FitFemaleForty

I’m in the process of preparing to give another “Paleo Talk” this coming Saturday.  The most frequently asked questions usually revolve around cooking paleo meals that  everyone in the family will enjoy.   Although I first point folks  in the direction of Robb Wolf’s Food Matrix (no recipes necessary) and  my favorite Paleo Cookbooks (found here),   I know that most people are looking for free paleo recipes that they’ll be able to quickly access online.  These days there are 100′s of Paleo websites.  I’ve only including the cooking websites I visit often.  Bon Appetite!

 Paleo Families:  Pregnancy and Raising A Paleo Child

• Everyday Paleo
• Growing Up Paleo
• Practical Paleo Living
• Nom Nom Paleo
• Radiance Nutrition
• Paleo Parents
• Primal Kitchen- A Family Grokumentary
• The Primal Home
• La Vida Paleo

Paleo Athletes

• Primal Blueprint Recipes on Mark’s Daily Apple – Mark’s Daily Apple
• Nell Stephenson, Paleo Expert - Triathlete and Co-Author of The Paleo Diet Cookbook
• Primal Women in the Kitchen
• PaleOMG

Paleo Everyone Else

• Paleo Comfort Foods
• The Foodee Project
• Health-Bent
• Chowstalker
• Purely Primal Cooking 
• Jen’s Gone Paleo
• The Food Lovers’ Primal Palate

Gluten-Free –  But NOT necessarily Paleo

• Elena’s Pantry
• Celiac Handbook Living and loving the gluten-free life.™
• ATX Gluten-Free
• Straight Into Bed Cakefree and Dried

Mark Hyman, MD recently wrote an excellent article in the Huffington Post titled “Gluten:  What you Don’t know Might Kill You”.    As Dr. Hyman summarizes in his article, gluten sensitivity is widespread and is now understood to go beyond Celiac Disease.  New research confirms that gluten (wheat) consumption can now be linked to the cause of over 55 diseases from irritable bowel disease to autoimmune disease:

 ”…Gluten Sensitivity: One Cause, Many Diseases

A review paper in The New England Journal of Medicine listed 55 “diseases” that can be caused by eating gluten. (iv) These include osteoporosis, irritable bowel disease, inflammatory bowel disease, anemia, cancer, fatigue, canker sores, (v) and rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and almost all other autoimmune diseases. Gluten is also linked to many psychiatric (vi) and neurological diseases, including anxiety, depression, (vii) schizophrenia, (viii) dementia, (ix)migraines, epilepsy, and neuropathy (nerve damage). (x) It has also been linked to autism.(ix)

We used to think that gluten problems or celiac disease were confined to children who had diarrhea, weight loss, and failure to thrive. Now we know you can be old, fat, and constipated and still have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity.

Gluten sensitivity is actually an autoimmune disease that creates inflammation throughout the body, with wide-ranging effects across all organ systems including your brain, heart, joints,digestive tract, and more. It can be the single cause behind many different “diseases.” To correct these diseases, you need to treat the cause–which is often gluten sensitivity–not just the symptoms…”

 To read his article in full click on the link below:

 ”Gluten:  What you Don’t know Might Kill You“

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Kim Mulvihill, MD of CBS News San Fransisco

CBS News San Francisco recently did an in-depth report on The Paleo Diet.  In this informative five part series,  Kim Mulvihill, MD of CBS HealthWatch follows The Paleo Diet for just two weeks with remarkable results:  reversed insulin resistance (insulin resistance precedes the development of Diabetes 2), reduced blood pressure, and reduced LDL (the bad cholesterol). Dr. Mulvilhill also lost 30 pounds by continuing to eat a diet of lean meats, fish, vegetables, fruits nuts and by eliminating all dairy, grains, beans and processed foods (a.k.a. – The Paleo Diet)!

HealthWatch: Doctors Warming To Caveman Diet Trend

CBS 5 HealthWatch: Caveman Diet Trend Video Series

1. Caveman Diet Trend Starting To Catch Fire

2.  Surprising Results From ‘Caveman’ Diet

3.  Caveman Diet Shows Blood Pressure, Cholesterol Benefits

4. How Realistic Is Caveman Diet At Home?

5.  For Some, Caveman Lifestyle Goes Beyond Diet

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My husband recently finished reading “Anticancer – A New Way of Life” written by David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PHD.  After being diagnosed with brain cancer, Dr. Servan-Schreiber began a 15 year journey investigating the latest research on how best to fight and prevent cancer.  Early in his investigation he discovered that we all have cancerous cells residing in our bodies.  Yet, only 1 out of 3 people will die from the activation of these deadly cells.

Anticancer is an accumulation of his research which surprisingly explains the role both food and stress play in the growth or inhibition of cancerous cells. Although my husband and I are personally aware of the health benefits associated with The Paleo Diet (see “Robb Wolf:  Paleo Nutrition Guru), we were pleasantly surprised  to learn Dr. Servan-Schreiber’s Anticancer diet recommendations are very similar to those of  The Paleo Diet – both of which recommend eliminating all sugars and processed foods from one’s diet.

You can read more on Dr. Servan-Schreiber’s anticancer recommendations, published articles, and “research based insight” by visiting  his website:  Anticancer – A New Way of Life

I’m currently reading Dr. William Davis’  latest book titled  “Wheat Belly”.    William Davis, MD, a cardiologist and author of the  The Heart Scan Blog, also encourages his patients to avoid sugar and processed foods.  More specifically, similar to The Paleo Diet he recommends his patients completely eliminate all wheat from their diets (yes, that includes whole wheat breads, pastas, cereals, etc).  His book “Wheat Belly” is well-referenced and documents the numerous health issues that can be resolved by simply giving up all whole-wheat products:  guaranteed weight loss; reversal of metabolic syndrome and diabetes 2;  reduction of systemic inflammation; improvement in LDL bio-markers of health; etc.   The same health benefits you can also expect when following The Paleo Diet (see “Paleo Talk Resources”)!

Dr. Davis discusses how wheat eaten today is very different from the wheat eaten by our ancestors.  In order to cultivate crops that will produce higher yields and resist pest (insects, bacteria, fungus, etc), seed companies have now begun altering the actual DNA of plants.  For a better understanding of how plants are genetically modified and how these  modifications impact your health,  I also highly recommend watching the documentary “Food Matters“.

Dr. Davis also discusses the high rate of gastrointestinal cancers  found in individuals who knowingly or unknowingly have had some form of gluten sensitivity.  There is cause for concern when  Melissa Smith reports in  her book “Going Against the Grain” that 50% of the population is gluten-sensitive.  Whole wheat bread is loaded with many anti-nutrients  – one of which is gluten.  Gluten is known to irritate and damage the intestinal  tract (see “Got Leaky Gut?”).   Eating genetically-modified plants and long-term wheat consumption by gluten-sensitive individual can result in chronic gastrointestinal inflammation.  Could the ill effects of wheat be key in understanding the continual rise of gastrointestinal cancers?

One final thought on diet, wheat and cancer.  Few folks understand that a slice of whole wheat bread increases blood glucose more than consuming a teaspoon of table sugar (The Glycemic Load Diet).   Michael Eades, MD, author of Protein Power and The 6-Week Cure for the Middle Aged Middle, recently wrote an excellent review on “Wheat Belly”.  In this book review, Dr. Eades highlights Dr. Davis’ explanation of how wheat affects blood glucose levels:

…Dr. Davis writes that modern wheat is approximately 70 percent carbohydrate by weight.  The carbohydrate is in the form of a starch called amylopectin A.

“The most digestible form of amylopectin, amylopectin A, is the form found in wheat.  Because it is the most digestible, it is the form that most enthusiastically increases blood sugar.  This explains why, gram for gram, wheat increases blood sugar to a greater degree than, say, kidney beans or potato chips.  The amylopectin A of wheat products, “complex” or no, might be regarded as a supercarbohydrate, a form of highly digestible carbohydrate that is more efficiently converted to blood sugar than nearly all the other carbohydrate foods, simple or complex. [Italics in the original.]

It’s well understood that high blood glucose levels result in increased insulin production which in turn increases the body’s ability to store fat.  Simply said – eating bread can make you fat.  What does this have to do with cancer?   For one, sugar just happens to be the food that fuels the growth of most cancer cells:

Is there a role for carbohydrate restriction in the treatment and prevention of cancer?

Does Sugar Feed Cancer?

Cancer and Sugar’s Role In It…

Can a High-Fat Diet Beat Cancer?

Cancer and Ketosis

Anti-nutrients, genetically modified plants, gut irritants, autoimmune issues, obesity, diabetes 2, cardiovascular disease, etc  – how many more reasons do you need to stop eating sugar and processed foods, especially wheat??!!

See Poll Results (image credit to US News)

This is exactly why I don’t follow the advice of traditional Registered Dietitians.  Recently the so called “experts” ranked The Paleo Diet as the least effective diet for losing weight and improving overall health (here).   These experts did not do their research before shamefully stating their ill-informed opinions (here).  Now folks much like myself who have experienced tremendous success on The Paleo Diet (here) are ensuring their voices be heard or at least their votes be counted.  Tamara Abraham reports that readers polled on the US News “Best Diets Overall” ranked The Paleo Diet as the MOST effective of all diets ranked by the so called “experts”!  You can read Abraham’s article by following the link below.

Caveman Diet Voted Best Way To Lose Weight (by readers of a report that found it least effective)

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U.S. News and World Report recently ranked the Best Diets Overall based on ease of use, health benefits and weight loss effectiveness.  The Paleo Diet was ranked #20, surprisingly ranked after such diets as SlimFast, Nutrisytems and Medifast as healthier alternatives for successful weight loss.    Researching the validation of this ranking a little further, I was not surprised to discover the claims made by the U.S. News “experts” were totally false – not only based on my personal experiences (here), but also on existing peer-reviewed research on The Paleo Diet.  Fortunately, Dr. Loren Cordain recently wrote a “Rebuttal to U.S. News and World Top 20 Diets” highlighting the “erroneous and misleading” conclusions made by the U.S. News “experts”.   Follow the link below to read Dr. Cordain’s rebuttal:

Rebuttal to U.S. News and World Top 20 Diets

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Coach Jeff Martone, owner of Tactical Athlete

Brought to the United States by Pavel Tsatsouline (Pavel), Kettlebells were originally used to train the Russian Special Forces.  Yet Kettlebells are for everyone…. soldiers, policemen, athletes and even soccer moms.   Executing Kettlebell technique correctly will not only burn body fat, but will also increase strength, stamina and agility, all of which are common goals for anyone hoping to “look good naked” or increase athletic and professional performance.   This post is inspired by the young police officer who took my advice and did some Kettlebell reading on his own.  I was surprised to actually see him doing Kettlebell swings yesterday – I’m frequently approached with questions, but rarely see any follow through.

As a certified Kettlebell Instructor, it’s easy to spot poor form.  Even worse, more often than not I see folks using Kettlebells inappropriately by ignoring basic safety rules, such as:

• not maintaining lumbar support while under load
• moving weight away from the heel to the front of the foot
• hyperextension of the wrist (the gold standard for recognizing someone is using their arms instead of an explosive hip drive to move the weight)

Proper form and technique are critical to reaping the benefits of Kettlebell training; poor execution overtime will lead to injury.

If you’re going to start using Kettlebells, it’s always best to receive one-on-one instruction from a certified instructor.  Pavel offers several different types of Russian Kettlebell Certifications (RKC) Workshops, as well as instructional books and videos via Dragon Door.

I personally recommend Jeff Martone’s  CrossFit Kettlebell Certification and Tactical Training Courses.   Coach Martone was one of Pavel’s original Master RKC Instructors, later leaving to develop his own company, Tactical Athlete. With Coach Martone you’ll learn how to safely incorporate Kettlebells into your workouts, practice joint mobility movements to ready your body for exercise, and be drilled restlessly until your form is perfected.   He personally tests each participant at the end of his course to ensure all course material and skills have been completely mastered. Coach Martone and his wife also offer instructional books and videos via Tactical Athlete.

Jeff Martone Introducing  “H2H2: Harder. Faster. Stronger” Video

Without one-on-one instruction you’ll need to do some extensive research on your own.  As promised, I’m posting additional online resources for the young police officer so that he may continue to improve his Kettlebell technique.

Jeff Martone’s free online Kettlebell Articles:

• Kettlebell Basics: Improving Your Swing Part 2 (Part 1 can be read by joining the CrossFit Journal)
• Kettlebells: One-Arm Swings and Beyond Continue reading

image credit: http://transform-drugs.blogspot.com/

It took mainstream America decades to recognize that cigarettes could kill.  The same may be said of sugar.   There is a growing body of research that points to sugar as the proverbial smoking gun as it relates to modern disease.  Although it may be common knowledge that eating sugar makes you fat and causes tooth decay, little do most folks know that it’s also correlated with cardio vascular disease (CVD), hypertension,  diabetes II, and even some cancers.

This month in the New York Times Magazine, Gary Taubes summarizes this relationship.  The article touches on the “cause of heart disease” historic battle between two rival points of view:  “The Ansel Keys – It’s caused by dietary fat” vs. “John Yudkin – It’s caused by sugar”.  Mr. Taubes also explains the process in which the liver converts sugar, specifically fructose, into fat which over time leads to insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome.  Last, he describes the process in which excess insulin levels, caused by insulin resistance, promote and even accelerate the growth of certain cancer cells, such as breast and colon cancers.  Read the article in full here:

Is Sugar Toxic?

Early this week, NPR followed the Mr. Taubes article with a short post on their health blog:

Sugar May Be An Empty Nutrient, But Is It Poisonous?

The heart of the issue involves biochemistry.  Calories may be the same, but the way they’re metabolized by the body is not.   Robert Lustig MD, a nationally recognized expert in childhood obesity, provides an in-depth understanding of how our bodies process different types of sugar – glucose by our cells, fructose by our liver.  In his lecture “Sugar:  The Bitter Truth” (below),  it’s easy to get lost in his numerous and lengthy biochemical discussions, but it’s worth your time to hear his startling conclusions.    Fructose, especially high-fructose corn syrup, when converted to fat by the liver, leads to obesity, diabetes, CVD, and hypertension.

“Sugar:  The Bitter Truth”

Robert H. Lustig, MD, UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology, explores the damage caused by sugary foods. He argues that fructose (too much) and fiber (not enough) appear to be cornerstones of the obesity epidemic through their effects on insulin. Series: UCSF Mini Medical School for the Public [7/2009] [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 16717]

http://www.cliffsnotes.com/

In response to my last blog post “Weight Gain:   Calories in, Calories out?”  I’ve had several questions concerning Gary Taubes’ book Good Calories, Bad Calories.  Most questions have been from folks who believe that there are just not enough hours in the day to read a two-inch-thick, nonfiction book on nutrition.   So for those who are only interested in the “cliffs notes” version, you can give a big thanks to Greg of www.gutsandblackstuff.com.  Greg not only provides one-paragraph summaries of each chapter, he also condenses the entire book of 601 pages into ten short sentences:

1. Dietary fat does not cause obesity, heart disease or other chronic diseases.
2. Refined carbohydrates, through insulin secretion, do.
3. Sugars, especially those including fructose, are particularly harmful.
4. Refined carbohydrates are the dietary cause of heart disease and diabetes. They are the most likely (but not only) dietary cases of cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and other chronic diseases.
5. Obesity is not caused by overeating or sedentary behavior.
6. Calorie restriction does not cause long-term weight loss, it causes hunger.
7. Fattening and obesity are caused by a hormonal imbalance, which can be driven by diet (e.g. insulin secretion).
8. Insulin is the primary regulator of fat storage.
9. Carbohydrate intake drives insulin, and is therefore proportional to our body composition.
10. Carbohydrates also increase hunger and decrease energy.

To continue reading Greg’s chapter-by-chapter summary follow the link below:

“A summary of Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes“

My busy friends thank you, Greg!

Gary Taubes, an American science writer has a new blog.  His book Good Calories, Bad Calories is a must read for understanding how refined carbohydrates, not dietary fat cause Cardio Vascular Disease, Obesity, Hypertension, Hyperlipidemia (and a long list of other modern diseases)! I would also recommend reading an article he wrote for the New York Times in 2002 titled “What If It’s All Been a Big Fat Lie?” which challenged the popular (and unhealthy) “low-fat diet” craze.

Mr. Taubes reminds us of the importance of critically examining ALL of the controlling variables in scientific research.  So often correlations are made without recognizing exactly what variables affected the outcome.  With this in mind, Mr. Taubes examines the following questions in his most recent blog post: “Is it the total calories consumed that is the variable determining weight loss? And, by the same token, is it the calories consumed (or expended) that determines how much weight we gain?”

Continue reading to see how researchers can lead you astray by overlooking or not reporting key variables that affect reported outcomes:

Calories, fat or carbohydrates? Why diets work (when they do).