Meet the MegaJoule
It’s a unit of energy, like the calorie. The megajoule (MJ) is equal to one million (106) joules, or about 240 Calories (I’m rounding a bit)
So here’s why I think the Joule is valuable – smaller numbers.
The MJ may help simplify everything to do with dieting.
We give average dietary suggestions that men aim for roughly 10 MJ per day, and women aim for 8 MJ.
Foods would list MJ per serving and MJ per container to the nearest 0.5 MJ (so not only would you know that a ‘serving’ of Haagan Dazs has 1 MJ, the amount you’re probably going to eat – the container – has 4 MJ)
So a typical candy bar would be 1 MJ, most of the StarBucks Blended drinks would be around 1 MJ, with some being as low as .5, and some being as high as 2.
A McDonalds Angus with Bacon and Cheese with […]

Original post by Brad Pilon

This is a special guest post from Denise Minger (thank you, Denise!). When fear-inducing news headlines hit the papers (and airwaves and iPads…) –  High-Fat Diet Linked to Breast Cancer, Eating Whole Grains Will Help You Live Longer, Fish Oil Linked to Prostate Cancer – she’s the person to go to for an honest and entertaining critique of the research. In the last week I’ve received an untold number of emails from inquiring Mark’s Daily Apple readers about this latest health news “bombshell”. So, naturally, Denise…
It’s that time again. Your inbox is filling up with emails from your low-fat friends. Your mom left four voicemails ordering you to throw away your bacon now (and clean your room while you’re at it). Your diet-savvy coworker left a Yahoo! News article on your desk, weighted in place with a muffin. This just in: High-fat diets cause diabetes—and researchers have proof, doggonit!

At least, […]

Original post by Worker Bee

Over the past few years, leading paleo spokesperson Robb Wolf and I have forged a great Internet friendship. Suffice to say, we think a lot alike and exchange ideas often. Yet, we hadn’t actually met in person until two weeks ago when Robb and his beautiful wife Nicki came out to Malibu to spend an evening with Carrie and me. We had a fabulous time, great dinner and talked at length about the future of Primal/paleo/ancestral health. One of the topics was how to blend this information in a way that the various “brands” can be mutually supportive in the interest of everyone winning (and, of course, world peace). That’s sort of what the Ancestral Health Symposium was created to do. However, we still get a lot of people on Mark’s Daily Apple who wonder about the differences between Primal and paleo eating styles, so I thought I’d put together […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

“Winter is coming.” (Albeit, a Malibu winter, which is closer to a somewhat mild spring in other parts of the country, so I can’t really complain; I just wanted to use that quote contextually.) Yep, I’ve been catching up on “Game of Thrones.” Dang fine show, but now the long slow agonizing wait for the second season commences. Anyone else watch?
Anyway, it’s Monday, which means it’s time for another round of Dear Mark questions and answers. I field one from an ecologist soon to be working out of Nicaragua and worried about making dietary concessions and balancing Primal eating with cultural faux pas. Next, I discuss nitric oxide supplementation, and whether there’s a better way than taking it direct. Finally, I explain how one determines the chronic cardio-ness of an activity.
Let’s go.

Hi Mark
I’m in the process of switching over to a Primal [Blueprint] diet, and I have a question that […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

Is it possible not to be seduced by the gorgeous displays of tomatoes dominating farmers’ markets during the summer? Their bright colors and unique shapes just make you want to reach out and give one or two a squeeze.
Summer is the time to enjoy juicy, sweetly acidic, full-flavored tomatoes. Before you know it, colder weather strikes and the sexy tomatoes of summer are replaced by bland  “tomatoes” with no personality whatsoever.

Although it’s tempting to be seduced by looks alone, it’s best to to keep your wits about you when buying tomatoes and focus on what really matters. A brightly or deeply colored tomato always seems to promise amazing flavor, but color isn’t always a real indicator of what the tomato will taste like. The word “heirloom” can also be misleading. Heirloom tomatoes are often delicious, but the word “heirloom” doesn’t guarantee much these days except that you’ll be paying top […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

It’s Friday, everyone! And that means another Primal Blueprint Real Life Story from a Mark’s Daily Apple reader. If you have your own success story and would like to share it with me and the Mark’s Daily Apple community please contact me here. I’ll continue to publish these each Friday as long as they keep coming in. Thank you for reading!

My name is Nick and I’m a 49-year-old recovered alcoholic, former “fattie” and a former track athlete who competed in the 10,000 meters at the 1984 Olympic Trials, which now seems like a million years ago! In my 20s, I was sidetracked as an athlete by a series of injuries and burnout, a story not far removed from that of Mark Sisson. I then plunged into a 20-year exercise in self-pity and substance abuse, all the while maintaining the seemingly successful facade of a highly-paid software […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

Are you looking to tone and strengthen your stomach? Well, you came to the right place-  because I am going to show you the PERFECT workout to get in great shape and really tone that belly. Here’s how:
When looking to burn off fat, the critical component here is to put your body in the “fat-burning zone”. To help with that, I’m going to recommend a special training technique called High Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT.
The idea behind HIIT is simple. By getting your heart beat up in a workout, you increase your body’s metabolism for a limited amount of time, allowing you to burn calories even when the workout is better. Now, here is a little more information about these exercises for belly fat:
We’re going to combine sprinting with body weight workouts, for a full toning and burning effect.
Here’s the workout:
 

From 2-8 60 meter sprints depending on your level. 30 […]

Original post by admin

We in the Primal community talk a lot about the modern medical situation – the growing prevalence of lifestyle disease and the misguided, costly paths conventional health wisdom too often prescribes. Still, some conditions seem less – well, conditional – than others. Take eyesight, for example. If we wear glasses or contacts, we look to our families or age. While genetics and years certainly have their influence, is that the entire story for everyone? Is vision a wholly “closed” process – set in motion and then untouched by overall health and physiologic interaction, or is it more dynamic and systemic than that?
I get a fair number of emails from folks who wonder about their eye health in a Primal context. A while back I looked at the potential role of sunlight in preventing myopia, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. The post got people thinking. What are […]

Original post by Mark Sisson