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Hearty salads have the best of all worlds: ample protein, copious vegetables, and big flavor. And when they’re seasonally inspired? All the better…

We’re loving this earthy autumn dish right now. Seared steak, fall vegetables and tangy mustard vinaigrette—together they make the perfect salad supper.

Servings: 3

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 90 minutes

Ingredients:

Salad:

• 3 cups cubed Butternut Squash
• 1 large Delicata Squash, seeds removed and sliced into rings (about 1.5-2 cups)
• 1 head Cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 lb. Brussels Sprouts, halved
• 1 Tbsp. chopped Fresh Rosemary
• 4 cloves Garlic, grated
• 3 cups chopped Lacinato Kale
• 1/4 cup Primal Kitchen® Avocado Oil or Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 medium Apple, quartered and thinly sliced

Steak:

• 1 lb. Tri-Tip Steak (but feel free to use another cut like sirloin, skirt, etc.)
• 1 Tbsp. Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil
• 1/2 Tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar
• 2 cloves Garlic, grated
• Salt and Pepper

Dressing:

• 3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 2.5 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1-1.5 tsp. Primal Kitchen Spicy Dijon Mustard
• 1 clove Garlic, grated
• 1 tsp. Honey (optional)
• Salt and Pepper

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Toss the butternut and delicata squash with 1.5 tablespoons of avocado oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Lay the squash pieces on a parchment covered sheet pan in a single layer. Roast for 20 minutes, flip the squash over and roast for an additional 20 minutes, or until the squash is nicely roasted.

Toss the brussels sprouts and cauliflower florets in 1.5 tablespoons of oil, rosemary, garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Lay the brussels sprouts cut side down on a parchment covered sheet pan. Roast for 20 minutes, or until the underside of the Brussels sprouts are golden, then flip over and roast for an additional 10 minutes or until tender.

Massage the chopped kale in the last tablespoon of oil and a pinch of salt and arrange on a sheet pan. Roast for around 10-15 minutes.

Lay the cauliflower on another sheet pan and roast for 20 minutes. Give the florets a shake or flip and continue roasting until browned and tender.

Place a seasoned cast iron pan in the oven to preheat for 15-20 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the avocado oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss the steak in the mixture and allow it to marinate for about 10 minutes.

Once the pan is very hot, place it over a burner on medium heat. Add the steak and sear it for 1-2 minutes on each side. Transfer the pan to the oven and continue cooking until it reaches your desired internal temperature (125 degrees for rare, 135 degrees for medium-rare, 145 degrees for medium). Remove the steak from the pan and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

To make the dressing, whisk all of the dressing ingredients together and add salt and pepper to taste.

Combine all of the roasted vegetables together in a large bowl. Top with the sliced steak and apple slices and drizzle on the dressing.

Nutrition Information per serving (¼ of recipe):

• Calories: 618
• Total Carbs: 48 grams
• Net Carbs: 35 grams
• Fat: 35 grams
• Protein: 35 grams

The post Harvest Steak Salad appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss

A key benefit of the seated cable cuff tricep extension exercise is the stability it provides. Because you have a bench for support, you can keep your shoulder blades locked down. This helps prevent your shoulders from shifting and means you can focus purely on directing tension through the triceps.

Using a cable has the advantage of providing a fairly constant tension throughout the rep meaning it challenges the entire range of motion well.

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Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss

No matter what activities you enjoy doing outside of the gym, there are weight training exercises you can do to boost your potential. Golf? Google your favorite golfer’s name and there’s a good chance you can find a sample of their favorite gym workout. Skiing? Follow Lindsey Vonn’s Instagram page for some serious fitspiration—holy cow can that girl work! Think that the only way to improve your running is by running more? False! Add some weight training to your routine and feel the miles start to become faster and easier.

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It’s hard to enjoy life when your digestive system is in distress. Not knowing when you might be constipated or when you might have an uncomfortable explosion can leave you avoiding social situations and experiencing a reduced quality of life. For this reason, and for your overall health, it is important to ensure your stools […]

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Positive psychology plays an important role in how health coaches work with their clients. Find out how to use positive psychology to support your clients.

The post Positive Psychology: How to Use It in Health Coaching appeared first on Chris Kresser.

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Research of the Week

In an Iranian study, fast food—but not sugary beverages and salty snacks—is strongly associated with liver enzyme elevation.

Neanderthals used tar to bind arrow heads to shafts.

Overweight people tend to accumulate fat in their lungs as well, raising asthma risk.

Pro footballers (soccer players) have an elevated risk of neurodegenerative disease.

New Primal Blueprint Podcasts

Episode 383: Janie A. Bowthorpe: Host Elle Russ chats with thyroid patient advocate and author Janie A. Bowthorpe M.Ed.

Episode 384: 10 Awesome New Fitness Trends: Host Brad Kearns takes you through 10 exciting new fitness trends.

Primal Health Coach Radio, Episode 31: Laura and Erin chat with Carmen Hunter, who specializes in helping clients break through their comfort zones.

Each week, select Mark’s Daily Apple blog posts are prepared as Primal Blueprint Podcasts. Need to catch up on reading, but don’t have the time? Prefer to listen to articles while on the go? Check out the new blog post podcasts below, and subscribe to the Primal Blueprint Podcast here so you never miss an episode.

Media, Schmedia

Grandma does CrossFit.

Could a 5-hour workday work?

Sociologist goes back to school to learn genetics to disprove “nature over nurture,” ends up confirming it.

Interesting Blog Posts

It’s a shame that we even need things like “adult recess.”

Physicians are burnt out.

Social Notes

You’ll never guess what happened to diabetes incidence after Mauritius swapped out palm oil for soybean oil.

Is Oslo planning on banning meat in school lunches—even those brought from home?

Tis the season.

Everything Else

Kellogg’s will no longer market sugary cereals as “healthy.”

Review of “Game Changers.”

Why there’s no “one size fits all” diet.

Things I’m Up to and Interested In

As I’ve always said: Whole food sources of omega-6 fats are different from seed oils.

Article I found interesting: Should we ban headers?

I certainly hope it works (without side effects): New and improved CRISPR.

I dig it: Why Trevor Hofbauer races using his intuition rather than a watch.

We knew this long ago: Potatoes are as good as energy gels.

Question I’m Asking

What has been the biggest negative change to hit humans in the last 100-150 years? What has been the biggest positive change?

Recipe Corner

• You can make tsukune.
• Winter squash is here, so make a salad with it.

Time Capsule

One year ago (Oct 19 – Oct 25)

• Mid-60s Check-in: 5 Ways My Workout Has Changed – What I’ve been doing.
• Oxidative Priority: Dietary Fuels to the Body – What comes first?

Comment of the Week

“‘Do you think technology will ever figure out human biology and vault us into sci-fi territory?’

Nope.”

– Succinctly said, Darren.

The post Weekly Link Love — Episode 52 appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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I remember my college days like a blur. With a stacked class schedule, heavy participation in athletics, and student life, there was precious little time to think about what to eat. It was grab this, grab that, and move on to the next class. There was one particular non-food that was a staple in my […]

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Spend 90-minutes in the kitchen on a Sunday and you’ll be thanking yourself all week long. This low-carb, keto-friendly meal prep stocks your refrigerator with five ready-to-eat meals.

Combining home-cooked ingredients (like pot roast) with convenient store-bought ingredients (like rotisserie chicken) keeps the prep work manageable. Herbs, spices, sauces, and keto-friendly condiments keep the flavors fresh and new each night.

Menu (each meal serves 4):

Meal 1: Pot Roast with Roasted Asparagus and Honey Mustard Slaw

Meal 2: Chicken Coconut Curry over Cauliflower Rice

Meal 3: Beef Carnitas with Spicy Jalapeno Slaw and Guacamole

Meal 4: Asparagus and Mushroom Scramble with Arugula Salad

Meal 5: Chicken Noodle Soup

What You’ll Need…

Shopping List:

• 4 pounds/1.8 kilograms beef chuck roast
• 1 rotisserie chicken
• Eggs (half dozen)
• 1 package/7 ounces/200 grams shirataki angel hair noodles
• 2 onions
• 1 head garlic
• 2 pounds/1 kilogram asparagus
• 4 medium zucchini
• 8 ounces/226 grams sliced mushrooms
• 1 12- to 16-ounce/453-gram bag frozen cauliflower rice
• 1 package shredded red or green cabbage (coleslaw)
• 1 6-ounce/170-gram bag arugula
• 2 limes
• 2 avocados
• 1 jalapeno
• Cilantro
• Basil
• Thyme
• 3 cups (24 fluid ounces) beef stock
• 8 cups (64 fluid ounces) chicken stock
• 1 can coconut milk (13.5 fluid ounces/400 ml)
• 1 bay leaf
• Curry powder (1 tablespoon/15 milliliters)
• Cumin (1 teaspoon/5 milliliters)
• Chili powder (1 teaspoon/5 milliliters)
• Salt and pepper
• Primal Kitchen® Avocado Oil and/or extra virgin olive oil
• Coconut oil
• Soy sauce or tamari or coconut aminos (2 tablespoons/30 milliliters)
• Red wine vinegar (1 tablespoon/15 milliliters)
• Slivered almonds (1 cup/300 grams)
• Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (1 cup/90 grams grated)
• Primal Kitchen Honey Mustard Vinaigrette (or your favorite homemade vinaigrette)

Tools:

• Instant Pot
• 3 half-size rimmed sheet pans (13”x18”)
• Parchment paper or foil (for easier cleanup)

Here’s the Plan…

Prep and Cook the Meat:

First, get the pot roast going because it takes the longest amount of time to cook. Season the beef by rubbing 1 heaping teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper into the roast.

Roughly chop two onions. Use one chopped onion for the pot roast and set the other aside for later.

Peel 6 cloves garlic and smash them with your palm.

Turn the Instant Pot sauté setting to high. Drizzle a tablespoon or two of avocado oil into the pot. Put the roast in the Instant Pot and sprinkle one chopped onion around it.

Sear the meat, turning as needed, until all sides are nicely browned (about 2 minutes per side). Mix the onions occasionally, so they become soft and nicely browned.

Add the garlic cloves, 3 cups beef stock, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, a few sprigs of thyme and one bay leaf.

Put the lid on the Instant Pot and set the pressure release valve to “sealing.” Use the manual setting to cook on high pressure for 50 minutes. When 50 minutes is up, let the pressure release naturally.

When the pot roast is done, remove it from the Instant Pot and let the meat cool on a cutting board. Shred the meat and store in two separate food storage containers for two separate meals.

While the pot roast is cooking, get to work on the other ingredients.

Prep and Cook the Sheet Pan Veggies:

Heat oven to 425ºF/218ºC.

Cover three sheet pans with parchment paper (optional, for easier cleanup).

Sheet Pan #1: Trim the bottom off the asparagus stalks. Lay the asparagus out on a sheet pan. Lightly coat the asparagus with oil and salt.

Sheet Pan #2: Slice the zucchini into ½-inch rounds. Combine on a sheet pan with the chopped onion that was set aside earlier. Lightly coat zucchini and onion with oil and salt.

Sheet Pan #3: Spread the sliced mushrooms out on a sheet pan. Lightly coat mushrooms with oil and salt.

Put all three of the sheet pans in the oven. Roast for 20 to 35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender and lightly browned.

While the veggies are roasting, make the coconut curry sauce.

Make the Curry Sauce:

To make the coconut curry sauce, heat a few tablespoons coconut oil in a pot over medium heat. Add 3 finely chopped garlic cloves. Add 1 tablespoon curry powder and sauté 30 seconds. Add 1 can coconut milk and 2 tablespoons soy sauce (or tamari or coconut aminos). Bring to a boil then turn the heat down slightly and simmer 15 to 20 minutes.

While the curry sauce is simmering, slice the white meat from the rotisserie chicken and chop into small pieces. Add to the coconut curry sauce.

Organize the Ingredients For the Week:

Pull all of the dark meat from the rotisserie chicken. Put the dark meat in a zip-top freezer bag.

When the veggies are done, let them cool. Store the asparagus and mushrooms in separate food storages container and refrigerate.

Add half of the zucchini and onion to the coconut curry sauce. Store the coconut curry sauce (with chicken, zucchini and onion) in a food storage container (or just keep it in the pot!) and put it in the refrigerator.

Add the other half of the zucchini and onion to the freezer bag with the dark chicken meat. Make sure to push out all the air when sealing the plastic bag. Put the bag in the freezer.

Serve Your Meals:

Meal #1: Pot Roast with Roasted Asparagus and Honey Mustard Slaw

Serve half of the pot roast with half of the roasted asparagus. Toss half of the shredded cabbage with a few handfuls of arugula. Dress the slaw with Primal Kitchen Honey Mustard Vinaigrette, or your favorite homemade salad dressing. Sprinkle slivered almonds over the asparagus and slaw.

Meal #2: Chicken Coconut Curry over Cauliflower Rice

Reheat the chicken coconut curry over medium heat. Heat the frozen cauliflower rice either in the microwave or in a sauté pan. Serve the curry over the cauliflower rice and garnish with fresh basil.

Meal #3: Beef Carnitas with Spicy Jalapeño Slaw and Guacamole

Reheat the remaining pot roast by adding the shredded meat to a hot skillet with a thin layer of oil. Cook until the meat is hot and a little bit crispy. As the meat cooks, season it with 1 teaspoon of cumin and chili powder. Mash 2 avocados with lime juice and salt to make guacamole. Add a sliced jalapeño to the remaining sliced cabbage, tossed with lime juice and fresh cilantro.

Meal #4: Asparagus and Mushroom Scramble with Arugula Salad

Chop the leftover asparagus into ½-inch pieces. Sauté asparagus and mushrooms in a skillet with a little bit of oil to reheat. Whisk 6 eggs and add to the pan, stirring to combine with the veggies. Serve the scramble with a side salad made from the remaining arugula and your favorite salad dressing. Grate Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese over the scramble and salad.

Meal #5: Chicken Noodle Soup

Put the frozen dark chicken meat and zucchini in the refrigerator in the morning to defrost. At dinnertime, heat 8 cups chicken broth. Add the chicken and zucchini with rinsed shirataki noodles and simmer until warm.

Thanks for reading today. What cooking tips or meal prep ideas are you looking for? Share what you’d like to see us cover in future recipe and cooking articles in the comment board below.

The post 90-Minute Low-Carb, Keto Meal Prep appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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Older people (and those headed in that direction, which is everyone else) are really sold a bill of goods when it comes to health and longevity advice. I’m not a young man anymore, and for decades I’ve been hearing all sorts of input about aging that’s proving to be not just misguided, but downright incorrect. Blatant myths about healthy longevity continue to circulate and misinform millions. Older adults at this very moment are enacting routines detrimental to living long that they think are achieving the opposite. A major impetus for creating the Primal Blueprint was to counter these longevity myths. That mission has never felt more personal.

So today, I’m going to explore and refute a few of these top myths, some of which contain kernels of truth that have been overblown and exaggerated. I’ll explain why.

1) “Don’t Lift Heavy: You’ll Throw Out Your Back”

Obviously, a frail grandfather pushing 100 shouldn’t do Starting Strength right off the bat (or maybe ever, depending on how frail he is). That’s not my contention here. My contention:

Lifting as heavy as you can as safely as you can is essential for healthy longevity. That’s why I put it first in the list today. It’s that important.

For one, lean muscle mass is one of the strongest predictors of resistance to mortality. The more muscle a person has (and the stronger they are), the longer they’ll live—all else being equal. That’s true in both men and women.

One reason is that the stronger you are, the more capable you are. You’re better at taking care of yourself, standing up from chairs, ascending stairs, and maintaining basic functionality as you age.

Another reason is that increased lean mass means greater tissue reserve—you have more organ and muscle to lose as you age, so that when aging-related muscle loss sets in, you have longer to go before it gets serious. And that’s not even a guarantee that you’ll lose any. As long as you’re still lifting heavy things, you probably won’t lose much muscle, if any. Remember: the average old person studied in these papers isn’t doing any kind of strength training at all.

It doesn’t have to be barbells and Olympic lifts and CrossFit. It can be machines (see Body By Science, for example) and bodyweight and hikes. What matters is that you lift intensely (and intense is relative) and safely, with good technique and control.

2) “Avoid Animal Protein To Lower IGF-1”

Animal protein has all sorts of evil stuff, they say.

Methionine—linked to reduced longevity in animal models.

Increased IGF-1—a growth promoter that might promote unwanted growth, like cancer.

Yet, a huge study showed that in older people, those 65 or older, increased animal protein intake actually protected against mortality. The older they were and the more protein they ate, the longer they lived.

Meanwhile, low-protein diets have been shown to have all sorts of effects that spell danger for older people hoping to live long and live well:

• Slow the metabolism, increase insulin resistance, and cause body fat gain.
• Impair the immune system and make infections more severe.
• Reduce muscle function, cellular mass (yes, the actual mass of the cell itself), and immune response in elderly women.
• Impair nitrogen balance in athletes.
• Increase the risk of osteoporosis.
• Increase the risk of sarcopenia (muscle wasting).

And about that “excess methionine” and “increased IGF-1”?

You can easily (and should) balance your methionine intake with glycine from collagen, gelatin, or bone broth. In animals, doing so protects against early mortality.

In both human and animal studies, there’s a U-shaped relationship between IGF-1 levels and lifespan. Animal studies show an inverse relationship between IGF-1 and diabetes, heart disease, and heart disease deaths (higher IGF-1, less diabetes/heart disease) and a positive association between IGF-1 and cancer (higher IGF-1, more cancer). A recent review of the animal and human evidence found that while a couple human studies show an inverse relationship between IGF-1 and longevity, several more show a positive relationship—higher IGF-1, longer lifespan—and the majority show no clear relationship at all.

3) “You’re Never Getting Back That Cartilage—Once It’s Gone, It’s Gone”

Almost every doctor says this. It’s become an axiom in the world of orthopedics.

But then we see this study showing that people have the same microRNAs that control tissue and limb regeneration in lizards and amphibians. They’re most strongly expressed in the ankle joints, less so in the knees, and even less so at the hip—but they’re there, and they’re active.

I’ve seen some impressive things, have been able to personally verify some stunning “anecdotes” from friends and colleagues who were able to regrow cartilage or at least regain all their joint function after major damage to it. Most doctors and studies never capture these people. If you look at the average older person showing up with worn-down joints and degraded or damaged cartilage, how active are they? What’s their diet?

They are mostly inactive. They are often obese or overweight.

They generally aren’t making bone broth and drinking collagen powder. They aren’t avoiding grains and exposing their nether regions to daily sun. They aren’t doing 200 knee circles a day, performing single leg deadlifts, and hiking up mountains. These are the things that, if anything can, will retain and regrow cartilage. Activity. Letting your body know that you still have need of your ankles, knees, and hips. That you’re still an engaged, active human interacting with the physical world.

4) “Retire Early”

This isn’t always bad advice, but retiring and then ceasing all engagement with the outside world will reduce longevity, not increase it. Having a life purpose is essential for living long and living well; not having one is actually an established risk factor for early mortality. And at least when you’re getting up in the morning to go to work, you have a built-in purpose. That purpose may not fulfill your heart and spirit, but it’s a purpose just the same: a reason to get up and keep moving.

Retiring can work. Don’t get me wrong. But the people who retire early and make it work for their health and longevity are staying active. They’re pursuing side projects or even big visions. They have hobbies, friends, and loved ones who they hang out with all the time.

The ones who don’t? Well, they are at at increased risk of dying early.

You don’t have to keep working a job you hate, or even a job you enjoy. You can retire. Just maintain your mission.

5) “Take It Easy As You Get Older”

As older people, we’re told that sex might be “too strenuous for the heart” (Truth: It’s good for it). We’re told to “take the elevator to save our knees.” They tell us “Oh, don’t get up, I’ll get it for you.”

They don’t tell me that because, well, I’m already up and doing the thing. I’m active and obviously so. I don’t take it easy.

Stay vigorous, friends. Stay vivacious. Don’t be foolhardy, mind you. Be engaged.

“Take it easy” quickly becomes “sit in the easy chair all day long watching the news.” Don’t let it happen.

That’s not to say you shouldn’t rest. Rest is everything. Sleep is important. But you must earn your rest, and when you have the energy, take advantage of it. Don’t rest on your laurels.

As you can see, there are tiny kernels of truth in many of these myths. We should all be careful lifting heavy things and pay close attention to technique and form. Everyone should care for their cartilage and avoid damage to it. No one should continue working a job that sucks their soul and depletes their will to live if they can move on from it. And so on.

What we all need to avoid is sending the message to our brain, body, and cells that we’re done. That we’ve given up and our active, engaged life is effectively over. Because when that happens, it truly is over.

Someone asked me when aging begins. How old is “old”?

I think I know now. Aging begins when you start listening to conventional longevity advice. As I said on Twitter earlier today, healthy aging begins when you do the opposite.

Want more on building a life that will allow you to live well into later decades? I definitely have more on that coming up. A perceptive reader shared the news in one of the Facebook groups already, so let me mention it here. My new book, Keto For Life: Reset Your Biological Clock In 21 Days and Optimize Your Diet For Longevity, is coming out December 31, 2019. I’ll have more info, including a special bonus package for those who preorder, in just a few weeks. In the meantime, you can read more about it here on our publisher’s page.

That’s it for today, friends. Chime in down below about longevity or any other health topics you’re thinking about these days. What are the most egregious aging myths you’ve heard? What do you do instead? Take care.

References:

Karlsen T, Nauman J, Dalen H, Langhammer A, Wisløff U. The Combined Association of Skeletal Muscle Strength and Physical Activity on Mortality in Older Women: The HUNT2 Study. Mayo Clin Proc. 2017;92(5):710-718.

Malta A, De oliveira JC, Ribeiro TA, et al. Low-protein diet in adult male rats has long-term effects on metabolism. J Endocrinol. 2014;221(2):285-95.

Carrillo E, Jimenez MA, Sanchez C, et al. Protein malnutrition impairs the immune response and influences the severity of infection in a hamster model of chronic visceral leishmaniasis. PLoS ONE. 2014;9(2):e89412.

Castaneda C, Charnley JM, Evans WJ, Crim MC. Elderly women accommodate to a low-protein diet with losses of body cell mass, muscle function, and immune response. Am J Clin Nutr. 1995;62(1):30-9.

Gaine PC, Pikosky MA, Martin WF, Bolster DR, Maresh CM, Rodriguez NR. Level of dietary protein impacts whole body protein turnover in trained males at rest. Metab Clin Exp. 2006;55(4):501-7.

Wu C, Odden MC, Fisher GG, Stawski RS. Association of retirement age with mortality: a population-based longitudinal study among older adults in the USA. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2016;70(9):917-23.

The post 5 Biggest Longevity Myths appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss

Sciatica is the name given to a painful condition that originates in the lower back and triggers a “shooting” pain down the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve is the longest and largest nerve in the body¹ and attaches at five points in the lower spine. It runs down the entire leg to the foot—and believe me, it is not a nerve you want to be playing up.

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