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My parents are a nutritionist’s dream come true. They regularly eat quinoa, kale, and flaxseed; grow their own vegetables; and, as a general rule, feed us extremely well whenever we visit. Of course, they have a real soft spot for their grandkids, which is often communicated in the form of treats. And even though they get the best of the best when it comes to kid snacks — organic fruit snacks, hormone-free chocolate milk, whole-grain bunnies — our biannual visits have often felt like treat-loading. At least, that’s how I used to feel.

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Let’s be honest — when it comes to popcorn, the plain stuff is kind of boring. I’m not saying I’d turn it down, but it just feels a little lackluster. Sure, it has the crunch factor going for it (I’ll give it that), but there’s no flavor or pizzazz.

Let’s call popcorn what it really is: a bite-sized vessel waiting to get loaded up with all of your favorite flavors and toppings.

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I pay special attention to any research that concerns health risks to children. As a parent and a clinician, there are few things more important to me than protecting the well-being of our future generations.

There’s no shortage of studies indicating that mercury is toxic to both adults and children. Thus far, however, virtually all environmental policy in the US regarding exposure to mercury (and other toxins) has been based on risk to the “average adult.” Policy makers have paid little attention to the unique risks that toxins pose to infants, children, and other vulnerable populations.

This is a serious mistake because there are at least four differences between children and adults that suggest children are far more vulnerable to the effects of toxic chemicals:

1. Children have greater exposures to chemicals for a given body weight. Kids drink seven times more water, eat three to four times more calories, and breathe twice as much air per pound of body weight than adults. Studies have shown that both low weight and short stature increase the toxicity of mercury and other compounds.
2. Children’s ability to metabolize and eliminate toxic compounds is significantly lower than that of adults, because they lack the enzymes needed to break down and remove these chemicals from the body.
3. Children’s early developmental processes are easily disrupted. We now understand that children have “windows of vulnerability” where exposures to even minute doses of toxins can disrupt organ function and cause lifelong dysfunction.
4. Children have more time to develop chronic disease. Some diseases, like cancer and neurodegenerative conditions, can take decades to develop. This makes causality less obvious and difficult to track in studies. For example, at Minamata Bay in Japan, impaired cognition and dysfunctions in mood and behavior were found in adults who did not exhibit any clinical effects as children following developmental, early-life exposures. (1, 2, 3)

Fish consumption and mercury toxicity in kids: a growing concern?

These differences may explain the findings in a study called “Fish consumption, low-level mercury, lipids, and inflammatory markers in children.” (4) Researchers studied 100 kids in Oswego County, New York, between the ages of nine and eleven. Not surprisingly, they found that the kids who ate fish had better lipid profiles, with higher levels of HDL cholesterol and lower levels of triglycerides. This is consistent with a large body of evidence linking fish consumption with improved cardiovascular health.

Less expected was the finding that the fish-eating children had a blunted cortisol response and higher levels of inflammatory markers. Cortisol is a hormone that plays a crucial role in our ability to respond to and tolerate stress. The researchers speculated that mercury from the fish increased the production of inflammatory proteins, which in turn eventually suppressed cortisol levels. This was the first study to document an association between blood mercury levels, systemic inflammation, and endocrine disruption in children.

Kids may experience toxic effects of mercury at doses lower than previously thought.

Disturbingly, these harmful effects were observed at blood mercury levels far below the current safe limit of 5.8 μg/dL established by the WHO and the US National Academy of Sciences and National Research Center. The kids in this study had an average mercury level in the blood of 0.77 μg/dL, and, with one exception, all affected kids had a mercury level below 3.27 μg/dL.

This is not the first study to show that mercury can have toxic effects in children at levels that are below the current safety threshold. Researchers in Granada, Spain, found declines in cognitive function, memory, and verbal processing in preschool age children at levels below the conventional limits. (5)

Not so fast! Other studies show that kids benefit from fish consumption

After reading that last section, you might be ready to pull fish and seafood out of your children’s diet entirely. But before you do that, consider the following:

• Fish consumption may only make up about 7 percent of the mercury levels in the body, according to a study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. (6)
• A large body of evidence suggests that maternal consumption of seafood during pregnancy protects against mercury-associated impairments in cognitive function, attention, and behavior. (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
• Fish and seafood contain nutrients that are vital to proper brain development in children, including the long-chain omega-3 fats EPA and DHA, selenium, zinc, and highly absorbable protein. (13)
• Studies on the impact of public health advisories to limit fish consumption suggest that they may mask the nutritional value of fish and lead to a greater reduction in fish intake than is desirable. (14, 15)

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to fish consumption and mercury!

So far we’ve reviewed studies suggesting that mercury may be toxic in children at levels much lower than the established cutoffs, as well as studies that consistently indicate benefits from consumption of seafood by pregnant mothers and during early childhood. How do we resolve this apparent contradiction?

There are two primary answers. First, mercury content is highly variable across different species of freshwater and ocean fish and shellfish. Not surprisingly, many studies suggest that consumption of seafood species that are lower in mercury (and higher in selenium) leads to better outcomes than consuming those that are higher in mercury. (16, 17, 18)

Second, we now know that there are a variety of genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors that collectively determine susceptibility to mercury toxicity in a given individual. For example:

• Several genes have been identified that affect the toxicokinetics of mercury. These include genes that affect mercury uptake (LAT1, LAT2, OAT1, OAT2), biotransformation (particularly glutathione-related genes like GS, GCL, GR, GPx, GGT, GST), distribution (SEPP1, GPX1, GPX4, MT1A, MT1E), and elimination (MRP1, MRP2, MDR1). (19, 20) Our current understanding is that genes account for about 30 percent of the variability observed in mercury levels in individuals with similar exposure.
• Research indicates that polymorphisms in other genes, such as BDNF, COMT, and 5-HTTLPR can amplify the toxic effects of mercury. (21, 22, 23)
• Epigenetic markers such as urinary porphyrin excretion, MMP-9 and MMP-2 protein levels, nitric oxide production, and low birth weight have been shown to modify the effects of mercury exposure. (24)
• Males appear to be more adversely affected by mercury than females, possibly because of greater retention in tissues and organs and lower excretion via urine and stool. (25, 26, 27)
• Methyl mercury, the primary form found in fish, is eliminated in the bile as a glutathione conjugate. This means that anything that affects glutathione will affect mercury clearance. A wide variety of genetic and environmental factors influence glutathione levels, including polymorphisms (aka SNPs) in glutathione-related genes, diet (glutathione itself is present in foods, as are glutathione precursor nutrients like selenium, copper, zinc, magnesium, B6, B12, folate, and vitamin E), chronic stress, chronic disease, physical activity, advanced age, toxins, and oxidative stress—to name a few!

This is just a partial list; there are many other factors, both known and likely unknown, that influence mercury’s effect on both children and adults.

The important takeaway is that we can no longer simply designate a particular blood level of mercury as “harmful” or “safe.” That is far too simplistic. As the authors of a review of the genetic influences on mercury toxicity stated:

These reports acknowledge that tremendous interindividual and interspecies variation exists in exposure and hazard and that complex gene-environment interactions may underlie such variation but as yet remain unresolved. With no resolution to such variability, decision-making is hampered and uncertain. (28)

In other words, it’s hard for policy makers and clinicians to make recommendations about mercury exposure when there’s so much variability in how people respond to it.

What this means for your children

In the not-too-distant future, we’ll be able to run a battery of tests that quickly determine individual susceptibility to mercury (and other toxins) and make customized diet and lifestyle recommendations based on those results.

In fact, we’ve been working to create a diagnostic algorithm with exactly that purpose at California Center for Functional Medicine. Unfortunately, this approach is in its infancy and we still have a lot to learn. Another challenge is that the amount of testing that is required to identify all of the factors that influence how an individual responds to mercury is extensive—and expensive.

In the meantime, here are the recommendations that I can make based on my current understanding of the science:

• Give your children seafood at least twice a week, but restrict to species that are lowest in mercury. These include anchovies, sardines, clams, North Atlantic mackerel, herring, and salmon. Conveniently, many of these species are also highest in the beneficial omega-3 fats EPA and DHA. Another option is to avoid seafood but give your children cod liver oil or fish oil. However, although the marine oils do contain EPA and DHA (and vitamins A & D in the case of cod liver oil), they do not contain other beneficial nutrients found in seafood, such as selenium, zinc, and copper. This may not be an issue if your children are eating a diet that is nutrient-dense overall (see below).
• Have your kids avoid or significantly limit consumption of species that are higher in mercury. These include yellowfin and canned albacore tuna, Spanish and king mackerel, Chilean sea bass, marlin, orange roughy, shark, swordfish, and bigeye/ahi tuna.
• If your children develop cavities, take them to a dentist that uses composite resin fillings instead of mercury amalgams. Dental amalgams have consistently been shown to be a source of mercury exposure in both children and adults. (29) Mercury from amalgams readily crosses the blood brain and placental barriers, where it is oxidized to inorganic mercury. Many experts in mercury toxicity believe that inorganic mercury presents a greater challenge to the body than methyl mercury from fish.
• Feed your children a nutrient-dense diet with plenty of glutathione, selenium, copper, zinc, magnesium, B6, B12, folate, and vitamin E.
• Ensure that your children are doing other things that support glutathione pathways, such as getting adequate sleep, exercising regularly, and minimizing exposure to other environmental toxins.

If you’re working with a functional medicine provider, another step you can take is to have your children tested to determine how much mercury they are absorbing from fish consumption.

In our clinic, we prefer and use the Quicksilver Mercury Tri-Test. I recently interviewed Dr. Christopher Shade, the director of Quicksilver Scientific, about the various test methods available for mercury and the shortcomings of the “mercury challenge tests” that have been popular in the alternative medicine community. Check that out if you haven’t already.

I would also recommend reading a guest post entitled “Could Mercury Toxicity Be Causing Your Symptoms?” by my staff physician, Dr. Amy Nett. This may help you to recognize potential effects of mercury exposure in your children (and yourself).

I’ll continue to review new research on this topic as it is published and report back with any important developments.

Happy safe fish eating!

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First, I have to say that I loved seeing all the pictures submitted for our “What’s in Your Primal Kitchen?” contest. It’s always a pleasure to see the happy, healthy, glowing faces of Mark’s Daily Apple readers—not to mention the great looking food sprawled across their kitchens! Once again, many thanks to everyone who participated.

The lucky winner of this random drawing will take home The Holy Grail of PRIMAL KITCHEN™ Care Packages: 3 bottles of Avocado Oil, 6 jars of Avocado Oil Mayo, 2 bags of Primal Fuel, 2 bottles of Greek Vinaigrette, 2 bottles of Honey Mustard Vinaigrette, and 12 Dark Chocolate Almond Bars.

Are you the lucky winner?

First, before I announce who’s taking home that glorious prize, why don’t the rest of you take a look at the gallery of submissions? Each person below went through the fun of compiling their weekly menu all in one place for a stunning snapshot of primal goodness. Do you recognize some things you should be adding to your pantry? Or perhaps you recognize some things you already have in common? There’s nothing like seeing yourself through someone else’s eyes. But you haven’t lived honestly until you’ve seen yourself in someone else’s food—or something like that.

Now, without further delay, let me announce our winner…

Christian H.! Congratulations, my friend. Now you’ll have a whole host of extra grocery items to add to that pile of yours. I hope you have the room…

To track all the contests, visit the 2016 Primal Blueprint 21-Day Challenge Contest Page for daily updates.

Thanks for reading (and participating), everyone!

Originally posted at: http://www.nerdfitness.com/

This is a post from NF Rebel Correspondent and Fatherhood Specialist, Dan.

Creating and shaping a little one’s life is full of wonder, amazement, joy and smells – a journey which is truly gratifying and unfortunately, bloody tiring.

Any parent will tell you that as soon as Player 2 or 3 enters the game, the sleep level difficulty instantly shifts from ‘tutorial’ to ‘expert’. It’s no surprise that you see new parents in the office stumbling around like zombies by the time 2 pm comes around.

New parents have to learn to function on much less sleep, which is why we’re going to delve into this topic a little further with some tips specifically for Rebels with young ones (but with some sleep tips applicable to everyone).

Let’s pick up the master controller to our slumber, and try to help all you struggling parents, shift workers, students, and Fallout 4 players.

Engage in Multiplayer Mode

CHILD used TIRE. It’s SUPER EFFECTIVE!

If you and your partner really feel burnt out (or you’re a single parent and you’re struggling), I have one big message for you:

Ask for help. 

Let go of the feeling that asking for help is some epic inconvenience or that you’ll no longer be this self-sufficient superhero. Even Batman needs Robin. Asking partners, family, or friends to take your little one out for a walk or just keep an eye on them while you have a moment’s rest can be the difference between getting through a week with energy and struggling to the end of a week feeling exhausted.

If you’re lucky enough to have a partner or someone who can help out, try taking turns settling or feeding overnight, and work with what best fits your sleep type.

Couples, talk to each other! So many parents I’ve worked with have been struggling for so long because they simply haven’t spoken with their partner about their needs.

Feel like you’re a night person and you’re always exhausted when you feed the baby in the morning? A short conversation could really make a huge impact: “I think I’d be better off putting the baby to bed and feeding at night if you can do the morning feed and let me sleep until 7. What do you think?”

Figure out what you both want, try a few things out, and come to an agreement on what works best for both of you.

My wife and I found a way take advantage of my ‘night owl’ tendencies by expressing the milk beforehand (and storing it safely). I stayed up late like normal, allowing my wife to go to bed early, and I covered the 2 am feed.

Even if you don’t have kids, this is a great strategy for couples or roomates to divide responsibilities.

What responsibilities and chores can you divide to work to your advantage, allowing you to rest when you need it?

Do less, be better

At the end of the day, you can’t do it all. Most days I go about doing everything I can, pretending I’m a Superman, but in the end, we’re all just Clark Kent. If we’re feeling like we’ve been exposed to Kryptonite, we won’t be able to effectively look after our little ones or get the things done that need doing.

Sometimes our expectations of ourselves are simply too high; we make a list of things to do that is unrealistic. As parents especially, but also for anyone who feels like they “just never have time”, making hard choices and prioritizing what’s important can help take the pressure off while improving your overall output.

We all like to think that we can play with the kids, get them dressed, go to work, cook an amazing dinner, clean the house, get the ironing done, put the kids to sleep, go to the gym and play ‘just 15 minutes’ of our favorite video game in between everything else going on in our lives. But as parents and busy people of all varieties, we need to accept that our lives are different now, and we need to let go of certain things that might not be as important anymore.

Try picking a few things out of your week to stop doing so you can focus on what’s really important to you. It may feel weird at first, but you’ll be able to focus on the big wins and accept that you’re not going to be able to fit EVERYTHING from your old schedule in your new life.

Move More

“But I’m already so tired, and you expect me to move more?!”

I know it’s a really tough ask. But it’s been shown that physical activity can actually increase your energy levels, make you feel better, and even increase the quality of the little sleep that you do get.

As parents, we’re usually short on time, so the easiest way to get moving more is to sneak light exercise into everyday activities. This could be a walk with your child to somewhere nearby that you would usually drive to, rolling around on the floor with them, or some roughhousing.

For non-parents and parents alike, try to complete some smaller “move more” quests like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking the long way, or dancing in your house when you’re just hanging out or cooking a meal.

Movement really matters. Think of this like a small investment in your day – you pay in a little movement up front, but you’ll start to notice that these tweaks will pay dividends in your energy and mood. It’s amazing how these small movements add up to not only help you get through the day, but in turn help you sleep better and set you up for success the next day. It’s a cycle of awesome!

Steve shared some great tips on “How to Stay Active When You Have a Family” if you’re looking for a more complete guide.

Eat well regularly

“Wait, so a fitness site is telling me to eat better and move more? Interesting.”

Yes, I know you’ve heard it all before, but this isn’t just cliche advice. It’s crucially important, research-backed advice. Eating healthy and moving more isn’t just a physical fitness thing, it’s about keeping your brain working at full capacity and your energy levels up.

Once you become a parent, there will be changes in your lifestyle, daily routine, social values and spending power. This makes the temptation of unhealthy snacks and cheap fast-food that much more appealing: it’s cheap, it’s easy, and it tastes great it’s designed to manipulate your taste buds and hit the perfect bliss point.

But as we all know by now, this is a recipe for a downward spiral of energy, mood, and health. Eating the right amount of calories and the right types of food is the foundation for feeling great every day.

Regular healthy snacks can be important as a parent, especially if you’re throwing off your body’s clock by being awake at all hours of the night. A small hit of fat or protein to the system will really help you work up the motivation to take baby for a walk, wash those bottles, or spend some time on the floor with your little one. Don’t be afraid to keep a jar of almond butter near by!

For more on snacking, check out Steve’s full article here.

Rethink your silly sleep schedule

The sooner you actually think about your sleep and establish a bedtime routine, the better. Your baby will be more relaxed if they know what’s coming next. It’s been shown that with a routine, your kids will be more likely to go to bed easily, fall asleep quicker, and even improve their wakeful state afterwards as well!

But establishing a sleep routine is great for parents (and other adults) too, as it gives you time to wind down, and makes your day a little more predictable. Studies show understanding sleep routines may help in making choices that will lead to better quality sleep. Once you start to fall into a good routine, you’ll be able to know when you can get things done around your little Rebel’s slumber, and maybe even get some extra shuteye yourself.

So, if you don’t have a sleep routine, it’s time to implement one starting now. I suggest working it around when your child naturally sleeps best. Don’t swim upstream if you don’t have to.

A good way of going about this is to track your child’s sleep pattern for at least a week so you can really recognize any patterns. I’ve even compiled the official ‘Nerd Fitness Child Sleep Diary’ (or the Tired Parent Syndrome (TPS) Report) for you to print out and keep record in. Just open the document and go to file –> “Make a copy.”

Start establishing routine by giving your child a bath, bedtime story, feed and a lullaby. Stick to the same time and order each night and your child will be more settled as time goes on.

Once you’ve figured out and established your routine, try to rest around the time your child is resting. I know not everybody has this luxury, but if possible, try to lay down, relax, meditate or even have a power nap during their day sleeps.

Level Up Your Sleep Game

When you become a parent, chances are you’ll be sleeping like a baby for a few years, even if you don’t get a lot of shut eye. (Whoever coined that phrase obviously never had kids.) You’ll likely be waking up really grumpy every few hours and taking a long time to settle back down.

Let’s be realistic here: you’re more than likely not going to get as much sleep as you need, and you’re going to feel tired more often than not. Recognizing this, knowing your limitations, and knowing how to optimize your energy levels is the key to staying on top of your game.

Here are a few bonus tips to ensure you’re getting the best rest you can:

• Follow good sleep hygiene rules – limit media use in the bedroom and have time to wind down. If you don’t get much sleep time anymore, you should make sure the little shuteye you get is good quality.
• Limit your consumption of caffeine and alcohol for the hours leading up to bedtime – they can lead to poor sleep. If you do drink caffeine (most parents need to), use it wisely. See Taylor’s article for ways to go about this.
• Do some stress-busting things like yoga and meditation as often as you can. As mentioned, your child will pick up on and react to your mood, so being calm is always a good thing.
• If you feel the lack of sleep is really taking its toll on yourself or your child, seek professional advice as soon as you can. (My wife and I saw a specialized child sleep psychologist with our second child as he was constantly waking throughout the night, which made a world of difference.)

Your priorities change once you have children. You want what’s best for them and to be the best parent you can be. This means you must be rested, calm and healthy. An investment in you is an investment in them. Looking after yourself is paramount in caring for your child; they deserve nothing less.

So get started. Tonight, have a roll around on the floor with your child. The ironing can wait and the Reddit frontpage will still be full of reposts later on. Start figuring out your routine with our official Tired Parent Syndrome Report (yeah, if you can get those TPS reports done as soon as possible, that would be great). Talk to your partner about your schedules, or set up a time for a loved one to come lend a hand this week so you can get in a power nap or exercise.

To parent best, rest.

I love hearing from other Rebel parents, I’m always willing to try new ideas:

How do you rest?
Is your child a Zubat or a Snorlax?
How do you fit exercise into your busy day?

-Dan

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This soup is a riff on the Greek avgolemono: a delicious concoction of beaten eggs and lemon juice, whisked into broth and cooked just enough to thicken. While I borrowed the egg and lemon motif, I also added spinach used orzo instead of the rice.

This soup has one other curious feature. It really is a pasta and a soup in one — a two’fer.

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I was recently flipping through my copy of Deborah Madison’s beautiful book Vegetable Literacy. Besides those tempting Madison-style recipes that can create new cravings for any vegetable, including those you’ve scarcely ever heard of before, this book includes lovely stories of her vegetable adventures and a bit of backstory on each plant. Beyond the recipes, it’s a great read.

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Have you ever wondered what successful leaders in the work world have in common? What helps them inspire the people they lead and guide their teams toward successful and meaningful professional outcomes?

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If you are working on overhead pressing or jerks, you need flexibility of the thoracic spine and shoulders. Attempting these lifts without full range of movement is asking for injury.

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