer. Researchers

looked at 451 people between 30-74 years old with pancreatic cancer and 1552 healthy controls. They interviewed all participants and had them complete a detailed questionnaire, which among other things, included dietary intake of 86 different food items five years before diagnosis for those with cancer and five years before the date of the interview for the controls.

They found “no consistent associations...with [the] consumption of preserved animal foods, fresh red meat, organ meat, and poultry.” There was also a 40-50% reduction in risk between those that ate the most fat and protein and those that ate the least.

Ji, B.T., et al. (1995). Dietary factors and the risk of pancreatic cancer: a case-control study in Shanghai China. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, 4, 885-893. PMID 8634662

Continued next page


Fiber, saturated fat and cardiovascular disease

Researchers looked at data from 8,139 male and 12,535 female participants of the Swedish population-based Malmo Diet and Cancer cohort to look at the association between incident ischemic cardiovascular disease (iCVD) and specific macronutrients and fiber. During an average follow-up of 13.5 years, they identified iCVD cases in 1,089 males and 687 females. Once the study authors adjusted for age, diet, BMI, smoking, education, alcohol habits and other factors, they concluded -

• Coronary Events - “a low intake of saturated fat in women was associated with higher risk of CE.”

• Ischemic CVD - “fiber intake was negatively and significantly associated with iCVD in women (24% lower risk in those with the highest intake compared to the lowest).”

• There is a “potential 3-way statistical interaction between gender, saturated fat and dietary fiber [that] was strongly statistically significant for both CE and iCVD.”

• “This study shows that a high fiber intake may lower the risk of CVD in general, although the evidence is stronger in women than in men.”

• “This study provides little support for the independent effects of specific macronutrients in the causation of ischemic CVD. Saturated fat, long suspected as a causal risk factor of CVD, was generally not associated with disease, although women with the lowest intake had higher risk of CE than other women, after adjustment for fiber.”

Wallstrom, P., et al. (2012). Dietary fiber and saturated fat intake associations with cardiovascular disease differ by sex in the Malmo Diet and Cancer Cohort: A Prospective Study. PLoS ONE, 7(2): e31637. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0031637

Research Roundup


ReviewsREAD

Ginger-Lime Grilled Shrimp. The Best Chicken You Will Ever Eat. Mango-Shrimp Rolls. Avocado-Salmon Rolls. Meat and Spinach Muffins. Cumin-Roasted Carrots. Fried Apples with Bacon and Pecans. These are just a few of the 80+ recipes in the new cookbook, Well Fed (Smudge Publishing) by Melissa Joulwan, founder of the blog, The Clothes Make The Girl.

The great tasting recipes in the book include prep/cook times, easy to follow directions and most include suggestions on how to pair the different recipes as well as tasty variations. The book has great info on the Paleo diet - what it is, what to eat, what not to eat, how to make your life easier in the kitchen and how to “feel the difference between ‘cooking’ and ‘making dinner’”.www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/wellfed

Well Fed

EAT

Steve’s OriginalWhile the Steve’s Original products - Paleo Krunch, Paleo Kits, Just

Jerky, Chicken Jerky and Paleo Stix - taste absolutely amazing (Beef Jerky, Coconut & Strawberries anyone??), with these guys it’s about so much more than the food. Every time you purchase these amazing products, you can feel good, knowing you are helping to support a great program.100% of the profits from these products goes directly to Steve’s Club, a 501(c)(3) national non-profit that provides a national network of programs giving at-risk or underserved youth the ability to join in the CrossFit Community at reduced or no cost.www.StevesOriginal.com

EAT

Lava Lake LambLava Lake Ranch is located just southeast of Sun Valley in Idaho.

The beautiful, expansive ranch consists of about 900,000 acres of mixed federal and private grazing land, extending from the deserts of the Snake River Plain to the Boulder and Pioneer Mountains.

The lamb is certified organic and 100% grass-fed, sticking to a natural diet of grass, herbs, forbes and legumes (like alfalfa). You can order everything from ground to chops to shanks to whole lambs online.

We were fortunate enough to try several different cuts from Lava Lake, and all were absolutely amazing. It is some of the best lamb we’ve ever tried - one of our testers, who claimed to not like lamb, found herself thoroughly enjoying a lamb chop for the first time in her life.www.lavalakelamb.com

To see more about these great products, visit the “Subscriber’s Only” section of our website and use password “PaleoMagFan”


But Is It Paleo?We’re hearing the question more and more these days, as

ancestral health enthusiasts discuss and compare the myriad possibilities for healthy living in the modern world. Mostly we talk about food and training; we rant about the dangers of grains and sing praises to the virtues of barefoot running. But are we getting down to the true core of the Paleo experience? Perhaps not. After all, we can be sure that our primal ancestors weren’t discussing the biochemistry of food or the merits of sets, reps and mileage. In fact, they would find our current obsession with diet and training to be mysterious, even incomprehensible.

Instead, our native ancestors would have been talking primarily about their experience in habitat. They would have been talking about plants, animals, weather, soil and sensation. They would have been talking about their experience of their bodies in and on the land. They would have been telling stories of their hunting and gathering adventures. In fact, they would have sounded less like biochemists and more like naturalists.

Much of today’s conversation about ancestral health is focused on athletic development; many of us take an evolutionary approach to training so that we might excel at our various sports. But this is not Paleo. Sports are modern inventions; most are abstractions that are divorced from habitat. In fact, our primal ancestors had no particular interest in becoming better athletes; their primary desire was to become better hunters and gatherers.

Of course our ancestors valued robust physicality and health. Of course they desired physical strength, agility, power and coordination. But these physical skills were always seen in context of the larger objective: integrating the body-mind-spirit into habitat so as to stay alive. Learning the land came first and this, more than anything else, is a matter of attention, sensation and awareness. In fact, intimate knowledge of the land will almost always trump raw physicality.

The hunter and the athlete are two completely different animals. The hunter needs good physical competence, but his or her primary skill lies in relationship to habitat. Hunting success is more about sensation, observation, awareness and experience than it is about powerful quads or even cardiovascular fitness. Strength, power, speed and endurance mean nothing unless they are applied in context.

In many cases, we are now using our knowledge of Paleo diets and lifestyle to advance pursuits that are distinctly not Paleo. For example, I could, if I desired, use Paleo knowledge to become a champion bodybuilder or a bike racer. Such a training program would probably even “work” in the sense that my optimized diet would improve my metabolism and in turn, my performance. But this ignores the fact that bodybuilding and bike racing are abstractions, specialized sports that have nothing to do with habitat. I may become faster or win more competitions, but I will learn nothing about the natural world that ultimately sustains me.

Even running, as it is so often practiced in the modern world, is not Paleo. Most of our modern running practices are completely independent of habitat; they are practiced as sport, as competition or as medicalized health promotion. The marathon distance of 26.2 miles is derived from Greek mythology; not only is this number habitat-independent, it also has no relationship to human ecological history. Similarly, the triathlon was cooked up by some blokes in a pub, not by experienced hunters or evolutionary biologists. Arguably, a mindful and attentive walk in the park is more Paleo than the typical marathon or triathlon.

When we use Paleo knowledge to advance non-Paleo pursuits, we practice a sort of “Paleo-lite” or “faux-Paleo.” Our diets may be perfect and our sets and reps right on the mark, but unless we’re engaging our experience, sensation and imagination in habitat, we’re really missing the point. We’re missing a huge opportunity to really learn something important about the history and the future of our minds, bodies and spirit.

Naturally, this discussion begs the question: Who’s more Paleo? The attentive naturalist who roams the natural world, but eats an occasional grain-based meal? Or the nutritionally perfect athlete who’s blind to habitat? Consider John Muir, America’s most famous naturalist. He paid intense attention to habitat and integrated himself into the natural world at every opportunity. He’d stuff his pockets with a few “gluten bombs” and head out into the high country of the Sierras for a few days of environmental engagement, immersion and integration. If anyone in our modern world deserves the title of “Paleo,” it would be Muir.

Clearly, the most vital element in Paleo training is integration with habitat. Yes, real food is important. Yes, grains and refined sugar are certainly toxic to health. But once we’ve learned how to eat real foods, it’s time to pay attention and expose our bodies to the natural world. Start by becoming a naturalist: that’s Paleo.

Frank Forencich studied human biology and neuroscience at Stanford University and is author of Exuberant Animal, Change Your Body, Change the World (www.exuberantanimal.com) and Stresscraft: A Whole-Life Approach to Health and Performance (www.stresscraft.com)

The Exuberant Animal By: Frank Forencich

“In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.”John Muir

Paleo Healthy Gluten-Free Recipes to Satisfy Your Primal Cravings

Tammy CredicottAuthor of The Healthy Gluten-Free Life

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While not specifically a “Paleo-only” restaurant, Dick’s Kitchen (dkportland.com), located in Portland, Oregon, is on a mission to provide foods that are fresh, healthy, sustainable and local. They strive to be a place where vegetarians and those following a Paleo diet can both be happy (Paleo-friendly veggie burger anyone?) With a constantly evolving menu, and a never-ending search for better ingredients and better menu combinations, Dick’s Kitchen is at the forefront of restaurants working to provide healthy alternatives to the home cooked meal.

Richard Satnick, owner and mastermind of Dick’s Kitchen is a man on a mission, and he has been for some time. About 15 years ago, Richard was dealing with health issues that required him to take a fresh look at his own diet. This exhaustive search, where he spent countless hours researching different foods and their affects on the human

body, first led him to open Laughing Planet Café (laughingplanetcafe.com) in 1995. However, unlike Dick’s Kitchen, Laughing Planet is not very Paleo-friendly. Other than a few mentions of natural chicken, most items on the menu include grains, tofu or beans. Fortunately for us, Richard’s vision continued to evolve and Dick’s Kitchen was born.

The menu at Dick’s Kitchen gives a healthy, forward-thinking twist on classic diner foods like burgers, sausages, hotdogs and fries. The beef is local and grass-fed, the turkey is organic and the salmon is wild-caught; the burgers are cooked in cast-iron skillets; the ketchup, mustard, kimchee and other sauces are made in-house; the fries are brushed with oil and air-baked in the oven; and they use as little salt as possible, providing sea salt at the tables. With menu options that include The Dork Burger (ground duck and lamb), Heritage Meats Kielbasa, Lamb burger, Thai Burger Bowl (their signature Paleo dish), Yam Fries and Pickled Veggies, it’s easy to find something delicious to eat and stay on the Paleo path.

The focus on healthy eating doesn’t stop with the tasty menu options either. According to Richard, everything that’s done at Dick’s Kitchen – every change, every addition – it’s all done for a reason. If they find that a particular food is more problematic than they thought, they’ll replace it with something else. Right now they are looking at how they can go completely gluten-free with their menu. When they wanted to look at how they could reduce their environmental impact, they reached out to more local vendors. Currently, Dick’s Kitchen sources as much of their ingredients as possible from local farmers and food artisans. Depending on the season, they’re working with a dozen or more local companies at any given time.

Richard is a true believer in the Paleo lifestyle and diet and constantly works to fit it into a viable business, without “turning off ” any new customers. For example, they have a protocol in place for when people come in to eat. This involves doing small things to help educate them about their food choices, answer any questions they have and at least introduce them in some way to the Paleo way of eating. It’s obviously working, as they’ve recently opened a second location in Portland and are on the lookout for more opportunities for additional locations (maybe in a city near you!)

In the meantime, the next time you find yourself in the Northwest, do yourself a favor and stop by Dick’s Kitchen in Portland. You’ll find mouth-watering, Paleo-friendly fare and help support a business working to change the way the masses look at “fast” food.

Business Spotlight

Contact Dick’s Kitchen

www.dkportland.com

3312 SE Belmont St.Portland, OR503.235.0146

AND

704 NW 21st. AvePortland, OR503.206.5916

Air-baked potato and yam fries from Dick’s Kitchen. Done in the oven, with just a touch of locally sourced high-oleic safflower oil.

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At age 26, my husband Andrew, an environmentalist who was working a corporate job and finding himself philosophically against the products he was helping create, decided to become an organic farmer. Today, we host 400+ CSA members who visit the farm each week to pick up their weekly produce share. Pigs roam the woods, sheep graze, and chickens eat grass and bugs. We have a farmstand open to the public where the public can buy local artisan products like raw milk cheese, sauerkraut. Our kitchen produces bone broth, renders lard and makes pate from our chicken livers. We also run education programs for children, adults and future farmers.

CSAs keep small farms alive and preserve open space.

Small farms across America are dying and being replaced by shopping plazas and housing developments (sometimes creatively named after the dead farm). CSAs are an alternative financial model which helps the farmer lock in guaranteed sales for their produce, regardless of weather conditions, crop failure, insect infestation or a variety of other factors which can

reduce yield and price. The consumer pays upfront for their “share” of the harvest and the farmer gets their money before the season starts for costs like seeds, labor and new infrastructure. The consumer then is paid in dividends each week during the growing season with high quality fresh produce.

It’s about more than the financial savings.

The produce that members receive is of much higher quality than what can be purchased at a big box store. In most cases, it was harvested that day, which is fresher and means higher nutrient content. CSA membership has many other benefits. For example, our CSA members are part of the community of our farm and families often spend many hours each week enjoying the farm. They attend potlucks and pig roasts and get to meet each other and the farmers. Children need to have

the experience of watching a chicken scratch at the ground and seeing a dog working to round up sheep. Kids will usually try string beans they’ve harvested themselves.

Sustainable farming actually improves the environment and sustains genetic diversity.

Not many other industries today do this. We are adding compost, fish, seaweed and minerals like boron and magnesium to the soil and healthier soil produces more nutrient dense produce. In addition to improving the soil, we strive to raise heirloom varieties, preserving seed lines and breeds of animals that once were plentiful but are now threatened with extinction because they cannot thrive on a CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation). While Americans are consuming a more limited variety of vegetables, fruit and animals, a CSA

offers a large diversity of produce and many small farmers are bringing back rare breeds of animals like Tamworth pigs and Horned Dorset sheep.

Buying from your local farmer also keeps your money in the local economy.

When you purchase your food at a big box store, not only is your produce less fresh but more petroleum was used to bring it there. According to the United Nations, the United States alone consumes 6.4 billion pounds of bananas per year.1 There is a lot of poverty and social injustice on large farms

across America and especially in other countries. A banana worker in Central America makes as little as $1.20 per day.2 Small farmers on the other

Continued next page

Photo Credit: Paul Cary Goldberg

Joining a CSABy: Diana Rodgers



Continued from page 23

hand, generally pay a living wage to their workers. Small businesses buy their supplies and services locally, spending twice as much of their revenue in the local economy.3 In fact, three times more money stays in the local economy when you buy goods and services from locally owned businesses instead of large chains.4 Many CSA farms like ours also run apprentice programs to teach new young farmers, ensuring the future of sustainable farming.

Find a farmerGo to eatwild.com

or localharvest.org to find a farm near you and visit the farm to see the fields. If they have animals, look at their living conditions. Do the animals look healthy and go out on pasture, or are they living in a mini CAFO? Find out how long the farmer has been in business and ask how their previous years have been. Ask what percentage of their produce is actually grown on their farm. In our area, some farms taken the CSA concept and have adulterated it into a produce buying club where a share includes all kinds of long distance, conventional produce. Seek out experienced farmers who grow the majority of the produce themselves, who have a strong, happy membership base, and give you an opportunity to connect with the farm.

Do your researchLearn to love new produce items

like kohlrabi, mustard greens and tatsoi. “Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide to Cooking Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce” put out by the Madison Area CSA Coalition is a great one for CSA members. Instead of complaining that there aren’t enough tomatoes, read your farm newsletter and

maybe you’ll learn about a tomato blight or recent hail storm that damaged the crop.

Get involved

Volunteer and find out what it’s actually like to work for a day as a farmer. Instead of going to the gym for an hour, lift some heavy water buckets or squat

for hours weeding. Learn what it’s like to eviscerate a chicken.

Set your expectationsMost CSAs can’t grow everything so

you may have to supplement (especially for fruit). Also, your June distributions may begin small and contain mostly lettuce and greens. You may be surprised to learn that your farmer’s tomatoes don’t ripen until August, but that the ugliest ones are the tastiest.

Learning more about agriculture issues

I highly recommend “The Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture” by poet/farmer Wendell Berry. From the inside flap, “Berry’s assessment of modern agriculture and its relationship

to American culture--our health, economy, personal relationships, morals, and spiritual values--is more timely than ever.”

References

1 FAOSTAT: ProdSTAT: Crops. UN Food & Agriculture Organization. (2005)2 Prieto-Darron, Marina, Corporate Social

Responsibility in Latin America. (2006). Journal of Corporate Citizenship, Issue 21, 85-943 Thinking Outside the Box: A Report on Independent Merchants and the Local Economy, Civic Economics. (9/2009). http://www.staylocal.org/pdf/info/ThinkingOutsidetheBox_1.pdf4 The Economic Impact of Locally Owned Businesses vs. Chains: A Case Study in Midcoast Maine. Institute for Local Self-Reliance

and Friends of Midcoast Maine. (9/2003). http://www.newrules.org/midcoaststudy.pdf


CSA Resources

Websites

• www.eatwild.com• www.localharvest.org• www.foodroutes.org/• www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/csa/csa.shtml• www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/csa/csaorgs.shtml

Books

Sharing the HarvestElizabeth Henderson & Robyn Van En

Farms of Tomorrow RevisitedTrauger Groh & Steven McFadden

PALEO: EAt grEAt...fEEL grEAt...

Personal Chef Cindy AnsChutz, of Cindy’s Table, is transforming common dietary practices up and down the East Coast. Specializing in Paleo cooking, Cindy provides not only in-house chef services, she offers recipes, cooking shows, access to her Paleo-focused blog and meal planning tips through her website. Learn more about the efforts of Cindy’s Table to educate people about the properties and benefits of a Paleo diet by subscribing to her newsletter and following the progress of her Italian-inspired cookbook. Then, sit back and relax while letting Cindy prepare a Paleo meal for you, your family and your friends in the comfort of your own home.

VISIT WWW.CINDYSTABLE.COMFOR MORE PALEO RECIPES & VIDEOS,

& TO SIGN UP FOR A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

FILLED WITH GREAT PALEO RECIPES

GRILLED CHICKEN, TOMATO& AVOCADO STACK

2 (4-ounce) boneless and skinless chicken breast halves

3 tablespoons Paleo Mayonnaise

2 large beefsteak tomatoes, sliced

1 large avocado, thinly sliced into 8 pieces

1/4 red onion, thinly sliced

Romaine or your favorite lettuce

Sea salt and Pepper

1 tablespoon Olive oil, a little more to drizzle

Fresh herbs for garnish, optional

Directions:

• Take chicken breasts and season with salt and pepper

• Heat a saute pan and set to medium heat, add olive oil then add chicken. Cook for 4 minutes on each side (until each side is brown). When done put on a poultry board and let cool.

• Take each plate and line the bottom with your lettuce.

• Slice tomatoes, avocado and chicken

• Add a little mayonnaise in the middle while building your stack

• Taking each ingredient create a stack and add the red onion slices on top.

• You may want to drizzle a little olive oil or fresh herbs on the top avocado and chicken.

Video Production By:

EntertainingPaleo on Facebook


In Season

Oysters

Where Do They Come From

With the exception of the polar regions, oysters can be found in most of the oceans of the world. While they used to be mainly wild-caught, overfishing, pollution, disease and habitat alteration have had a significant impact on wild populations. In 1952, the wild capture of oysters was a little over 300,000 metric tons. In 2003, world production was about 4.7 million metric tons, with farmed oysters making up all but about 200,000 metric tons.

Impacts Of Farming

The environmental impacts of oyster farming are low, with farmed oysters receiving the “green fish” approval from the Blue Ocean Institute and a “Best Choice” rating from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch.® While adult oysters are not mobile, making the risk of escapees low, there is some concern as the interest in developing “genetically-improved” oysters increases. Farmed oysters can be left behind during harvesting, and the impact of GMO oysters introduced into the wild is unknown. However, there is documentation of negative interactions with wild species when non-native oysters are introduced.

Why Should You Eat Them

According to NutritionData.com, while there is very little difference in the macronutrient profile of wild and farmed oysters, there are some variances in the micronutrients, vitamins and minerals. For example, wild oysters are higher in Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Choline, Magnesium and Zinc. The two are very similar in Vitamin B12, Calcium, Iron and Selenium. Omega-3s are quite a bit higher in wild oysters, however, so are the Omega-6s.

Selecting & Storing

Like most shellfish, steer clear of oysters with open or cracked shells. Stick with those that are uncracked and close their shells if you tap or run cold water over them. Oysters spawn in the summer and produce a milk sac that some people find unpleasant. Oysters need to stay cool - ideally between 35oF and 45oF - and do best stored covered with a loose, damp towel or cloth. Don’t store on ice. Clean them before eating, not before storing. Live oysters should be eaten within a week of buying them. Shucked oysters can be stored in the freezer, immersed in their own juices, for up to a year. Always cook thawed oysters, never re-freeze them.


In Season

RhubarbRhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum L.), first cultivated in China over 2,500 years ago, was originally grown for medicinal purposes. It spread to Italy in the early 1600’s, Europe in the late 1700’s and finally made its way to the US in about 1800. While the Chinese variety contains specific elements that give it its special medicinal properties, the types grown in Europe and the US are grown as a food plant only.

Growing It

While easy to grow, this perennial plant needs cold winter temperatures - below 40oF - to stimulate spring growth and summer temps that average less than 75oF to really take off. It will grow well in just about any soil, but prefers fertile, well-drained soils free of weeds - the more compost and manure, the better. A sunny location is best. Don’t harvest during the first year to give the plant time to establish a strong root system.

What’s The Big Deal

Rhubarb contains decent amounts of Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Potassium. While it does contain a decent amount of calcium, it’s bound by oxalic acid and isn’t easily absorbed by the body. Rhubarb can also be used to clean pots & pans and the leaves can make an effective insecticide for leaf eating insects (sidebar).

Choosing and Storing

Look for deep red stalks, which are generally more flavorful. To store, trim and throw out the leaves. Fresh stalks can be kept in the fridge, unwashed and wrapped tightly in plastic, for up to three weeks. It can keep for up to six months in the freezer.

Precautions

Remember - only the stalks are used for eating! The leaves contain high amounts of calcium oxylate, a poison that can be deadly. While the vast majority of the oxylates are found in the leaves, it can travel to the stalks, especially in frost bitten plants, so steer clear of those. If you are growing your own Rhubarb and have kids, be sure to teach them to eat the stalks only and not the leaves.

Rhubarb leaf spray

Great alternative to composting rhubarb leaves. Spray will keep for 1-2 days after making it. Keep away from kids.

1. Boil a few pounds of rhubarb leaves in a few pints of water for 15-20 minutes.

2. Allow to cool.3. Strain the liquid into suitable

container4. Dissolve some soap flakes in

the liquid.5. Use on aphids, cabbage

caterpillars and other leaf eating insects.

Source: www.rhubarbinfo.com


My first taste of beet kvass was a sample at a local farmer’s market and it wasn’t awful, just ok. Certainly not good enough to shell out my money to take some home. I am not, in general, a fan of beets. They’re ok when juiced with greens, but that’s it in my opinion. Yet when I started reading the books, Nourishing Traditions and Wild Fermentation, I began to reconsider if only for the health benefits.

Like many recipes for fermentation, there is a lot of ambiguity on how to ferment the juice and many of the recipes call for vague quantities of ingredients and differing lengths of time to ferment it. After a few failed batches, mostly due to the fact that I was not using an anaerobic fermenting system (Pickl-It Jar), I got one that was actually quite tasty. Surprisingly, my kids even love this stuff and even like the fermented beets left over from making the tonic. A good recipe can really make all the difference.

Now, before I share the secret to delicious beet kvass, let’s talk about why you should consider drinking it. Fermenting the beets greatly reduces the sugar content so you are left with a very

low sugar/carbohydrate tangy beverage. Since it is lacto-fermented (dairy-free), it is also full of little lactobacillus and other beneficial bacteria and yeast (probiotics). During fermentation the cultures are metabolizing the sugars in the beet cubes, converting them to lactic acid and co2, and releasing the vital nutrients into the liquid. Beet roots can go as far as 10 feet down into the soil, picking up trace minerals that have virtually vanished from the top layers due to repeated cultivation. These nutrients include important trace minerals like calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and sodium. As well as small amounts of iron, zinc, copper, manganese, and selenium. Beet kvass is also a natural source of Vitamin C, folic acid, Vitamins B1, B2, B3, and Vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene. It is also a good source of silica, which helps the body utilize calcium for healthy bones, skin, hair, and nails. The rich purplish reddish pigment of beetroot comes from Betacyanin, which is a pigment that has demonstrated the potential to help protect against oxidative stress as well as certain cancers.1,2

Like many fermented foods, beet kvass can improve digestion, restore the proper balance of bacteria in the gut, and add rich enzymes to make digesting easier and more effective. According to Sally Fallon (2000), “Folk medicine values beets and beet kvass for their liver cleansing properties and beet kvass is widely used in cancer therapy in Europe. Anecdotal reports indicate that beet kvass is an excellent therapy for chronic fatigue, chemical sensitivities, allergies and digestive problems.”

Beet kvass is considered a tonic drink and if your system is out of balance, you may experience “die off ”,

so I recommend drinking it in relatively small amounts, especially if you are new to fermented foods. Symptoms of “die-off ” can include fatigue, digestive upset, low-grade fever, or dizziness/headache.

While you may be able to find a local vendor selling beet kvass, it generally won’t be properly fermented in a closed-air system or for long enough for optimal nutritional content. If it is not fermented anaerobically, the chance of having a large population of the good bacteria is significantly decreased while allowing undesirable yeast and other bacteria to establish themselves. This option also results in a less desirable flavor, which is why many are not yet fans of beet kvass. Try it yourself with my recipe (pg 52) and the flavor is quite compelling!

1 Kapadia, G., Azuine, M., Subba Rao, G., Arai, T. (2011). Cytotoxic Effect of the Red Beetroot Extract Compared to Doxorubicin in the Human Prostate and Breast Cancer Cell Lines. Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry, 11, 280-284.2 Kanner, J., Harel, S., Granit, R. (2001). Betalains-A New Class of Dietary Cationized Antioxidants. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 49, 5178-5185. doi: 10.1021/jf010456f

Give Beets A ChanceBy: Lisa Herndon

What is “die-off”?Chances are good that unless

you’ve been eating real food and avoiding all processed foods for a long time there is some kind of imbalance in your system even

if you feel great. As we start ingesting beneficial bacteria, the balance is changed and the good bacteria start doing their job of

balancing out the other flora in your gut. These cells die and

release toxins. If you ingest sufficient beneficial bacteria those other bacteria die

quickly, in large numbers and produce toxins faster than your body can clear them out. This is

what causes the symptoms of die off. Don’t be afraid of die off – you

are leading your body back to better health.

Evolve.

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Digestive IllnessA Holistic, Paleo Approach to Recovery

By: Adam Farrah


In 2004 I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. It was a difficult and scary time for me

and my family – as were a number of years that followed. I made more trips to doctors, Gastroenterologists, alternative medicine people of all genres and emergency rooms than I care to think about. There were times I was so weak from dehydration and anemia I could barely climb the stairs in the house I lived in. There were times I wondered if I was going to die and there were times I didn’t really care if I did.

Most frustrating of all was the pervasive attitude of the health practitioners I visited. Virtually all of them told me that the illness was incurable and would be chronic and nearly all told me that it was entirely unrelated to diet.

I even had the head of Gastroenterology at a major university hospital recommend I eat “bread” because my diet of only raw fruit smoothies and steamed vegetables, which seemed to be making me feel better and reduce the pain of digestion, wasn’t of adequate nutrition and nutrient “deficiencies” might result without bread. Bread…

In truth, I was suffering from an illness of diet and lifestyle that resolved when I changed course and directed my life in a way that was much more suited to my genetics, evolution and my higher spiritual callings.

It’s still amazing to me now, with all the perspective I have from my years of research and interaction in the Paleo community, that no one back then could help me. The solution is so simple and elegant. Of course, simple and elegant solutions don’t tend to create much profit for anyone…

That I’m writing this article in 2012, in complete health, is a testament to the effectiveness of a Paleo approach to diet and lifestyle in treating digestive disorders.

The Paleo Journey…The conventional medical

community generally considers digestive illnesses like Ulcerative Colitis to be “incurable.” I don’t necessarily disagree with this attitude – not because I believe the illnesses themselves to be incurable, but because I believe the vast majority of people who have them to be unwilling or unable to make the necessary diet and lifestyle changes required to make a full recovery.

Recovering from any chronic illness is a long and difficult process.

In my own experience, recovery from a chronic and life threatening digestive illness is possible, but it is a long, hard road and it requires constant work and experimentation to learn to listen to your body and give it what it needs when and how it needs it. It also requires giving up habits, behaviors and beliefs, the ones that got us sick in the first place, and that is a profoundly difficult and uncomfortable process.

Putting Paleo Into Context…One thing I strived to do in my

book, “The Paleo Dieter’s Missing Link,” is present Paleo as a foundational approach to eating and living as opposed to a “diet.” Paleo is

so much more than a diet. Paleo principles are foundational

to health and represent indispensable information about what we require to live and thrive as human beings.

Though Paleo principles are foundational to recovery from digestive illness, their application is highly individual and requires a scientific and, at times, even an artful approach. Learning to heal your body – and, yes, you must learn to heal your body – requires a level of body awareness and sensitivity that we’re all capable of, but virtually all of us have unlearned through modern life.

I’ve come to believe that modern life is a profoundly numbing and body-

Continued next page

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Recovering from any chronic illness is a long and difficult process.



invalidating institution.As it turns out, one of the greatest

gifts I received from the illness, and there were many, was a level of sensitivity to the effects of food, lifestyle and environment on my body. I also found my true calling in life, my spiritual path, made friends with my body and found a deeper, more primal energy within.

Paleo Diet Factors for Success…By no means an exhaustive list, the

following are a few Paleo diet principles that make it so effective when it comes to healing digestive problems. I’ve also addressed a few common issues that I believe need to be kept in mind.

Grain Free – Not Just Gluten Free

It’s now pretty well established that virtually all grains have “gluten-like” compounds in them. This is the main reason that people with things like Celiac Disease don’t fully heal on a gluten free diet – they’re still eating plenty of grains. I messed around with alternative grains and stuff like quinoa, etc. for years. In the end, it wasn’t worth the pain or the effort. Dropping grains entirely for several years was what it took for me to heal.

Dairy FreeThis is another area of contention.

There are some “Paleo-inspired” authors who espouse an approach that includes raw pastured dairy from cows or goats. Those in the goat camp will say that the proteins in goat milk are completely different from those in cow milk and, therefore, aren’t allergenic.

In my own experience, no matter how inspiring and wonderful the idea

of happy pastured animals producing a wonderful, healthy fat-filled, protein rich milk was, virtually every time my health declined some form of dairy was involved. Sometimes it took several months for the effects to be apparent, but I’ve never gotten away with having dairy in my diet long term, no matter how high the quality or what source it came from.

What about probiotics and cultured dairy?

It’s almost a Paleo cliché at this point: Someone asks a general question about Paleo for digestive illness and a

well-meaning Paleo proponent advises that cultured dairy is also a great idea because people with digestive disorders need the probiotics. In practice, dairy tends to make a mess out of the digestive tract and immune system of a person with a digestive illness no matter how carefully it’s prepared or cultured.

Short FastsNothing freaks

people out more than fasting. To some, you would think we evolved shoving a bar or a shake in our

mouth every two hours, and death will come sure and swift if we don’t. Fasting for a few hours in the morning, or even for most of the day, is very normal and natural to our physiology.

For me, there are situations when fasting is just plain easier. This is particularly true when I’m very busy and stressed. Instead of eating and possibly digesting my meal poorly, I’ll just use that period as a fasting period.

Fasting Gives the Entire Body a Break from Digestion

Digestion is a big energy drain for a healthy body. For a body with compromised digestive function, digestion is exhausting. Giving the body

Animal Husbandry Terms

Free-RangeFree-range, free-roaming, and pastured imply that a product comes from an animal that was raised unconfi ned and free to roam. “Free-range” claims on beef and eggs are unregulated, but USDA requires that poultry have access to the outdoors for an undetermined period each day.

Grass-FedA diet for livestock that consists of freshly grazed pasture during the growing season and stored grasses (hay or grass silage) during the winter months or drought conditions. Grass feeding is used with cattle, sheep, goats and bison.

HeritageA term applied to breeds of livestock that were bred over time to be well-adapted to local environmental conditions, withstand disease and survive in harsh environmental conditions. Heritage breeds generally have slow growth rates and long productive lifespans outdoors, making them well-suited for grazing and pasturing.

For more info visit

www.farmersmarketcoalition.org

Courtesy Of


a break can improve energy and mood and give the body a chance to rest.

If you want more reading on short fasts and some very intelligent commentary on a variety of issues, check out “The Warrior Diet” by Ori Hoffmekler. (Note: Ori doesn’t take a Paleo approach to diet, but his views on fasting and human history are fascinating.)

Nothing ProcessedI always chuckle when someone

tells me they’re sensitive to this or that in food (Hint: It’s almost always gluten or dairy) and they say how they have to “read labels carefully.” Of course, if they stopped eating stuff that came in a package with a label they’d automatically cut out 95% of the things they have a problem with and save a lot of time and energy besides. A great rule I got from Paul Chek is this: If you can shop once a week or less, you’re not eating as fresh and healthy as you can.

Some Parting Words…I’d like to offer some words of

wisdom for those suffering from digestive illness, as someone who lived with it for many years and fought his way back to health. First of all, don’t give up. It can take a long time and often it feels like you’re not getting anywhere. You didn’t get sick in a week or a month or a year and you likely won’t get well in a short time period either. It’s a process.

Further, diet is the tip of the iceberg. Even a Paleo diet that’s perfectly individualized to you won’t do a lot if your lifestyle is seriously at odds with what your body needs and is evolved for. If you’re living anything like a modern lifestyle and you’re sick, you’ll need to seriously renovate your life to truly heal.

My personal opinion is that healing a chronic digestive illness, and many other types of illness, is a process of “taking away” or “letting go of ” the causes of poor health as opposed to adding some key or magic food or supplement or drug or practice. Modern

life is full of confounding and destructive things. When it comes to health and the human animal, simple, primitive and minimalist is most healing of all.

To read Part 2 of this article, visit us online at www.paleomagonline.com/2012/02/29/digestive-illness-part-2/ or scan the code below with your smartphone or tablet.


Paleo Kids

Anyone with kids knows that every now and then it can be hard to make meals or snacks that the kids like. Especially if you’re changing their diet from one that contained a lot of processed, artificially flavored/colored foods to one with whole, natural foods. Sometimes, as their taste buds are transitioning from being over stimulated with fake flavors, it can take a while for them to appreciate, the way real food tastes.

If you’re finding yourself with picky eaters, or having trouble pleasing multiple kids at the same time, these recipes should definitely help! We’ve pulled these from the newly released cookbook, The Healthy Gluten Free Life (Victory Belt Publishing). And while this book is not a Paleo book, almost half of the 200 recipes are Paleo-friendly, with the others using gluten-free grains. The following recipes have our kids happily eating, with zero complaints, and we hope your kids will enjoy them too!

Sausage Veggie HashIngredients

1 TBSP coconut oil3/4-1 lb of breakfast sausage (links or bulk works fine)1 small organic yellow onion, diced2 medium organic sweet potatoes, scrubbed clean and diced3 medium organic zucchini, scrubbed, sliced in half lengthwise, then cut

into 1/4-inch slices1/2 of a medium avocado, sliced

Process

1. In a large electric skillet or nonstick frying pan, heat 1 TBSP oil.2. Add sausage and cook until done and no longer pink. Remove from skillet. If using links, cut them into bite-size pieces. Set aside and keep warm.3. Add onions to skillet. Cook for 1 minute.4. Add potatoes. Cover and cook until browned and soft, about 15 minutes.5. Add zucchini and cook for about 5 minutes, or just until softened.6. Add sausage back to pan, stir to combine.7. Serve bowls full of hash, topped with sliced avocado.

Hammin’ It Up Morning ScrambleIngredients

1 TBSP coconut oil1 cup organic cooked sweet potato cubes1 cup cubed GF ham1 cup organic spinach leaves, chopped

Process

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add potatoes and cook until slightly browned.

2. Add ham and heat through, about 4 minutes.3. Add in chopped spinach, stir and remove pan from heat.4. Serve immediately.


Paleo Kids

Coconut Chicken StripsIngredients

For the Chicken

4 organic, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

For the “Breading”

1 cup finely shredded organic 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepperunsweetened coconut 1/2 tsp granulated onion

1/4 cup coconut flour 1/2 tsp granulated garlic1/2 tsp sea salt 1/2 tsp paprika

Process

1. In a shallow dish, combine breading ingredients. Set aside.2. Drizzle half of the coconut oil over chicken strips. Dredge strips in breading, covering all of the chicken.3. Place breaded chicken in a greased 9” by 13” in a glass baking dish. Pour remaining oil over strips.4. Bake in a 375o oven for 20 minutes.5. Change oven to Broil and broil chicken about 5 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

Mini MeatloavesIngredients

For the Chicken

1/2 medium organic yellow onion, diced2 cloves garlic, minced2 lbs organic ground beef (US Wellness Meats)1-1/2 tsp sea salt1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper1 TBSP GF Worcestershire sauce1 cup organic tomato sauce (about 1/2 of a 15oz can)1 tsp granulated onion1 tsp marjoram1/2 tsp dried basil3/4 cup almond meal1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped (or 1 TBSP dried parsley)1 egg

For the sauce

3 TBSP organic tomato paste~ Remaining can of tomato sauce (about 3/4 cup)3 TBSP raw organic honey1 TBSP raw apple cider vinegar1 tsp granulated onion1/2 tsp granulated garlic1 tsp sea salt~ Freshly ground pepper to taste

Process

1. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, saute onions and garlic until soft. About 5 minutes.2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, add beef and remaining meat ingredients. Add cooked onions/garlic. Carefully stir and combine meat mixture until all ingredients are incorporated.3. Grease muffin pans with coconut oil. Fill muffin pans, just to the tops, with the meat mixture. Press down slightly to level tops.4. In a small bowl, combine sauce ingredients.5. Place a small spoonful of sauce on top of each mini meatloaf. With the back of the spoon, spread the sauce evenly over each loaf.6. Fill any empty muffin cups halfway with water so meat bakes evenly. Bake in a 375o oven for about 30 minutes, rotating trays halfway through. Meat should be cooked through and top edges just turning brown.


Q&A with the Paleo Dietitian

Q

A

Amy Kubal MS, RD, LN, Paleo Dietitian

Q

A

I have been eating “mostly” paleo since January of 2011. I have a history of allergies and asthma. I had gotten myself off all meds but had an exposure to mold this summer that resulted in flared asthma and anaphylactic shock. I was treated with two rounds of prednisone, but am now off all meds. My last routine blood CBC came back abnormal. My family has a history of autoimmune disease. What do you have to offer? It’s been a rough road.

I am sorry to hear about your recent health issues. I’m sure things have not been easy! It is difficult for me to say what may be causing the abnormal blood work or what was behind your flare this summer. It is possible that the mold exposure was environmental as opposed to dietary, but that is difficult to determine. You do not indicate which results on your CBC were abnormal, so again it is difficult to troubleshoot.

There are a few things that I can tell you. You say that you are “mostly” paleo and that you have a family history of autoimmune disease. This tells me that your reaction and blood results may be nutrition related. I recommend trying the paleo autoimmune protocol – this entails eliminating all gluten, dairy, soy, nightshade vegetables (eggplant, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, tomatillos, etc.), eggs, and nuts. Follow this for a period of three months, remaining completely compliant. During this period monitor your symptoms (they should disappear), and have your blood drawn again at the end of the trial. If the cause of your reaction, symptoms, and/or abnormal blood values is related to diet will likely be improvement.

Again, not knowing more about which values were off on the CBC it is impossible for me to tell you what changes to make to your diet that may improve the results. Eat a variety of autoimmune friendly, paleo foods (meats, vegetables other than the nightshades, fats from sources other than nuts) to ensure adequate nutrient intake; get adequate sleep; and avoid a great deal of stress if possible. Hang in there!

I’ve been off dairy and sugar for about 8 months. Two weeks ago I eliminated all grains (which only included corn tortillas, steel-cut oats, and brown rice). Since going full paleo, I have been exhausted. I’m eating a ton of protein, veggies, and fruits, but I feel so groggy. I don’t think it’s the ‘carb-flu’ because I didn’t eat junk food beforehand. I exercise a few days a week and get plenty of sleep (8-9 hours/night).

What’s going on? I expected to have boundless energy, but I’m so tired & brain-fogged!

Congratulations on jumping all the way into the paleo lifestyle - you definitely won’t be sorry!! Rest assured that your brain-fog and grogginess will pass. This is very common when transitioning to grain free living.

Your body is currently adapted to running on primarily carbohydrates for fuel. It often takes a little time (1-3 weeks) to start feeling that ‘boundless energy’. Your body must learn to use fat as its primary energy source instead of relying on the steady stream of carbs that it is accustomed to. While you’re waiting for the fog to clear there are a few things you can do that may help boost your energy:

• Stay hydrated. Dehydration leads to tiredness and brain fog too (it’s not just the carbs sometimes!!)

• Give fat a chance! You mention that you are eating protein, veggies and fruit. It is also important that you are getting some healthy fat in the mix too.

• Mix it up! Make sure that you are choosing a variety of proteins, veggies and fruits instead of the same things over and over again. This will ensure that you are getting all of the nutrients you need.

• Don’t overdose on fruit. Turing to fruit for every snack will do you no favors in the sustained energy department, as it results in blood glucose fluctuations due to the sugar content. When you do eat fruit pair it with some fat and/or protein to slow the digestion and prevent energy peaks and valleys.

• Got post-workout fuel? Another thing that may help is incorporating a post-workout meal on the days that you exercise, especially if you are doing long and/or intense

Continued next page

Variety is key

If you have a question for Amy, the Paleo RD, you can email them to her at [email protected]!


AQ

Q

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workouts. Within 30-45 minutes of your activity add a meal/snack that incorporates some starchy, vegetable based carbohydrate (sweet potatoes, yams, winter squash, roots and tubers) along with some animal-sourced protein. This will not only help restore energy, but will enhance muscle recovery.

Stay the course and try these things to help you through the rough times knowing that the fog will clear and there are bright skies ahead!

I am gluten intolerant, so this way of eating would really work for me; except when I last tried my muscles were tired and fatigued all the time and I had a headache every day. I am a multisport athlete and am currently in the off season from that, but am training for a marathon. How can I get this way of eating to work for me?

A Paleo lifestyle for athletes, especially endurance athletes, takes a bit more time and effort to ‘dial in’. Due to higher levels of activity, a traditional paleo style of eating will likely not work best for you. It is important that pre-, during, and post workout fueling are adequate to support activity and promote recovery. It sounds like you are cutting yourself short in the high-quality carbohydrate department. Adequate carbs are needed to restock glycogen following training sessions.

Adding a good dose of starchy, vegetable based carbohydrate (sweet potatoes, yams, winter squash, white potatoes with the peel removed, and/or other roots and tubers) along with some high-quality animal sourced protein within 30-45 minutes of workout completion will provide muscles with the fuel that they need to replenish depleted glycogen and protein stores. This ‘refueling’ also speeds the recovery process; thereby, enhancing performance during your next workout. The post workout ‘meal’ is most effective when the ratio of carbohydrate to protein is in the 4-5:1 range. Additionally, incorporating a small pre-workout meal consisting of carbohydrate (from starchy vegetable and/or fruit sources) and a small amount of protein, 15-30 minutes prior to training serves to ‘jump start’ your body and get you going! If your session is going to be longer than 60-90 minutes it may be necessary to fuel during the workout also.

In any case, it takes some trial and error - but it can, and does work - even for the most serious competitors. I currently have athletes that are successfully competing in Ironman events, ultra-marathons, and getting ready for the 2012 Olympic trials! Let me know if I can help you too!

Is Manioc/Cassava/Yuca considered Paleo? I don’t really care for almond flour and have found that this alternative flour has less “taste”.

Cassava (also called manioc or yuca) is an edible, starchy tuber that is high in carbohydrates. When dried it is commonly referred to as tapioca flour. Being a root/tuber, cassava may be considered paleo in the same sense as potatoes, rutabagas, taro, etc. From a nutritional standpoint it is comparable to a potato, but contains more potassium and fiber. Using tapioca/cassava flour instead of almond flour for making paleo baked goods is fine; although the final product will differ in taste, texture and nutritional value.

Paleo baked foods, pancakes and other items made with alternative flours should not be staples in your paleo lifestyle, but rather treats. These types of foods should never take the place of grassfed, or lean, meats and proteins, vegetables and healthy fats.

Additionally, the best time to enjoy roots/tubers and/or paleo baked items is in the post workout period (within 30 minutes of exercise completion), as this is when insulin sensitivity is at its peak and the body is best equipped to handle the carbohydrate load.

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One of the hottest topics in the Paleo genre these days seems to be the role

of carbohydrates and whether sugar and starch-based foods have their rightful place in a Paleo-oriented diet or not. There also seems to be a question of what the role of fats should be. Between Staffan Lindeberg’s Kitavans and Michael Eades’ (in reference to Michael Richards’ research) stable isotopic analysis, Stephan Guynet’s “food reward” theory and Gary Taubes dogged low carb stance, not to mention the likes of Paul Jaminet’s “safe starches” and Ron Rosedale’s rebuttals, it seems that there is more controversy over this than there is woodwork for it to ooze out of.

Anyone who has read my book, Primal Body, Primal Mind: Beyond the Paleo Diet For Total Health and A Longer Life (Healing Arts Press) knows which side of the fence I lean toward when it comes to some of this. I have been watching these debates happening from the sidelines for a number of months now and I’ve remained on the sidelines

mainly due to the demands of my own professional life which have prevented me from taking the necessary time to meaningfully weigh in. I am grateful to Paleo Magazine for offering me the platform here to offer my own thoughts on the matter. Fully recognizing that the point is not to pretend to offer the final word but instead offer thoughtful and respectful discourse to an ongoing debate.

I am a foundational and functional thinker by nature so for me it makes sense to start there and not simply ask “what did our ancestors do?” but also, “what were we best designed to do?” and finally, “what approach confers the greatest and likeliest advantage to our most optimal health and longevity?” This is something mere mimicry of ancient

diets or epidemiological studies of select populations cannot soundly provide. Don’t get me wrong, I strongly support the idea that any approach to optimal health must, of obvious necessity, take into account the manner in which we evolved as a species. If we’ve been eating a certain way - as hunter-gatherers - for the better part of the last 3 million years, then this is more than sufficient enough time to have established for

us our physiological makeup and nutritional requirements. But, in my view, this is only an essential starting place. My book expands on this idea considerably so I’ll leave the reader to refer to that for more details and a deeper exploration of this idea.

The world we know and even climate we live in today is substantially transformed - even twisted - from what our most primitive ancestors knew throughout most of our evolutionary history. We are far removed from our natural world, largely ignorant of Nature’s natural cycles and rhythms and adrift in a raging sea of self-serving, multi-national corporate influence and

By: Nora Gedgaudas

Carbohydrate Conundrumsand

Fat Fallacies

How do we combat, compensate for or even begin to sort all this out?


control coming at us from every side. What was once entirely self-evident (as in how to eat) now is fraught with confusion, emotional and political/economic agendas. It’s a wonder we’re even still here.

How do we combat, compensate for or even begin to sort all this out? One starting place, going “Beyond the Paleo Diet” as the subtitle of my book suggests, is to look at the basic macronutrients that play a role in our diets and the role these play in our physiological makeup. This is something our ancestors might not have taken the time to consider, of course, they just ate what was available to them in order to survive. In my view, we do very much need to look slightly beyond this as a modern day model because we are being challenged to an extreme in today’s world that even our heartiest ancestor might not have weathered very well. This does not mean the hunter-gatherer diet is invalid to us in any way, just that we may want to take a few modern day things (including longevity science) into consideration to help it work better for us in this day and age.

Most of us have been taught by mainstream authorities that we all must, out of absolute necessity, depend on glucose as our primary source of fuel, overlooking the fact that we are actually designed to make use of at least two basic forms of energy: carbohydrates (glucose) and fats (ketones/free fatty acids). But were we really meant to rely on glucose, first and foremost? I make a detailed case in Primal Body, Primal Mind for why this is fundamentally absurd from a physiological and evolutionary standpoint and why it is only really conditionally true. It’s only true if we have unnaturally adapted ourselves to a dependence on glucose as our primary source of fuel. This is unfortunately the case for the majority of our Western culture today, to the considerable detriment of all but a very few who handsomely profit from this addiction.Nature never would have been so stupid as to design us to be predominantly dependent on something so volatile, unreliable and damaging as glucose (i.e., sugar and starch). In fact, our bodies are actually obsessed with maintaining the lowest level of blood sugar necessary

at any given moment (probably due to its damaging potential). As such, this source of energy is prone to large fluctuations of availability and must be constantly replenished in anyone mostly dependent on it. And as the availability of glucose fluctuates in those dependent on it, so do moods, energy, cognitive function and endocrine stability. Good times.

Most readers are aware that the primary macronutrient most influential in stimulating elevations in insulin levels are carbohydrates and longevity studies across all species (thanks to the brilliant award-winning work of Cynthia Kenyon) have shown that the less our need for insulin is over the course of our lives the longer we live and the healthier we are likely to be by far. Dr. Ron Rosedale, whose research in this area, and whose brilliance and integrity I deeply admire, has stated: “If there is a known single marker for long life, as found in centenarian and animal studies, it is low insulin levels.” This concept helps explain the mechanism behind the myriad of

benefits associated with modified caloric restriction--well established as the ultimate longevity enhancing approach in everything from yeast to primates.

Consider for a moment those animals physiologically designed to truly depend on a carbohydrate-based diet, in other words, ruminants and herbivores (of which we are neither). What does one see them doing all day long? Their faces are in the bushes and on the ground eating constantly to sustain their nutrient, energetic and physiological needs (of course, the irony here is that not even ruminants are ultimately fueling themselves with carbohydrates, but are instead converting the carbohydrates they are consuming to saturated fat through bacterial action--but I digress). Most Americans don’t look much different in their feeding behavior (in a manner of speaking) and the vast majority of people today are constantly preoccupied with where their next snack or meal is coming from.

Continued next page

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Now who do you suppose benefits from us all eating constantly like livestock? I can think of a few off the top of my head: Big Agribusiness (and the petroleum industry it is dependent upon), the Food Industry, Big Pharma, the medical industry, the diet industry and I would imagine undertakers, too are making out like bandits. A lot of money, mainstream nutritional “education”, political effort, medical advice and big-buck advertising go into seeing that we all depend mostly on carbohydrates as our primary food source. As a result, few people are more than two missed meals away from a total state of physiological and mental chaos. When you really think about it, nothing could be more profitable, or fundamentally controlling.

Those of us seeking optimal health certainly are not the recipients of any real benefit from this kind of dietary advice. Unfortunately, most of the Western World has become physiologically dependent on sugar and starch (whole or refined - makes little difference) as

primary sources of fuel. The evidence that this is problematic lies everywhere we look, from the obesity epidemic (and other consequences of metabolic syndrome), the growing prevalence of diabetes, heart disease, cancers (long associated with excess sugars and insulin levels), autoimmunity, cognitive, attentional and mental health issues and on and on and on. And many of these disease processes, emotional and cognitive disorders are showing up in younger and younger people. It doesn’t take 50 years of metabolic abuse to see the evidence of the damage carbohydrate-based diets result in anymore. This stuff is showing up in young - even very young children. And it certainly doesn’t take 50 years to see what kinds of miracles low carb diets can do to reverse these issues.

What is the evidence behind the long term health effects of very low carbohydrate diets? One poignant example is certainly Arctic peoples, whose diet traditionally consisted of mostly fat and meat (in that order) with virtually no dietary carbohydrates of

any kind. In his extensive travels over 100,000 miles across the globe studying the health effects of primitive and traditional diets over ten years, Weston A. Price seemed particularly impressed by the extraordinary physical and mental robustness of the Inuit. In Nutrition and Physical Degeneration he wrote:“In his primitive state he has provided an example of physical excellence and dental perfection such as has seldom been excelled by any race in the past or present...we are also deeply concerned to know the formula of his nutrition in order that we may learn from it the secrets that will not only aid in the unfortunate modern or so-called civilized races, but will also, if possible, provide means for assisting in their preservation.”

There are some who believe that some dietary sugar and starch is essential for their health because of discomfort they experienced eliminating these and relief following their re-introduction. This may be too oversimplified an association to justify carbohydrate “necessity”. To a long-time heroin addict in recovery, for instance, the physiological

affinity for that fix can remain and the person may even experience some “relief ” if they get another dose or go on methadone.

A low carb diet can also upset certain unwelcome internal denizens such as parasites and other chronic microbial critters that favor the carbs and make you unhappy for reducing or eliminating them. That doesn’t mean carbs were our friend, after all. Excess protein consumption in a new low-carb paleophile can lead to continued glucose dependence, as excesses to a significant extent in the previously sugar addicted are readily converted to glucose, keeping the craving unwittingly alive. As such, this unnecessary carbohydrate addiction (let’s call it what it is) is in constant search for its rationalizations - the term “safe starches” (of which I see as a bit of an oxymoron) comes to mind. Perhaps “safe starches” serve as a form of “methadone” for those who tend toward a certain persistent carbohydrate affinity due to deeper functional disturbances.

That glucose plays some needed roles in the human body does not mean we necessarily need to consume sugars or starches to meet that need. There is such a thing as glycolysis and gluconeogenesis, and it should be more than sufficient for the majority of us to meet whatever need for glucose there is - as long as we have become metabolically adapted to the utilization of ketones as our primary source of fuel. Without question, many of our human ancestors have gone long stretches of our evolutionary history without access to sugary or starchy carbohydrate foods. Were we genuinely dependent on dietary carbohydrates in any fundamental way we simply would not have survived as a species.

Much emphasis in mainstream nutritional approaches today is placed upon the “management” of blood sugar issues. This typically comes with the advice to “eat a big breakfast, never skip meals, eat every two hours…etc”. Can you imagine what hellish challenges our Ice Age ancestors would have faced with this set of so-called “requirements”? We would long since have gone the way of the dodo bird. Of course, this

“management approach” is an option nowadays. One can certainly spend time constantly managing one’s blood sugar in the name of whatever rationalization, but is it really how you want to live? I personally have better things to do with my time.

In my view - although this is a common and accepted option employed by mainstream nutritionists and those offering medical advice, it’s a mistake. Why? Because it serves to maintain a dependence upon a fuel to which we as a modern day species are growing increasingly intolerant, addicted and vulnerable. One that we know from modern day longevity research is far more likely to shorten rather than prolong the quantity or quality of our lives. The health risks of our modern world have never been more pronounced

and we have never been so vulnerable. Very, very few people in our

modern day society have the genetic and epigenetic robustness that might give them resistance to metabolic or immunologic dysregulation. By offering absolution for what is a widespread addiction in our culture (carbs) with use of the term “safe starches” I find myself highly concerned by where this rationalization might lead for many. It’s not that Paul Jaminet and other Paleo-oriented carb proponents don’t make some intelligent, thoughtful and even compelling points. If all someone wants to do is eat a small serving of more nutrient dense and lower glycemic sweet potato or turnips once in a while or toss a few pieces of jicama in their salads then I’m not about to start wagging my finger at them. When it comes to rice or regular potatoes, however, there are potential problems. And cooking doesn’t solve them.

Many are unaware that apart from the starch/insulin issue, rice is a potentially (and increasingly) cross-

reactive compound with wheat, soy, millet and corn³ ⁴ ⁵ (and associated with allergy/hypersensitivity¹ ³ and also enterocolitis²), or that nightshades like potatoes are an extremely common source of food sensitivity⁶ ⁷ ⁸ (known, too to be cross-reactive with corn⁹), also; as is tapioca¹⁰ mentioned as a healthy starch option by Jaminet (so much for “safe”). Most people are unlikely to be aware of their own immunologic vulnerability to these foods without accurate testing (see www.CyrexLabs.com, Array 4 panel).

Autoimmunity is silently becoming a pandemic issue and food sensitivities to post agricultural foods are a major contributor. Furthermore, potatoes, white rice and cereal grains all exceed even refined table sugar in their known glycemic and potentially detrimental insulin-provoking effect.

There is another alternative, and it is the one we were best designed for from the beginning. We are best designed to make use of fat - ketones and fatty acids - as our primary source of sustainable, even burning and reliable fuel. Fats, in general, play a remarkable variety of essential roles in our physical structure, brain

and nervous system, immune function and health. Carbs, by the way, make up no more than 2% of our physical structure - none of which must, of necessity, come from the diet.

One fact that gets overlooked in this debate is that of the three major macronutrients we have available to us dietarily, protein, fat and carbohydrates, the only one for which there is literally no essential human dietary requirement is carbohydrates. We can make all the glucose we need from a combination of protein and fat. According to the work of Dr. George Cahill from the Dept. of Medicine at Harvard University, perhaps the best known expert on starvation metabolism, “Total splanchnic glucose production [to fulfill body needs] in several weeks’ starvation amounts to approximately 80 grams daily.” This is a significant gap between what is known about what the body’s response to its own needs and the figure of 100+ grams per day of the proposed dietary glucose

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Dietary fats in the presence of carbohydrates behave very differently than dietary fats in the absence of carbohydrates



need offered by Jaminet (this, of course, would be in addition to whatever one might internally manufacture, as well). Furthermore, Cahill asserts through his own research that: “An approximation for clinical use is that if a diet contains over 100 grams carbohydrate, there is no ketosis (<0.1 mM)”11. According to Siegell, et al 1999 in the textbook, Basic Neurochemistry “cerebral utilization of ketones is increased more or less in direct proportion to the degree of ketosis.” It is our red blood cells alone that do maintain a true constant dependence upon glucose at all times, but the needs of our red blood cells are of necessity easily met by glycolysis and gluconeogenesis. Our brains (and the rest of us) certainly can and do make some use of glucose-particularly in states of emergency or with extreme exertion. Although the brain does continue to make some very small use of glucose under fully adapted ketogenic conditions this is a far cry away from the claim by some (not necessarily Jaminet) that it should be our primary source of fuel all the time. It was never meant to be so.

Glucose is meant to be an auxiliary and supplemental fuel for us. It is anaerobic and fermentative in its nature and transient in its surges of availability. It is our version of rocket fuel. Who needs rocket fuel in their engines to drive to work every day? Do you really want your engine to burn that hot all the time?

Would you want to take this sort of toll on your vehicle? Rocket

fuel is great for providing that powerful “lift off ” when you really need it but isn’t necessarily what

actually gets you all the way to the moon.

The vast majority of

everything our brains do

every day, once metabolically adapted, can not only comfortably depend on but even thrive on ketones. And unlike glucose, ketones do not promote free radical activity, inflammation or glycation, much less sympathetic over-arousal. Ketones don’t damage nerve tissue or brain cells. Ketones are not disruptive of our endocrine function, nor do they elevate insulin levels or compromise our immune function. Moreover, even the slenderest among us has ample body fat to maintain a constant, even supply of vital ketogenic energy for long, extended periods of time - even in the absence of regular meals.

Does it not make sense that nature would have allowed for a foundational physiological design that could compensate for less than regular food availability (especially for Ice Age humans, of which we all are physiologically)? There can be nothing more liberating metabolically or energetically than cultivating a well adapted ketogenic metabolism. By the way, as an aside, if you happen to be an elite athlete then we need to have a slightly different discussion. For now, I am mainly speaking to average people of all ages leading average and moderately active lives.

In truth, it takes time to restore a healthy metabolic dependence on fats rather than sugars as a primary source of fuel. It can take a number of weeks for the average person to effectively make

this metabolic conversion. For some this transition happens almost seamlessly and for others (more entrenched in this dependence, addiction, or metabolic dysregulation) it seems to constitute more of a struggle. Chronic parasitic and other types of infections make this harder, as one’s internal unwelcome guests can generate carb cravings and dysglycemia all on their own. In my experience much of the more common types of potential discomfort can be averted by using intermediate supplements or by adding more coconut oil as “training wheels” during the transition (I talk about these and how to use them in my book).

Keep in mind, too, that (as Dr. Richard Feinman would put it) dietary fats in the presence of carbohydrates behave very differently than dietary fats in the absence of carbohydrates. In the absence of that sugar and starch, natural dietary fat (animal fats of all kinds, seeds and nuts, olive oil, avocados, fish oils, etc) can be enjoyed to satiety and are unlikely to contribute to weight gain or metabolic issues by themselves. No need for special restrictions. The amount of fat we eat takes care of itself in the presence of leptin. If you’re eating a starchy baked potato with that scoop of butter, though, then all bets are off. Also, not entirely related, in a person having compromised hydrochloric acid production (an extremely prevalent issue) the combination of starchy foods and complete protein could well be further impairing of this problem.

Given the overwhelming evidence of the potential problems associated with a carbohydrate diet in our modern day culture, over-run with those who struggle with being “metabolically deranged”, as some might put it; given the constant need for fuel replenishment that comes with being a “carbovore”, the commonality of digestive impairment, the overall inferior nutrient density of carbohydrate-based foods; given what is known from modern longevity studies about the benefit of minimizing insulin’s role in our bodies over the course of our lives (and maximizing “nutrient density per calorie”), given the association between blood sugar surges, endocrine dysregulation and


inflammation (and all this implies), the free radical activity and sympathetic over-arousal blood sugar surges readily promote, the addictive nature of “carbs”, the presence of dietary lectins, gluten and other sources of common food sensitivity reactions in many carbohydrate-based foods (commonly leading to autoimmune conditions - presently the third leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the industrialized world); given the fact that they feed yeast overgrowth, cancer cells and other microbial and parasitic overgrowth (all of which can also result in carbohydrate cravings in you which aren’t even yours), plus the cumulative (uncontrolled, non-enzymatic) glycation effects of sugar and starch and the fact that there is literally no essential human dietary requirement for dietary sugar or starch whatsoever make the lower-carb argument side to this debate a no-brainer for me.

Overall, it feels much “safer” for me on this side of the fence. I’ll personally pass on the potatoes and rice, thank you.

References

1 Asero, R, et al. (2007). Rice: Another potential cause of food allergy in patients sensitized to lipid transfer protein. Int Arch Allergy Immunol, 143, 69-74.2 Gray, HC, et al. (2004). Rice-induced enterocolitis in an infant: TH1/TH2 cellular hypersensitivity and absent IgE reactivity. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol, 93, 601-605.3 Lehrer, SB, et al. (1999). Corn Allergens: IgE antibody reactivity and cross-reactivity with rice, soy and peanut. Int Arch Allergy Immunol, 118, 298-299.4 Urisu, A, et al. (1991). 16-kilodalton rice protein is one of the major allergens in rice grain extract and responsible for cross-allergenicity between cereal grains in the poaceae family. Int Arch Allergy Immunol, 96(3), 244-252.5 Yamada, K, et al. (1991). The involvement of rice protein 16KD in cross-allergenicity between antigens in rice, wheat, corn, Japanese millet, Italian millet. [ Japanese] Arerugi, 40(12), 1485-1492.6 Castells, MC, et al. (1986). Allergy to white potato. J Allergy Clin Immunol, 78(6), 1110-1114.7 De Swet, LFA, et al. (2007). Diagnosis and natural course of allergy to cooked potatoes in children. Allergy, 62(7), 750-757.8 Racusen, D., Foote, M. (1980). A major soluble glycoprotein of potato tubers. J Food Biochem, 4(1), 43-52.

9 Castells, MC, et al. (1986). Allergy to white potato. J Allergy Clin Immunol, 78(6), 1110-1114.10 Ibero, M, et al. (2007). Allergy to cassava: a new allergenic food with cross-reactivity to latex. J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol, 17(6), 409-412.11 Cahill, Jr., George F. (2006). Fuel Metabolism in Starvation. Annu Rev Nutr, 26, 1-22.

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Paleo and “safe” starches

• Robb Wolf’s Paleo SolutionEpisode 69http://www.robbwolf.com /2011/03/01/the-paleo-solution-episode-69/

• Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb.comIs There Any Such Thing As ‘Safe Starches’ On A Low-Carb Diet?http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/is-there-any-such-thing-as-safe-starches-on-a-low-carb-diet/11809

• PaleoHacks.comhttp://paleohacks.com/questions/68656/dr-ron-rosedales-recent-posts-about-safe-starches-what-do-you-think#axzz1o00Qqsm9

Header InfoHelp Support Our Troops

www.fuelingthefire.org

Let’s all do our part to help keep them the strongest, fittest and healthiest possible so they come home safe!

Fueling the Fire provides paleo-friendly care packages to the brave men and women of the US military who are stationed overseas. 100% of every

donation received is used for only two things; purchasing items to include in each package and shipping the packages out.


From The DocHelp Support Our Troops

www.fuelingthefire.org

Let’s all do our part to help keep them the strongest, fittest and healthiest possible so they come home safe!

Fueling the Fire provides paleo-friendly care packages to the brave men and women of the US military who are stationed overseas. 100% of every

donation received is used for only two things; purchasing items to include in each package and shipping the packages out.

Paleo - How Can You Not? By: Dr. Jason Kremer DC, CCSP, CSCS

As I promote the Paleo lifestyle among my patients, colleagues, friends and family, I am often met with puzzled looks and skepticism. It’s not surprising that many have a hard time understanding why removing things like grains, dairy, and soy from one’s diet would possibly be beneficial. After all, isn’t wheat the “staff of life” and dairy is what makes our bones strong? While these products are certainly marketed to be necessities in any healthy diet, I’m actually convinced that they are in fact not necessary food groups.

You simply can’t avoid the fact that we are what we eat and I’m a firm believer that consuming a healthy balanced diet is the best way to ensure that you are leading a healthy, balanced life! In an effort to address the skeptics and the critics, I’ve compiled the following top ten reasons why I use and promote the Paleo diet for many of my patients. Keep in mind that this doesn’t have to be a one-size-fits-all plan and can be catered to each individual’s needs and goals.

1 Limited GMOsAccording

to the USDA, over 75% of corn and over 90% of soy have been genetically modified and over 75% of the processed foods in our supermarkets contain genetically modified ingredients. While GMO’s haven’t been around long enough to understand the damage that they can do to our health, neither have the recently discovered unidentified strains of proliferating bacteria in our gut. Connection?

2 Nutrient BalancePaleo encourages a more balanced intake of proteins, carbs, and healthy fats. The

primary role of grains (and carbohydrates in general) in the body is to provide energy, while proteins and fats help with everything from combating inflammation, to repairing tissues, vitamin absorption, and promoting cognitive function. Thus, a balance of these nutrients is vital for optimal health while an imbalance of these nutrients, as in the typical Western diet, will promote fat accumulation and other health issues.

3 Elimination of GlutenIf you’ve been following my column I’m sure you know where I stand when it comes to the

health issues related to gluten. Current statistics are showing that many, if not most, people have some type of sensitivity to gluten and these numbers continue to rise.

4 Elimination of Aspartame, Nitrites, High-Fructose Corn

Syrup, MSG, Artificial Food Colorings, Sulfur Dioxide, Trans Fats, Sulfites, and other Sweeteners, Fillers, and PreservativesDo I really need to explain how nothing good can come from the above ingredients? That will be an upcoming article all in itself.

5 Eliminating Common Food Allergens

Did you know that humans are the only mammal that consume dairy as an adult and in fact most people have some degree of dairy sensitivity or lactose intolerance. In addition, cases of peanut allergies, gluten sensitivities, Celiac disease and soy allergies are increasing daily. Currently, soy, dairy, peanuts, wheat, eggs, shellfish, fish and tree nuts are the top allergens in America. The Paleo diet automatically rids four of these major allergens.

6 Increased Fruit and VegetablesThe vitamins, minerals and

phytonutrients found in fresh fruits and vegetables have been linked to everything from fighting inflammation, to lowering

cholesterol, reducing bodyfat, improving cellular function and preventing cancer.

7 Anti-inflammatoryInflammation is known as the Silent Killer. As we’ve known for years, there is a link between

inflammation and heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s and many other diseases. Paleo encourages foods with anti- inflammatory properties and avoids those which increase inflammation.

8 Healthy Body CompositionThe obesity epidemic is still on

the rise. Paleo not only improves body composition but also eliminates the Yo-Yo dieting which stems from many fad diets.

9 Mindful EatingThe Paleo diet promotes a more mindful relationship with food. With Paleo you must plan ahead,

shop for your food in advance and take time to prepare your food before enjoying it. These acts of actually having to ‘hunt and gather’ food help enforce a more mindful and appreciative relationship with the nutrients being consumed.

10 Family TogethernessA Paleo lifestyle can also

bring a family closer together by promoting healthy, home cooked meals over dining out. This lifestyle can also be a great way to get kids involved in selecting and preparing meals, shopping or even growing a garden of quality organic foods. These practices instill healthy eating habits that children will be able to draw upon as they grow.


Paleo Body

Banana NutBake in your muffins for a perfect Banana Bread experience!

Cacao NutAre you a chocoholic? This one is for you!

Apple CrispExcite your taste buds with a burst of apple crumble pie flavor!

Cappuccino CrunchSatisfy your craving with a delicious blend of coffee beans and nuts!

SNACKS YOU CAN EVOLVE W I THALL NATURAL CLUSTERS OFNUTS , SEEDS, BERR IES AND FRU I TS

GLUTEN FREE

US residents, please visit www.paleopeople.com. Use code PALEOMAG to receive 10% off your purchase.

Canadian residents, please visit www.paleopeople.ca. Use code PALEOMAG to receive 10% off your purchase.

Or simply enjoy it out of the palm of your hand - delicious!

I’m pretty passionate about “natural” body and home care. And I don’t mean the “natural” cleaning sprays and lotions you buy at the corner (large-corporateconglomerate) drugstore. Those are, in most cases, just another money drain.

“Natural” isn’t a regulated term, it means whatever the manufacturer wants it to mean. When I say “natural,” I mean the stripped-down, no-frills, back-to-basics stuff our grandparents used before Brand X convinced us that we weren’t clean, fresh, or sanitary without their product.

I’ve written about the “Holy Trinity” – vinegar, baking soda, and coconut oil. If you could only use three things to clean and refresh your body and home for the rest of your life, those would be the three. If you could have one more, I’d say opt for some Soap Nuts (I wrote about these in a previous issue), if not because they’re amazing, at least because of the funky, intriguing name.

To that solid initial offering you could add soda ash and Borax, some lemon juice, and a few essential oils. A good rag or two ensures you’re as environmentally-friendly as possible. (Self-satisfied smirk encouraged.)

But what happens when the truly natural turns around and bites you in the coconut? Case in point: Essential oils. These aren’t to be toyed with. If you don’t know what you’re doing, you can literally burn your face off. (Thank you, Oregano oil, for teaching me this valuable life lesson.) Plenty of legitimate “natural” products are created by well-meaning enthusiasts who don’t know that Tea Tree Oil may not belong on your eyelids.

And what about those lovely grease marks all over your favorite clothes? Coconut oil may be a great moisturizer, but too much of it is likely to create a suffocating oil slick.

I certainly wouldn’t advocate traveling with a “No Shampoo” setup including vials of baking soda and apple cider vinegar. (For the less criminally inclined: imagine the consequences of attempting to board an airplane with what looks like hard drugs and a clean “specimen.” Not smart.)

Even natural, granny-friendly items like soda ash and borax should be used intelligently. I have to be careful when home-making certain cleaning products, as they’re not so lung-friendly when inhaled accidentally.

By: Liz Wolfe


Paleo BodySo “home-made” and “natural” aren’t always the methods that’ll provide the greatest return-on-investment. People are often

surprised when they come to my home, because my vanity is stocked with more than a few sodas, vinegars and coconut oil. I actually really enjoy a few select (chemical-free, well-made, truly natural) commercially-available products, and am happy to spend my hard-earned money on the few that are worth using. These are a few of my favorites!

This list is my no means exhaustive, and I’ve toyed around with plenty of Cave-Girl-Approved products that have caught my eye since I started this “Paleo” journey. If you have others you’d suggest, drop by my blog (CaveGirlEats.com) and let me know your favorites. Above all – watch where you put that Oregano oil!

Green Pasture Beauty BalmThis facial balm is literally baby’s bottom-izing. It makes my skin so soft, I’ve forced many a stranger to stroke my cheek. (Okay, not really. But I’ve come close.) It’s a combination of shea butter, actual butter

oil, fermented cod liver oil, and coconut oil. It doesn’t

have that greasy, coconut-oil-overdose feeling and is absorbed beautifully. I love it under the eyes – and pretty much anywhere else. www.GreenPasture.org

Tropical Traditions Cleaning Supplies

For those folks who prefer to outsource the creation of their home

cleaning products, Tropical Traditions has a whole lineup of totally

biodegradable, SLS and phthalate-free items –from counter cleaner to laundry and dishwashing soap. I keep a 5-lb container of laundry soap nearby for when I run low on Soap Nuts, and their hand soap is a great substitute for chemical-filled, Triclosan-based “sanitizing” sinkside hand soaps.TropicalTraditions.com

Great Marsh Skin Care Peppermint Lavender Foot SoakMy feet are disgusting after a long day (or a short one), and this artisanal, individually made bath goodie makes them...well...not.www.GreatMarshSkinCare.com

Grandma’s Lye SoapSoapmaking is an art, and I prefer not to do it myself. While we truly don’t need body soap for much more than the pits n’ “bits,” I firmly believe that a good lye soap is one of the most gentle cleans you can get. My favorite is this one, made of lard, lye and water, and sold at many hardware stores or online atSecretsofSuzanne.com

Dr. Bronner’s Magic SoapsThe real Dr. Bronner was a holocaust survivor and eccentric soap-maker whose deepest beliefs are still splashed across the very information-dense Dr. Bronner’s labels. These soaps are environmentally friendly (as long as you re-use the bottles) and a combination of things like saponified coconut and olive oils, hemp oil, peppermint oil and Vitamin E. I travel with a sample size and use these soaps to do everything from stain removal to hair washing (always followed by a vinegar rinse).DrBronner.com


Paleo Pantry List

Courtesy of Diana Rodgers

Just getting started on Paleo? Congratulations! Here’s a basic shopping list to get you going.

Beverages: Water, electrolyte enhanced water, coconut water and herbal teas. For those who still choose to drink alcohol, tequila is a better choice than beer or sugary mixed drinks. Mix two shots of tequila with the juice of one lime over ice, and top with soda water for a Robb Wolf “NorCal Margarita.” Proteins: Look for grass fed meats, pasture raised eggs, free range chicken and wild caught fish. Eggs, pork (including bacon and sausage), poultry, beef, veal, lamb, game meats (venison, elk), fish and shellfish. Jerky and sardines are great for snacks.Fats for cooking: Coconut oil, ghee, butter, lard, tallow.Vegetables: Visit your local farmers market or seek out the freshest, local pro-duce you can find. Cooked vegetables are easier to digest than raw. Roots and tubers should be peeled. A basic list could include: onions, garlic, carrots, celery, cauliflower, cucumbers, lettuce, swiss chard, kale, cabbage, mushrooms, peppers, broccoli, sweet potatoes and winter squash.Fruits: Go easy on the fruits and focus on berries. Avocados, tomatoes, limes and lemons are great to have at all times.Nuts: Just like fruits, go easy on the nuts. They contain high amounts of omega-6 fatty acids and have anti-nutrients like phytates. It’s best to soak and sprout nuts. The best choices are macadamia nuts, cashews and hazelnuts.Herbs & Spices: As many as you can find! Watch out for blends that may contain fillers or MSG. Fill your cabinets with herbs and spices, and look for fresh ones like cilantro, basil and parsley at the farmers market or store. Switch your table and Kosher salt to sea salt.Other Random Items: Coconut milk, chicken and beef broth, canned tomatoes, tomato paste, capers, olives, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, canned fish (tuna & sardines), almond butter and other nut butters, canned chipotles in adobo sauce, mustard, cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, curry paste, coconut aminos and wheat-free tamari, almond and coconut flour, olive oil (for salad dress-ing and light cooking), honey, maple syrup for occasional use in those fun Paleo muffin recipes.

Paleo Shopping Resources

Meats

US Wellness Meats www.grasslandbeef.comLava Lake Lamb www.lavalakelamb.comBlack Pig Meat Company www.blackpigmeatco.com

Fats

Tropical Traditions www.tropicaltraditions.comKasandrinos Imports www.kasandrinos.com


Paleo Sample Weekly MenuMy nutrition clients always find it helpful when starting paleo to see what a sample week meals looks like. Please adjust portions and carbs to your specific needs. For a more tailored daily or weekly menu, based on your personal food preferences, check out www.personalpaleocode.com.

Breakfast Hard boiled eggs and 1/4 cantaloupe

Snack (Optional) Handful of macadamia nuts with one carrot

Lunch Salad with canned wild salmon, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, olive oil and lemon juice for dressing

Dinner (Out!) Burger with no bun, side of roasted sweet potatoes and steamed broccoli

MondayBreakfast Breakfast sausage with one cup pineapple

Lunch Roast beef rolled up with avocado and lettuce inside, side of sweet potato fries

Dinner Roasted chicken, sage and butternut squash soup (recipe link below), sauteed kale with garlic in coconut oil

fastpaleo.com/sage-and-butternut-squash-soup

Tuesday

Breakfast Morning Paleo Smoothie (recipe link below)

Lunch Last night’s leftover roasted chicken over a green salad with fresh orange and fennel

Dinner Last night’s leftover roasted chicken in a curry with coconut milk, curry powder and bok choy. Side of mashed sweet potatoes.

paleodietlifestyle.com/morning-paleo-smoothie

Breakfast Ham steak, sauteed spinach and onions, side of sauerkrautLunch Paleo salmon salad, using last night’s leftover salmon (recipe link below*)Dinner Paleo Grass-fed Beef Shanks (recipe link below**) with side salad

*paleolunchrecipes-lunchpaleorecipes.blogspot.com**cavemanstrong.com/2011/12/paleo-grass-fed-beef-shanks

Brunch Eggplant Hole in the Head (from Make It Paleo Cookbook, pg 46)Snack Beef jerky with berriesDinner Apple and Bacon Rosemary Pork Burgers (recipe link below*) with Flourless Chocolate Cake (recipe link below**) for dessert*paleomg.com/paleo-apple-and-bacon-rosemary-pork-burgers**masteringtheartofpaleocooking.com/2011/01/25/flourless-chocolate-cake

Wednesday

Friday

Sunday

Breakfast Omelet with sundried tomatoes, spinach and onion, side of bacon

Lunch Chicken Chili Soup (recipe link below)

Dinner Roasted salmon with a veggie stir fry

everydaypaleo.com/2010/11/12/chicken-chili-soup

Breakfast Grain-free Zucchini Pancakes (recipe link below)

Lunch Leftover beef shanks from last night

Dinner Primal Moussaka (recipe link below)

*balancedbites.com/2011/02/easy-recipe-grain-free-zucchini-pancakes.html**marksdailyapple.com/primal-moussaka/#axzz1jSfueqPt

Thursday

Saturday

From Diana Rodgers


Food

Ingredients

• Pickl-it Jar (I recommend the 1.5 Liter or 2-Liter to start)• Organic Beets (peeled and chopped into approx 2-inch cubes)• Natural Salt (not iodized salt and no anti-caking agents in ingredients)• Ginger (peeled and sliced in 1 inch pieces)• Filtered or spring water (NOT tap water because the chlorine will kill the beneficial flora)• 1/8 teaspoon or less of cayenne (optional – added after primary fermenta-tion)

Important Tips

• Beets should be large and detached from greens for at least a week to concentrate the sugars • Try to choose beets that are at least the size of your fist.• You can vary the color of the final kvass by choosing different varieties of beets. The orange• Golden beets result in a beautiful orange tonic, Chioggia or striped pink/white results in a light pink tonic, and the traditional purple beets results in a deep wine colored tonic. The chiogga and the golden beets are milder in flavor or less “beety.”

Primary FermentationThe key is to use 1/3 beet volume to 2/3 brine

1. Place clean peeled chopped beets into glass jar so that it is 1/3 of the volume.2. Add a few small 2-inch chunks of peeled ginger. Make sure that the beets are not too small otherwise it will ferment too quickly.3. Make brine. Add about 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of salt per quart - you may prefer more and can adjust for the next batch.4. Dissolve salt completely.5. Fill brine to the shoulder of the jar. Add airlock with filtered water. Keep out of direct light at room temperature. 6. Keep this in a warm place (mid 70s to low 80s) for 7 to 9 days - you may see bubbles forming on the top - this means you have some active cultures thriving. Taste it after several days - mine usually takes at least 8 days maybe longer in cooler weather. It should not taste like salty water.

A Salty water – keep going with the first or primary fermentation. B Not salty water – than proceed to the second fermentation.

Secondary Fermentation (To add some fizz and depth)Strain the beets and/or ginger out - put the juice back into a flip-top glass bottle (I use a 1-Liter bottle)

Optional:Add cayenne or alternative flavor listed below (less than 1/8 teaspoon), seal and let it go for a several more days – even weeks. If it tastes good - than go ahead and stick it in the fridge - it tends to develop better taste over time. It will become richer, deeper in flavor and become fizzier. Some of my best kvass is several months old! I prefer to drink it cold.

Note: The beets that are taken out are now fermented or pickled – you may find them tasty and if so, save them with a light salt brine. Alternatively you can continue to ferment the beets for a few more days – they will become more “pickled”. My kids love them but I don’t care for them… see what you think.

Be sure to read this recipe all the way through before you start. This will ensure that your first batch comes out great!

Beet Kvass with Ginger & Cayenne Fr

om: L

isa H

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on

Everyday Paleo Shrimp CevicheFrom: EverydayPaleo.com

Ingredients

1 lemon, sliced into rounds4-6 cups water1 lb extra large, wild caught raw shrimp,

shelled, deveined and tail removed1 cup full fat coconut milk1/4 cup red onion, minced2 garlic cloves, minced1/4 cup cilantro leaves, dicedJuice from 1/2 a lime1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely dicedPinch of cayenne pepperSea salt and white pepper to taste

Process

1. In a large pot, bring the water and lemon slices and a big pinch of sea salt to a boil.

2. Add the shrimp and cook for 3 minutes, or until they turn pink and rise to the top.

3. Remove the shrimp immediately from the boiling water and dunk into ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain shrimp and set aside.

4. In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients.5. Add the cooled/drained shrimp to the coconut milk mixture,

mix well and chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.6. Serve in Martini glasses for a fun twist.

OptionTop with diced mango!


Food

Beef Brisket with Roasted VegetablesFrom: Primal-Palate.com

Whether you celebrate Easter or Passover, this brisket is a fantastic holiday dinner option. The brisket roasts with a host of colorful vegetables, making both the entree and the side dish at the same time.

Ingredients

2-3 lb grass-fed beef brisket1 vidalia onion, quartered3 turnips, chopped5 large carrots, chopped10 whole cloves of garlic, skin on1 large handful each of fresh thyme and fresh sage1-2 cups homemade beef stock (or bone broth)Salt and pepper to taste

Process

1. Preheat oven to bake at 350o.2. Rinse brisket under cool water and pat dry with a paper towel.3. Season generously on both sides with salt and pepper.4. Place vegetables into the bottom of a large roasting pan or dutch oven.5. Place brisket on top of vegetables and pour stock over meat and vegetables.6. Top with fresh herbs and place in the oven, uncovered, for one hour.7. After one hour, turn oven temperature down to 325o, cover dutch oven and continue to bake for five more hours, or until the brisket is tender.


Food

Nut Free Granola

Ingredients

1/2 cup organic raw pumpkin seeds3/4 cup organic raw sunflower seed kernels1/4 cup organic raisins1/4 cup organic dried cherries1/4 cup unsweetened organic coconut flakes1/4 cup pure Grade B maple syrup1 tsp pure vanilla extract1/2 tsp pure almond extract

Option

Instead of dried cherries, try diced apples and add some cinnamon for fall flavor!

Process

1. Mix all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl, coating everything well with the maple syrup.

2. Spread the mixture evenly on a parchment lined baking sheet.

3. Bake in a 350o oven for 12-15 minutes, or until coconut is golden. Stir once half way through.

4. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. If you choose, now is the time to toss in a few pieces of crushed dark chocolate.

5. When completely cooled, mixture will be crunchy and delicious! Use as a snack or put some in a bowl with a little coconut milk for breakfast cereal in the morning.

From: Paleo Magazine Test Kitchen


Food

Egg Custardwith Bacon, Mushrooms and Chives

From: Primal-Palate.comThese are a fun way to spice up a family brunch. Enjoy this breakfast with a side of fresh fruit, sauteed vegetables or both!

Ingredients

4 eggs5 strips of bacon, crumbled1/2 cup full fat coconut milk1 cup of white mushrooms, chopped2 TBSP chives, choppedSalt and pepper to taste

Process

1. Preheat oven to 350o.2. Fry bacon in a cast iron skillet on medium heat

until crispy.3. Remove bacon from skillet and reserve excess

bacon fat in a small glass dish.4. Saute mushrooms in seasoned skillet until tender

about 3 minutes.5. In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk eggs and

coconut milk until fluffy.6. Season eggs with salt and pepper.7. Crumble bacon and add to egg mixture.

8. Add mushrooms and chives and stir until allare evenly combined.

9. Pour egg mixture into four6-oz ramekins.

10. Place ramekins on abaking sheet.

11. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until eggs are set.


Food

Passover Almond MacaroonsFrom: Primal-Palate.com

These tasty macaroons are the perfect “not so sweet” treat for the end of any meal. The hint of lemon zest compliments the slightly sweet flavor of almonds beautifully in this recipe.

Ingredients

2 large egg whites1 tsp pure vanilla extract1 tsp pure almond extractPinch of salt1 TBSP lemon zest1 cup blanched almond flour

Process

1. Preheat oven to bake at 350o.2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, whip egg whites

until frothy.3. Add vanilla extract, almond extract and salt.

Continue to whip on high until egg whites form stiff peaks.

4. Fold in lemon zest.5. Slowly fold in almond flour, 1/4 cup at a time.6. Drop balls of batter on a parchment lined baking

sheet.7. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly brown on

the top.

Find Local Produce

Local Harvestwww.localharvest.org

Eat Well Guidewww.eatwellguide.org

Local Dirtwww.localdirt.com

Slow Food USAwww.slowfoodusa.org

OrganicHeritageSustainable

Free-RangePastured

Grass-Fed

Grass-FedOrganicHeritage

Sustainable

Free-RangePastured


The World Health Organization estimates that there are close to 1.9 million dentists and related dentistry personnel employed throughout the world, and they all certainly have their hands full. Just take a look at some of these statistics.

About 78 percent of Americans have had at least one cavity by age 17, and almost 80 percent of the U.S. population has some form of periodontal gum disease. By all accounts, maintaining good dental health is a battle, one that many people are losing.

One reason might be steadily increasing costs of dental treatments and health care insurance coverage in general. According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, dental services expenditures are expected to increase steadily at a compound annual growth rate of approximately 5.4 percent through 2019.

However, lifestyles, and most importantly diet, have a far-reaching effect on dental health. The generally high-carb, and predominantly sugar-laden foods found in the Standard American Diet are a significant contributor to the development of cavities in even otherwise healthy people.

Tooth decay is caused by specific types of acid-producing bacteria that cause damage in the presence of fermentable carbohydrates such as sucrose, fructose, and glucose. The mineral content of teeth is sensitive to increases in acidity from the production of lactic acid via this carbohydrate stock.

But cavities aren’t the only problem we’re facing, periodontal or gum disease is just as potentially devastating, and it seems that just about every child grows up needing orthodontic braces of some sort to straighten out their teeth. So what can you do as a concerned parent or patient?

For one, keep dental health care coverage as important as standard medical care. The sad truth is that untended dental caries can lead to deadly infections and abscesses. As well,

periodontal disease correlates strongly with heart disease and strokes, potentially due to increased inflammation and subsequent vascular damage.

Luckily for you, somebody eating a paleo-style diet has a much better chance than the average person at avoiding these health risks.

First of all, a paleo diet is generally lower in carbohydrates, reducing your intake of sugars like sucrose and fructose, which are feeding those harmful bacteria in your mouth. While a paleo-style diet doesn’t have to be low carb, the usual experience for most people is that when they start excluding processed foods, breads and sugary drinks, their carbohydrate intake drops significantly.

Other carb foods, such as sweet potatoes, while broken down somewhat in your mouth by enzymes like amylase, are primarily starch which is not as immediately accessible by the bacteria, but there is not much evidence that this provides much protection.

The truth is, your teeth are in a constant state of breakdown and remineralization. The process of eating food causes damage to your teeth and the acids formed by your oral bacteria further weaken their enamel. However, if all necessary nutrients and minerals are available, your body is able to repair the damage, maintaining the status quo.

That is where food quality and even the types of carbohydrates you eat come into play. First of all, many grain, nut, and legume based plant foods contain large quantities of phytates. These compounds cause necessary minerals to be chelated, or made bio-unavailable during digestion. Heavy reliance on foods of these types are one reason that many people are deficient in the minerals that are needed by the human body to help remineralize the enamel in their teeth. You can either choose to avoid those foods entirely, or employ tactics like soaking them in water in order to

reduce the amount of phytic acid present.However, even if you avoid

compounds like phytates, the amount of useful minerals in the food supply is limited at best, due to years of unsustainable agriculture. Don’t be fooled by the RDA labels and listings provided by the government, as this is based on decades old information. To combat this problem, it’s important to make sure you get enough magnesium, most easily through supplements like Magnesium citrate, and balance this appropriately with your intake of calcium, through dark leafy greens or bone broths, and also phosphorus.

Another critical component to the process of enamel remineralization is the famous “Activator X”, discovered by the dental pioneer Weston A. Price, and more recently concluded to be Vitamin K-2. Price found that when he combined this compound with high vitamin cod liver oil, his patients exhibited a profound ability to repair existing cavities over time, in some cases completely remineralizing dental caries with a new layer of enamel.

The science behind this phenomenon has since caught up, and determined that Vitamins A, D, and K-2 all interact synergistically in the processes of up-regulating the activity of osteoblasts (which grow bone), increasing mineralization of teeth and bones, and properly funneling necessary minerals to those appropriate tissues, rather than vascular and soft tissues. The trick is to

Continued next page

Paleo and dental healthBy: David Csonka



ensure that you get adequate amounts of all of these important vitamins.

A paleo-inspired lifestyle will certainly help you to accomplish this. Plenty of activity outside during bright summer days will let your body synthesize adequate amounts of Vitamin D. Supplementing a few thousand units of D3 a day will help to offset any deficiencies due to modern life. Organ meats like liver will make sure that there is plenty of Vitamin A in your diet. Supplementing with high vitamin cod liver oil can be an easy way to get these levels up without eating meat.Vitamin K-2 can be acquired in your diet in sufficient quantities by eating foods like pastured and grass-fed animal products. Weston A. Price utilized butter oil from grass-fed dairy cows as the other component (along with cod liver oil) to his miraculous tooth healing medicine.

It’s essential to recognize that simply asserting that Paleolithic humans did not suffer from tooth decay, and as such we should eat this way, would be incorrect. There is ample anthropological evidence to suggest that dental health in general was widely variable during the Paleolithic.

Cavities are a problem that humans have faced for a very long time. Incidental environmental changes and poor quality of food supplies meant that even our hardiest of ancestors ran into problems with their teeth. It’s important to remember that by sourcing the highest quality foods, avoiding those which cause problems, and ensuring that we obtain all of the necessary vitamins in appropriate amounts, we can help our body to do precisely what it evolved to do: give us a sparkling smile.

References1 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry2 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_caries3 www.adha.org/media/facts/oral_health_fast_facts.htm4 www.dentalplans.com/press-room/dental-care-facts.asp5 www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/publications/factsheets/sgr2000_fs1.htm6 www.nidcr.nih.gov/OralHealth/Topics/GumDiseases/PeriodontalGumDisease.htm7 www.westonaprice.org/notes-from-yesteryear/understanding-weston-price-on-primitive-wisdom

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A species-specific approach is at the core of the MovNat philosophy and practice, and it is what makes MovNat so unique in the field of fitness. Indeed, MovNat focuses first on “moving naturally” and second on “moving in nature.” While “moving in nature” could involve any type of physical activity, from conventional fitness to tango, mime, freestyle walking, or mountain biking, “moving naturally” does not.

Of course, if you were to understand “moving naturally” as moving spontaneously or even randomly, then any movement would qualify. You could also argue that, since we all have natural bodies, (we haven’t traded them for cybernetic ones, at least not yet) then all movement patterns produced by those natural bodies are automatically natural.

But our point is not to discuss the naturalness of each and every possible

movement pattern a human body could perform. Instead, we want to better understand and define what essential principles make a fitness concept and movement practice such as MovNat qualify as “natural.”

So, does any physical activity, obviously involving some form of movement, qualify as “natural”? If yes, then why would yoga be more natural than body-building for instance, and why would running be more natural than skiing? If any movement a human body could perform could be labeled as “natural,” then why bother talking about “natural” movement or moving “naturally”? Wouldn’t it be simpler to just talk about “movement”? My point is, if we’re going to associate the words “natural” and “movement” then this association must refer to something specific and meaningful.

So what does it really mean to move naturally? To move your body in a natural environment, barefoot and shirtless, regardless of the way you move? To solely practice calisthenics, i.e., body-weight conditioning drills? Is it yoga or tai-chi? Is it a strength and conditioning program based on using only stones and logs?

This is not moving naturally, this is conventional fitness in the woods! For sure some exercise is better than none, and spending some time outdoors is better than being indoors all of the time, but…Moving naturally is none of those things.

How would a human animal move? Simply put, moving naturally for humans means moving the ways the human animal moves when living a natural life in a natural environment.

It is doing exactly what the tiger, wolf, elephant, dolphin, or eagle all do: performing the movement aptitudes that belong to their species in order to ensure their survival. Birds fly, fish swim, snakes slither, monkeys climb, horses run, kangaroos jump. What about humans? Human beings possess locomotive skills, such as walking, running, jumping, balancing, crawling, climbing, or swimming. In addition to these locomotive skills, human beings also utilize manipulative skills, such as lifting, carrying, throwing, and catching, and combative skills, such as striking or grappling.

In a nutshell, if you’re wondering what moving naturally means for human beings, think of human species-specific movement aptitudes. Visualize how the human animal would move in nature for his survival - that is natural human movement. For instance, running would be one of the primary abilities used for locomotion. Today, with the emergence of the barefoot running trend, more and more people are looking for a more natural way to run. But…

Aren’t there more natural ways to move naturally than just running?

Yes, and in this issue’s combo, we will focus on intensity a little more than in the past by moving through 3 movements for a continuous 10 minutes, trying to complete as many rounds as possible.

MOVNATRECONNECT TO YOUR TRUE NATURE

Moving NaturallyBy: Clifton Harski


Begin with and maintain good posture with an ever so slight forward lean. Be light on your feet by landing on your forefoot, and letting your heels “kiss” the ground. Keep your arms relaxed throughout.

Drop from your run onto hands and feet. Your hands should be directly below your shoulders, and you should have straight arms as to not always be flexed. Your knees should be below your hips, not pulled up to your chest, so that you aren’t all smashed together. Move your right arm and left leg together(ish) forward, then the other two limbs. Keep your butt level with your upper back throughout. As you tire, if you must drop your knees, that’s fine, but you must go the 50 yards.

Run f

or 20

0 yar

ds

Craw

l for 5

0 yar

ds

Lift (once) and carry an object for 100 yards (stone, sandbag, med ball, or in this case a cinder block)To lift Start by pushing your hips back, while keeping a good lumbar curve and straight spine as you lower your upper body to reach and grab the object between your feet. Once your grip is secure, press with your legs until the object clears your knees, atwhich point you will extend your hips forward to meet the object and end in the hang position. Make sure you maintain a lumbar curve and relaxed arms throughout the entire movement. To carry From the hang position you will raise yourself onto your toes and shrug your shoulders and pull the object up toward one shoulder with your elbows flaring sideways. As the object approaches shoulder height, drop your body underneath the object and catch it precisely and gently on your shoulder and hands. Be sure to choose an appropriate weight that allows you to keep excellent form.

Lift &

Carry

an ob

ject

100 y

ards


Resources

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In January of 2011, I officially made the switch to the Paleo Diet. In reality, I had started making changes a few months prior, but nothing is truly set in stone until your wife is onboard as well. You know how it is…

The change in eating habits did not come without skepticism from friends, family and colleagues. I was told more times than I could count that all the eggs and red meat I was eating would raise my cholesterol and result in my imminent demise. Not to mention the risk I was taking in eliminating all those heart healthy whole grains from my diet.

I was comfortable with my decision, though, and had plenty of research to back it all up. What I didn’t have was tangible, n=1 proof. Sure I looked and felt better, but I wanted those inarguable metrics that showed my cholesterol falling through the floor. That would show all those naysayers!

Judgment Day came in March of 2011. I had my annual physical scheduled, where my doctor proved the commonly cited theory that physicians simply don’t understand nutrition. Fortunately, no arguments or criticisms were imparted – but there may have been a few raised eyebrows and inquisitive stares during

the explanation of my new diet. Regardless, my blood work was set up for later that week and I was properly fasted and ready to pump when the morning finally arrived.

About two weeks later, the results were delivered. I saw the envelope in the mailbox and immediately rushed inside to open it and see what the verdict was. Would my theories and beliefs hold true, or would the antagonists prove correct in their doubts about the Paleo diet?

Right away, I noticed my cholesterol was high. I didn’t have any previous blood work to compare to, but my Total Cholesterol was 197 - which was right on the fringe of that 199 “danger zone”. My eyes next gazed to the LDL figure: 120 - definitely higher than the recommended upper limit of 99 indicated on the printout. I immediately panicked. What would I say to people that had insisted the diet would raise my cholesterol and cause heart disease? Was I really digging my own grave by eating eggs and bacon and smothering everything in butter and coconut oil? All the while, my wife was calling me nuts – how wasn’t she freaked out about this too?

I frantically started searching the various blogs and forums to find answers. Have others experienced

this? What did it mean? Was I doing something wrong?

It didn’t take much searching to stumble across some helpful write-ups around how to read your blood lipid results. I immediately realized my HDL of 64 was quite good. Apparently, high HDL is strongly correlated with better cardiovascular health; anything over 59 is considered above average. Not bad!

I also discovered that my Triglycerides, which might be a better overall health marker than LDL, were a very low 66. High triglycerides could indicate an increased ratio of “smaller” (read evil) LDL particle size, which is bad news. The printout indicated normal fell between 0-149, so my 66 was pretty darn good.

At the behest of some helpful forum posters, some quick math (HDL/Total Cholesterol, Triglycerides/HDL) confirmed my wife’s suspicions that I was overreacting to this whole thing and, in fact, was in terrific health - well, at least physically speaking! A lot of my initial concerns were wrapped up in my Total Cholesterol and LDL reading, but like everything else - it’s much more complicated than that.

Four months later, I would get my blood work rechecked at a free clinic offered at work. My Total Cholesterol came in at 190, Triglycerides <45, HDL at 69 and, because the triglycerides were so low, they weren’t even able to obtain an accurate readout of LDL. Steady improvement I would say!

If and when you get your blood work results and notice some higher numbers in there, don’t panic! Do some research and look into the numbers a little deeper before clutching your chest in anticipation of a heart attack. Chances are, if you’re following the diet and eating the way we were all meant to eat, everything will be just fine.

Average joe paleoJudgement Day

About the Author

Tyler lives in New Hampshire with his wife Kristyn and his dog Cassius.

He enjoys all things fitness, nutrition and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Probably more than his full-time

employer would prefer...

By: Tyler Miles

Design: Sarah Rebich

AHS12Ancestral Health Symposium 2012A (pre) historic, three-day event that unites the Ancestral Health movement.

Harvard University In association with the Harvard Food Law Society.

August 9–11

The Ancestral Health Symposium fosters collaboration among scientists, healthcare professionals and laypersons who study and communicate about health from an evolutionary perspective to develop solutions to our modern health challenges.

ancestryfoundation.org

Sponsored by the Ancestral Health Society and the Harvard Food Law Society

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