Plants are not passive things. Oh, they’re not running and fighting and directly acting on the local environment with any sort of mammalian consciousness or intent, but they do employ defenses against hungry animals, insects, intrusive plant life, and disease – just like we do. We differ greatly in a few major areas, of course. Plants make themselves (or their seeds) unpalatable, indigestible, and downright poisonous through the lectins, gluten, and other antinutrients we enjoy railing against; to defend themselves and their offspring (fuzzy “seeds”), animals bare teeth and claws, run incredibly fast, climb trees, burrow into the ground, or wield semiautomatic rifles. But plants’ and animals’ respective modes of management of “internal” threats, like disease or infection, are more similar than not: we all manufacture antioxidants. With animals, the immune system, which defends from pernicious invading forces and helps determine the inflammatory response to harmful stimuli, is well known […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

It’s time for the annual procession of all things carb: potatoes, rolls, cranberry molds, all manner of desserts. Thanksgiving, however, needn’t be a salivating stare down with the spuds. The subject du jour: how you plan to handle the holiday. Primal types seem to fall into two camps when it comes to these occasions. Some say every day is a Primal day, and they go about preparing their Thanksgiving feast the way they do every other meal. If they’re visiting for the holiday, they selectively forage and might even bring a Primal dish of their own (to share or relish alone). Others take a looser approach, balancing the value of family traditions with their Primal interests to forge a reasonable compromise for the day. There’s plenty of room under the Primal tent for both good, old-fashioned moderation and rock solid resoluteness, I’d say. Let’s take a closer look.

The “Taking 20” […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

Overburdened doctors sure do love tangible targets, like lipid numbers. They’re easy to hit with drugs. There’s no guesswork – statins and the like actually do lower cholesterol (whether that’s helpful or harmful is the question) – and that makes a physician’s life simpler. Oh, sure, lifestyle changes work, but most patients won’t bother trying them (especially when the changes you prescribe are founded in faulty science and no fun following). Doctors can usually get patients to take a pill.
There’s yet another cholesterol-busting wonder drug on the coming horizon called anacetrapib. A recent eighteen-month trial found that it boosted HDL (from 40 to 101) 138% greater than placebo and slashed LDL (from 81 to 45) 40% better than placebo in patients already taking statins by hampering the effects of the CETP enzyme. Another potent CETP-inhibitor – torcetrapib – made similar headlines in 2006 when it boosted HDL and reduced LDL […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

3 cycles of:
Two-minute scuffle
200 Meter Partner Carry – Piggyback
200 Meter Partner Carry – Fireman’s Carry
200 Meter Partner Carry – Bridal Carry
30 Second Plank for Two

How-to:
It’s partner time.
Hunter-gatherers formed tight-knit communities by necessity. Each member was integral to the success of the group, and everyone had something to offer, be it wisdom, physical prowess, or even foraging techniques. Humans in general are social beings; we either make small mouth noises or make signs and gesture with our hands to communicate directly with each other, or we write/type/etch lines and loops that represent these mouth noises to relay communication to far off people. And that’s just the last couple hundred thousand years. Now, Facebook and Twitter and blogs like these represent new avenues for a different sort of communication and social connection. You can meet someone, fall in love, and make plans […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

I’d like to expand on my “What we can learn from Ryan Reynolds” muscle building blog post and really explore the idea of “Wave Theory Muscle Building”.
Basically, the idea is as follows:
Very few of us can go all out all the time. Real life tends to get in the way of our workouts and muscle building. Things like job stress, money stress, lack of sleep, colds, flu’s, car accidents, all of this stuff will demand some of our time and energy.
Not only this, but as most of us have discovered, muscle growth doesn’t happen linearly.
It takes some time to ramp up, then it happens, then no matter how hard you push in the gym, it slows to a crawl…especially if you continue to follow the same workout routine or patterns.
Whether it’s satellite cell availability, some sort of downstream regulator in the mTOR pathway..what ever the case may be something slows […]

Original post by Brad Pilon

Who knows why turkey became the fowl of choice this time of year, leaving duck forgotten by most. I guess the ducks themselves are just fine with this arrangement, but if you’re looking for a less-traditional and more adventurous Thanksgiving dinner, why not give duck a try?
A whole, roasted duck tends to work best for smaller groups, as there is less meat on a duck carcass than on a chicken or turkey and depending on where you buy it, duck can be more expensive. Duck is prized for its rich flavor and thick, fatty skin that is hard to resist when cooked until crisp. Duck is often cooked with a sweet glaze because it helps the skin caramelize and crisp up. A hint of sweetness also goes well with the slightly gamey flavor of the meat. You don’t need to go overboard with this, however, as our recipe below for […]

Original post by Worker Bee

Discover Its Healing Powers…
It can be used for more than just cooking. It is considered a superfood, olives contain natural disease-fighting ingredients such as antioxidants, vitamin E, oleic acid, polyphenols and monounsaturated fat – good healthy fat. In fact, a number of health benefits of the oil has been associated to:
Helping reduce cholesterolReducing painHelping to prevent diabetesRelieving aches and pains of arthritisHelping with cancer and heart protectionThey are also used as natural home remedies and cures that are known to work wonders:
House cleaning agentsReducing stretch marks and wrinklesReducing hair lossSoothing diaper rashNatural cure for eczema and other skin ailment

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Original post by Janakiram