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I’m in love with an appliance, and I’m ready to go public as being pro-air fryer. I’m sure you’ve heard of them and you’re almost definitely curious. Maybe you’re even a hater. I kinda was myself. Frying — with air? Is it healthier than deep frying? Healthy-ish? Or an infomercial load of crap?

Well, what you need to know, and may or may not know already, is that an air fryer is a basically a glorified convection oven, shrunken down to countertop size and given a fancy name. Super-hot air circulates, cooks and crisps up your food sans oil in a pretty short amount of time, and you can use it for grilling, baking and roasting, too.

Related: What the Heck Is an Air Fryer and Do I Need One?

I received my Philips Avance XL Digital Air Fryer as a gift, and it’s been a game-changer in my kitchen — er, technically my living room — ever since. (I’ll explain that later.)

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By now, most of us know that omega-3 fatty acids are good for our health, but recent research suggests that high-quality omega-3s can ward off breast cancer. In fact, three servings of omega-3 fatty acids derived from fish each week may be eight times more effective at halting aggressive breast cancer than plant-based alternatives. Both […]

http://chriskresser.com/

I’ve written enough articles on thyroid health to fill an entire e-book: all about low T3 syndrome, five thyroid patterns that won’t show up on standard lab tests, the little-known cause of hypothyroidism, and the gut–thyroid connection.

Thyroid hormone regulates a great deal of metabolism, and virtually every cell in the body has a receptor for thyroid hormone. In a recent podcast, I mentioned poor thyroid function as one of the six underlying causes of high cholesterol. In this article, I’ll discuss exactly how your thyroid impacts lipid metabolism, cholesterol levels, and other risk factors for cardiovascular disease. First, though, a quick review of the major hormones involved.

A quick review of thyroid physiology and lab panels

The thyroid is a small butterfly-shaped gland that sits at the front of the neck. It receives a hormone signal from the pituitary and secretes other hormones into the bloodstream. You might be familiar with these hormones, which are included in a full thyroid panel:

Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH): This hormone is released by the pituitary gland and reflects the body’s need for thyroid hormone. This means that when TSH is high, not enough thyroid hormone is being produced (hypothyroidism). When TSH is low, there is more than enough thyroid hormone in the body (hyperthyroidism).

Do you have heart disease or high cholesterol? You might want to get your thyroid checked

Thyroxine (T4): The thyroid gland releases large amounts of this largely inactive form of thyroid hormone, which must be converted into the more active T3 by deiodinase enzymes. Low amounts of T4 may indicate hypothyroidism; high amounts may indicate hyperthyroidism.

Triiodothyronine (T3): This is the active form of thyroid hormone, secreted in small amounts by the thyroid gland and formed from the conversion of T4 to T3. T3 is the primary thyroid hormone that will act on cells all over the body to regulate metabolism. Low amounts of T3 may indicate hypothyroidism or low T3 syndrome; high amounts indicate hyperthyroidism.

If thyroid medication is given for hypothyroidism, it is usually in the form of T4, T3, or a combination of the two.

The association between thyroid hormone levels and cholesterol

The association between thyroid function and cholesterol has been known for quite some time. As early as 1934, it was recognized that “the concentration of blood cholesterol is usually raised in hypothyroidism, and lowered slightly in hyperthyroidism” (1). Today, a PubMed search for thyroid and cholesterol yields more than 3,000 articles—yet few people, and even few doctors, are aware of how various thyroid conditions can impact cholesterol levels.

Let’s review the four major types and how they impact basic cholesterol measurements:

Hypothyroidism: People with an underactive thyroid, or hypothyroidism, often have increased levels of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (2) and may have elevated triglyceride levels as well (3). Thyroid medication can significantly improve lipid profiles. A study in newly diagnosed hypothyroid patients found that total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels decreased after T4 treatment. Those with higher TSH levels (indicating a greater need for thyroid hormone and a greater degree of hypothyroidism) at baseline saw a more dramatic reduction in cholesterol levels with T4 therapy (4).

Subclinical hypothyroidism: Subclinical hypothyroidism (SH) is characterized by elevated serum TSH with normal levels of free T4 and free T3. SH is far more common than overt hypothyroidism and may affect up to 9 percent of the population (5). Studies are mixed on the effect of SH on lipid profiles, but even within the normal range of values, increasing TSH is associated with an increase in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (6, 7). One systematic review found that T4 substitution therapy on average resulted in an eight mg/dL decrease in total cholesterol and a 10 mg/dL decrease in LDL cholesterol in people with SH (8).

Thyroid autoimmunity: Autoimmunity is a major cause of hypothyroidism. An estimated 90 percent of people with underactive thyroid have autoimmune thyroiditis, also known as Hashimoto’s disease. People with high-normal TSH levels that have positive anti-thyroid antibodies are even more likely to have abnormal cholesterol levels. On the bright side, their cholesterol levels are more likely to respond to thyroid medication (9).

Hyperthyroidism: While not as common, hyperthyroidism is associated with low levels of total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol (10, 11). While this may seem like a good thing, low blood cholesterol has been associated with altered cell membrane function, depression, anxiety, memory loss, and increased mortality (12, 13, 14).

How the thyroid regulates lipid metabolism

Fair warning, this section contains the nitty gritty details of lipid metabolism. If you’re not in the mood for a physiology lesson, you can skip on to the next section!

Thyroid hormones regulate cholesterol synthesis

You may have heard that dietary cholesterol doesn’t have much impact on blood levels of cholesterol. This is because cholesterol is also synthesized by the liver. This process is tightly regulated by several hormones, including thyroid hormones. TSH increases the expression and activity of an enzyme called HMG CoA reductase, which controls the rate of cholesterol synthesis (15). This means that hypothyroidism increases the amount of cholesterol produced in the liver. This cholesterol is then packaged with triglycerides into VLDL particles, which are shipped out to the bloodstream.

Thyroid hormones affect lipoprotein lipase (LPL)

VLDL particles travel through the bloodstream until they reach the small blood vessel beds, where they encounter an enzyme called lipoprotein lipase (LPL). This enzyme breaks down the triglycerides in the VLDL particle into fatty acids, which are taken up by adipose, heart, and muscle cells. T3 stimulates LPL to increase this breakdown of triglyceride-rich VLDL (16). Eventually, the cholesterol content of the lipoprotein becomes higher than the triglyceride content, and these particles become LDL.

Thyroid hormones increase LDL particle uptake

LDL particles circulate around in the blood until they bind to LDL receptors. This binding triggers the capturing of LDL particles into the cell. There, the LDL particles are degraded and the contents used for cell membrane structure or converted to other steroid hormones. Through several mechanisms, T3 increases the expression of LDL receptors (17, 18). This reduces the amount of time that LDL particles spend circulating in the blood and the total number of LDL particles in the blood.

Thyroid hormones affect LDL particle oxidation

Excess LDL particles in the blood can cause some particles to “crash” into the blood vessel wall and be taken into the inner lining of the blood vessel. Once there, the LDL particles can become oxidized, which triggers inflammation and is thought to be the major event initiating the formation of arterial plaque. T3 acts as a free radical scavenger and may protect LDL from oxidation (19). However, high free T4 can also enhance LDL oxidation (20). Thus, both hypo- and hyperthyroidism can lead to LDL oxidation.

The dangers of statins in people with thyroid dysfunction

If you’ve been following my work for a while, you probably know my opinion of statin drugs. Here are just a few of the articles I’ve written on statins:

• The truth about statin drugs
• What the media isn’t telling you about statin drug trials
• The diet–heart myth: statins don’t save lives in people without heart disease

But it turns out that statin use is particularly concerning when the cause of high cholesterol is poor thyroid function. This is due to the effects of statins on creatine kinase levels.

Creatine kinase (CK) is an enzyme expressed in many different tissues throughout the body, though it’s probably most well-known for its action in muscle cells. CK is responsible for adding a phosphate to creatine to form phosphocreatine, which serves as an energy reservoir and allows for the quick release of energy in times of need.

Both statins and hypothyroidism result in CK release into the blood, and the cumulative effect is severe CK elevation (21, 22). This can potentially amplify the adverse side effects of statins. Statins can cause a variety of skeletal muscle problems, including damage and inflammation to the muscle. Based on several case reports, researchers have speculated that the use of lipid-lowering agents in hypothyroid patients may severely increase the risk of myopathy and rhabdomyolysis (23, 24).

Yet, in reviewing the relevant medical records of 77 patients treated receiving statins in a hospital, a team of medical researchers discovered that only 23 percent of patients had received a thyroid panel before beginning statin treatment. Worse yet, 12 percent of patients with overt hypothyroidism received statins without receiving a thyroid panel or hypothyroid diagnosis (21).

The authors commented on their findings, emphasizing the need for routine thyroid screening in patients with lipid abnormalities:

“We must not begin and continue to use these drugs without checking the possibility of hypothyroidism.” (21).

Statin drug information in Japan and the UK now includes warnings that emphasize the need for careful use in patients with hypothyroidism. The same cannot be said for the United States or in other countries. Thus, it’s very important to exclude other diseases that cause high cholesterol, such as hypothyroidism, diabetes, and kidney dysfunction, before even considering taking a statin.

Better markers of cardiovascular risk

Wait, but I thought cholesterol tests were out—aren’t lipoprotein particle numbers what we really care about?

Yep. I’ve discussed in several articles and on my podcast why lipoprotein particle numbers are much better predictors of cardiovascular risk than cholesterol levels. However, there are few studies that have assessed the effects of thyroid hormones on lipoprotein particle number, compared to the number of studies that have assessed standard cholesterol measurements. Still, we see similar effects:

• LDL particle number (LDL-P): SH has been associated with higher levels of ApoB-100, a surrogate marker for LDL particle number. T4 treatment significantly reduced ApoB-100 levels (25).
• Oxidized LDL: Decreased thyroid function increases the number of LDL particles and promotes LDL “oxidizability” (26).

Thyroid health also impacts other cardiovascular risk factors:

• Blood pressure: Underactive thyroid is strongly associated with hypertension. This is due to both sympathetic and adrenal activation (27). One study of 30 patients with both hypothyroidism and hypertension found that hypertension was reversed in 50 percent of patients after thyroid medication therapy (28).
• C-reactive protein (CRP): CRP, a marker of inflammation, has been shown to be negatively correlated with levels of free T4 (29). Patients with SH have also been found to have increased CRP (30).
• Lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)): Lp(a) is a measure of how many lipoprotein particles are carrying apolipoprotein A1. Apolipoprotein A1 has a high affinity for oxidized lipids and is thought to be largely based on genetics. Patients with overt hypothyroidism and SH have increased Lp(a) (31, 32). Some studies of SH patients suggest that thyroid medication can reduce Lp(a) (33), but others found no significant change (34).
• Phospholipase A₂ (Lp-PLA₂): This is an enzyme that travels largely with LDL particles, is highly pro-inflammatory, and is involved in the development of atherosclerosis (35). SH subjects have been shown to have higher Lp-PLA₂ (36).
• Homocysteine: Hypothyroidism is associated with increased plasma homocysteine levels (37)
• Insulin resistance and BMI: Insulin resistance and a high BMI are both positively correlated with low thyroid function (38, 39).

Conclusion

I hope I have convinced you that thyroid function plays a major role in lipid metabolism. I can’t tell you the number of patients I have seen in my clinic with lipid abnormalities that had undiagnosed thyroid conditions. Restoring thyroid health by correcting nutrient deficiencies, rebalancing the immune system, and making simple diet and lifestyle changes can often make a major difference in cholesterol levels and cardiovascular risk markers. In some cases, thyroid support in the form of medication may also be helpful and is much less harmful than statins.

Now I’d like to hear from you. Do you have cardiovascular risk factors? When was the last time you had a full thyroid panel? Did you know about the thyroid–cholesterol connection? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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Welcome to Kitchn’s Food Budget Diaries series, where we show you how people around the country spend money on what they eat and drink. Each post will follow one person for one week and will chronicle everything that person consumed and how much it costs them.

Name: Rachael
Location: Tucson, Arizona
Age: 31
Number of people in family: 1
Occupation: Librarian
Household income: $39,000 a year
Weekly food budget: $80 (This includes my CSA subscription, even though I pay $132 for it in advance for every 6 weeks. I include it in my budget as $22 per week though, to help keep my spending on track.)

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Valentine’s Day was one of my favorite holidays as a kid. My mom went all out for the day. She would put pink and red balloons all over our home in Minneapolis, and there were always crafts and gifts waiting for us at the breakfast table. The piece de resistance, however, was always the cards we would make from my classmates.

Every year until about 7th grade, we would spend about three days making cards for about 90 other kids (I have two brothers, so 30 kids per class.) We would cut out cardboard hearts, and my mom would attach ruffles to the sides before went to town and decorated each heart with sparkly glue and stickers. I always made sure to spend extra time on my best friends’ cards and the boys I not-so-secretly had crushes on.

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When you write a book about bean-to-bar chocolate and go on tour to talk about it, everyone assumes you’re one of those Snooty Chocolate Society Members Only-type people who slowly nibble a sole square of dark chocolate after dinner. Inevitably before each event, some poor dessert-deprived soul would come up to me and whisper, “I like milk chocolate.”

The truth is that I gobble up all types of chocolate — including milk chocolate. The truth is that my favorite type of chocolate is milk chocolate (a kind called dark milk that combines the best of both worlds). The truth is that they shouldn’t whisper; they should shout, “I love milk chocolate!”

Because milk chocolate isn’t just for uninformed children — it’s for adults with refined palates too. That’s why I’m on a crusade to make milk chocolate great again, starting with these 10 delicious treats for grown-ups.

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Today’s guest post is offered up by Sadie Radinsky, whom I had the pleasure of chatting with on a recent episode of her podcast, Jump For Joy. I think you’re going to love her story and be inspired by her success—in reclaiming her health and in following her passion. And the recipes she’s serving up? Grok never had it so good. Just in time for Valentine’s Day. Enjoy, everyone! And be sure to check out the giveaway at the end.

Hi, Mark’s Daily Apple! I’m Sadie, a 16-year-old food blogger, Paleo dessert chef and writer. I am so excited to share my health journey with you today, as well as two scrumptious Valentine’s Day treat recipes.

A little background about me: I grew up a vegetarian, with a diet that consisted mainly of whole grain products, beans, veggies, fruit, and the occasional fish. All of this would soon change because at the age of nine, I had to miss six months of school due to health issues. Every day I would wake up with intense stomach pain, fatigue and nausea. Most days it was hard to get out of bed. Pretty fun, right?

My parents knew something was wrong, but they just didn’t know what. My mom took me to countless Eastern and Western doctors, and still… no diagnosis. One day, she had the brilliant idea that I should go gluten-free for a little while and see how it made me feel.

Two months later, I was completely healed.

Food has an immense power on our bodies. As a nine-year-old, it was empowering to see how changing my diet made me a healthy and happy person, free from pain. Oh, but the change did not stop there!

When my family stayed at a farm in Vermont that summer, I tried beef for my first time. This was beef from cattle who had spent their days munching on green grass pastures at the farm. It was then my family realized we could eat meat while still upholding our belief that animals should be raised humanely, in good conditions. Plus, our meal options were rapidly decreasing as gluten-free vegetarians, and my mom needed some darn food to put on the dinner table!

However, there was still a problem: I loved baked goods, but all the gluten-free treats in stores were overly processed and dry. So, I decided to take matters into my own hands! I began making gluten-free dessert recipes that I found online. I soon stumbled upon a Paleo recipe for Sugar Cookies, and I was enthralled; the cookies used nutrient-dense ingredients like coconut and almond. I realized this Paleo diet was the same thing my dad had been so excited about recently! Eventually, I began concocting my own recipes. This led to the creation of my Paleo dessert blog, Goodies Against The Grain, when I was twelve.

Soon, it was not only treats. My family began eating almost completely Paleo, save for some occasional grass-fed butter and cheese. We all felt amazing! Any bellyaches I used to get from rice and corn went completely away.

Now I am an avid runner and yogi with loads of energy and not a stomach ache in sight! Going Paleo truly changed my life.

Along with creating Paleo treats for my blog, I have written articles about teen empowerment and food for Justine, Shape, and Paleo Magazine. I am now writing a healthy lifestyle cookbook for teens (coming soon!). You can also listen to my podcast, Jump For Joy, and the episode I recorded with Mark here. Make sure to follow @goodiesagainstthegrain for more healthy recipes and lifestyle tips!

Oh, one last thing: always remember to treat yourself (literally). I believe you should never deprive yourself of fun desserts just because you’re on a gluten-free, Paleo or Keto diet. That’s why I’ve created some DELICIOUS, chocolaty, healthy recipes for you today! Let’s get into those now…

Red Velvet Raspberry Fudge Bombs

They’re rich, fudgy, raspberry-y and just about the best thing ever. They have a few secret ingredients that you’d be surprised of: avocado and Chocolate Collagen Fuel. Yup, that’s right! These truffles get their smooth texture from avocados, and an extra boost of protein from the collagen. So basically, by eating these treats, you’re making yourself a healthier person! The white chocolate drizzle is totally optional, but I think it adds a romantic flare and amazing flavor.

Makes 12

Ingredients

Fudge:

• ¾ cup avocado meat (approx. 1½ avocados)
• 1 cup raw cashews
• 3 scoops Chocolate Collagen Fuel (or other favorite protein powder)
• 1 Tablespoon melted coconut oil
• 2 Tablespoons cacao powder
• 3½ Tablespoons freeze-dried raspberry powder (see below)*
• 3 teaspoons granulated monk fruit sweetener**

Coating:

• 5 Tablespoons freeze-dried raspberry powder*

Drizzle (optional):

• ¼ cup finely chopped raw cacao butter
• 3 Tablespoons full-fat coconut milk
• 1 Tablespoons coconut oil
• ½ teaspoon granulated monk fruit sweetener**

Directions

1. Using a food processor or high-speed blender, pulse the cashews and coconut oil until smooth. Blend in all the other fudge ingredients until creamy.
2. Scoop mixture into a bowl and freeze for 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, for some extra flare, make the drizzle: melt the drizzle ingredients together in a small saucepan over low heat until they’re all combined and smooth. Remove from heat and let cool for at least 10 minutes.
4. Scoop the chilled fudge dough into 12 balls. Roll in the raspberry powder coating and place on a plate. Drizzle the white chocolate coating on top, then serve.
5. Store leftover fudge bombs in the freezer and defrost for 5 minutes before eating.

Notes:
*To make raspberry powder, smash the contents of two small bags of freeze-dried raspberries using a mortar + pestle or spice grinder. I used two 1.2 oz bags of freeze-dried raspberries from Trader Joe’s. Then, push the powder through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds. Now, measure the powder for the recipe.
**You could also sub maple sugar here, but I cannot guarantee results will be the exact same.

Mini Chocolate Bundt Cakes

Don’t you wish you could enjoy a special Valentine’s day bundt cake while still sticking to your Keto or Paleo diet? Oh, wait… you can! These legit cakes are sweetened with monk fruit, so they don’t have any sugar. Plus, they use avocado oil as a fat, so you’re simultaneously eating chocolate cake while boosting every cell is your body. Pretty rad, if may say so myself! The texture is exactly that of a traditional chocolate cake, so I’m sure you will adore it.

Yields 6 mini bundt cakes (which are quite larger than a normal cupcake).

Ingredients

Wet:

• 1/3 cup dark chocolate, chopped
• 4 large eggs
• 1/3 cup + 2 Tablespoons almond milk
• ¼ cup + 1 Tablespoon avocado oil (or sub melted butter), plus more for greasing
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Dry:

• 1½ cups blanched almond flour
• 3 Tablespoons tapioca starch
• 2 Tablespoons coconut flour
• 6 Tablespoons granulated monk fruit sweetener**
• ¼ cup cacao powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350° F. Use avocado oil to grease a mini bundt pan (mine had 6 wells) or a muffin tin.
2. Using a double boiler or a small saucepan on low heat, melt the chocolate, then let it cool for 10 minutes.
3. In a stand mixer or using handheld mixer, whisk together the eggs until frothy. Add in the other wet ingredients and mix until smooth.
4. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Slowly, whisk the dry into the wet and stir until smooth.
5. Pour the batter evenly into the bundt pan wells. Bake for 20 minutes. Then, let them cool for 30 minutes before flipping the pan over to remove the cakes.

Note: **You could probably substitute coconut sugar here for a non-Keto version, but I haven’t tested it yet.

Now for the Giveaway…

Follow @goodiesagainstthegrain and @marksdailyapple on Instagram. Then comment on my Instagram post with Sadie to share your favorite paleofied treat for a chance to win my entire line of PRIMAL KITCHEN® collagen protein products (U.S. and Canada only). For additional entries, tag friends on Instagram. The winner will be announced February 19th at 10 a.m. PST. Good luck!

The post Goodies Against the Grain: Sadie’s Story (and 2 Amazing Recipes) + IG Giveaway appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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“Maybe a Primal lens (at least in the anthropological sense) doesn’t make for the most sentimental post about romantic love. But there’s plenty of authentic awe, and maybe some thought-provoking sense, to be had….

[It]’s more than the emotional narcotic that makes us forget about everything else (in a wonderful and sometimes disorienting way). It’s more than the affirmation of conforming to social norms or the sensible sharing of household duties. Rudimentary desire and dispassionate reason might bring people together, but seldom do either (or both together) offer enough to make a long-term partnership enjoyable. Those might seem to be the ultimate primal motivations, and they certainly had their part, but I’m guessing there was more to Grok’s humanity than those.

As the neuroscience suggests, romantic relationships aren’t just about immediate gratification, but about the construction of memory. Our chosen mates become hormonally and cognitively imprinted in us in ways few other kinds of relationships do. It’s why we can recall the small details of our partners from early courtship (even those we haven’t seen in decades). It’s why when we lose the one we’ve loved our entire lifetime, the most mundane reminders of their presence and routines (e.g. finding their glasses years later in the back of nightstand or catching the scent of their cologne) can send us into simultaneous euphoria and grief.

This is the dimension that Primal logic may not fully explain but human experience teaches. It’s why there’s no manual you can study that comes close to encompassing a life fully lived and how—no matter the cleverness of holiday marketing—the most romantic stories are those you’ll never find in a store.”

Thanks for stopping by today, everybody. Share your own thoughts below, and for more on this topic, read the rest of the past post here.

The post Primal Reflection Point: Marketing Versus Meaning In Human Love appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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I have a hard-and-fast rule that you should not eat out if you can make the dish better at home — especially on Valentine’s Day. This recipe for flank steak with a flavorful chimichurri sauce looks like it falls under that category. It’s just what the love doctor ordered!

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Tuesdays can easily become the best day of the week when there are tacos involved. And dinner is always easier when you know it’s something the whole crew looks forward to. Beyond the signature dish itself, though, it’s nice to have a side dish or two to round out the meal. We rounded up a few of our favorite slaws, salads, and rice dishes that pair perfectly with any and all tacos (and margaritas, too).

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