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I used to offer extended commentary on new research in a weekly series called “Monday Musings.” I’d cover and summarize a study or two or three, give some commentary, and open it up for questions from the readers. It was a fun and informative way to spend a Monday. Well, with more and more research being published than ever before, and more and more people being interested in health than ever before, I figured I’d resurrect the practice and begin analyzing new research in brief, digestible chunks.

First study is “Historical body temperature records as a population-level ‘thermometer’ of physical activity in the United States.”¹

I’m not a cold weather guy anymore. Years of living in Malibu and now Miami Beach have softened me. I’ll admit that readily. But back when I was a kid in Maine, I used to brave those cold blustery (even snowy) days without much in the way of cold weather clothing. My friends and I would stay out all day long and never stop moving, never really feeling the cold. We weren’t out there shirtless or anything, but we also weren’t wearing four layers. We weren’t bundled up.

And even now, when I go snowboarding, I can’t bundle up too heavily. If I’m really staying in motion, I’ll be in short sleeves or else I get too hot. The key is moving. All you have to do is move and the cold just bounces right off you.

That’s the basis of this new study, which uses body temperature data to gauge the level of physical activity in the United States over the last hundred years or so. The authors propose that higher body temperatures mean greater physical activity. And that’s a fairly sound conclusion, but I don’t think it’s the entire story. There are other factors that can lower body temperature.

The one that leaps out at me is our linoleic acid intake from seed oils. Over the past 50 years or so, we have eaten more seed oils than ever before and the linoleic acid content of human body fat has increased by 136%.²

Why does this matter?

Hibernating animals tend to massively increase their linoleic acid intake in order to deposit tons of it in their body fat in the weeks leading up to hibernation. This induces torpor, a state of low body temperature, body fat gain, and extremely low physical activity—so low that they don’t move at all.³ Does that sound familiar? Brad Marshall, the “croissant diet guy,” has been focusing on how linoleic acid intake regulates torpor and thus body temperature and metabolic rate for the past couple years. It happens to all mammals, not just squirrels, bears, and mice. Humans are not exempt from the metabolism-depressing effects of excessive linoleic acid intake.

The second study is called “The effect of vitamin D and magnesium supplementation on the mental health status of attention-deficit hyperactive children: a randomized controlled trial.”⁴

These were Iranian kids aged 6-12 with diagnosed ADHD who also had magnesium and vitamin D deficiency. One group got 50k IUs of vitamin D each week and 6 mg of magnesium/kg of body weight every day at lunch; the other group got placebo capsules and tablets. So if you were an 80 pound (roughly 36 kg) kid, you’d get 216 mg of magnesium. Sadly they didn’t mention what form of magnesium, but whatever it was, it managed to increase serum magnesium levels.

What was the result?

Kids who received vitamin D and magnesium had fewer emotional problems, behavioral issues, peer problems, and “total difficulties” than the control group received no supplements. This is a simple intervention with very little downside—in fact, the supplementation group had no side effects whatsoever, not even the upset stomach that can result from lower-quality magnesium supplements—and lots of upside. There’s a good chance that most kids have at least subclinical magnesium deficiency, and we already know that magnesium deficiency is linked to many serious conditions children suffer from, like type 1 diabetes and leukemia.⁵⁶ Magnesium supplementation is a low-cost, essentially “free” intervention to try on just about every child out there.

What about magnesium from food? Sure, that’s great. Almonds, most legumes, pumpkin seeds, winter squash, fermented dairy are all pretty good sources of magnesium, but supplementation may be warranted because food magnesium levels have been dropping from historical levels. In other words, the amount of dietary magnesium our physiologies are used to getting on a historical and evolutionary basis are no longer present in most modern foods.

If you can’t get your kids to take magnesium pills, you can just work it into their diets.

Blackstrap molasses in milk.

Magnesium chloride powder sprinkled in their drinking water.

Magnesium-rich mineral water like Gerolsteiner.

Anyway, that’s what I’ve got for today. What do you think about these studies? I’m curious to hear your reactions. Until next time.

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This year marks twenty years in the personal training game and while it hasn’t always been full-time work there hasn’t been a period over that time where I haven’t had at least some clients to keep my hand in. In my opinion most learning comes from mistakes and I’ve made plenty – so many mistakes that you could write an article about them. The following are the first ten lessons learned from my twenty years in training. (Read part two for lessons eleven through twenty.)

Training Lessons 1 Through 10

1. No one knows everything.

People like to have faith. We like to believe there’s a single underlying answer to every problem we have whether it be financial, religious, or fitness. But training isn’t black or white and no single thing, or person, is the fix all answer. Paul Chek had some great ideas but there were issues, too. Charles Poliquin is also incredibly smart, but misses some things. The same goes for Boyle, Cosgrove, De Franco, Cook, Tsatsouline, King, Tate, and Francis. But one of the things that separates these men from many of their contemporaries is they recognize the gaps in their understanding and seek to fix them. Mike Boyle and Pavel Tsatsouline, in particular, have always impressed me with their unapologetic march forward and their efforts to improve upon what is already a very stable methodology. Great training is a melange of many topics – don’t limit yourself to just one ideology.

2. Don’t just have a hammer.

If you need to fix a car you’ll need a big tool box. One of the issues that people have is they tend to tie themselves to a single theme or person. Using the RKC as an example, there are many fantastic kettlebell instructors but if you move them away from their single tool they are lost. I have to quote Alwyn Cosgrove here, “I am not a kettlebell guy or a bodyweight guy. I am a results guy.” Pick the right tool to get the job done as quickly as possible.

3. Do the opposite.

The first person I ever heard say this was Charles Staley, who wrote an article about how if you want to be really successful in the gym do the opposite of what everyone else does. If they’re doing upper body using isolation lifts train the lower body with compound lifts. If they’re doing three sets of ten you should do ten sets of three. If they’re using machines you should use free weights. It’s a simple piece of advice but really very powerful and works well. For trainers I’ll also add this works in a business sense too, and I credit one of my bosses, Christian Marchegiani of Thump Boxing, for saying this to me: whatever everyone else is doing around you in terms of their business, just flip it and do the opposite. Trust me that it works just as well as Staley’s similar tip does for training.

4. No cookie cutter programs.

I simply cannot stand the typical generic stuff you read about a “football plan” or a “running plan.” Every person has a different body and different needs based on their injury and training history, as well as other factors such as their personal life and nutritional habits. If you fail to take all this into account you will likely end up with clients who simply don’t make much progress. Take speed training as an example. You could have two clients who want to get faster. One could be strong but slow, while the other could be explosive but weak. The first needs to become more explosive and the second needs to get stronger to maintain that explosiveness over a longer period of time. While the end goal is the same the process will be different.

5. You’re not elite.

I have a simple test to see if I’m training an elite athlete – I look around their neck for a medal from anything in national championships and above or for a professional contract for their sport. If you don’t have either of those you’re not elite, so stop trying to train like you are.

Second to this you need to stop trying to train like an MMA fighting-Navy SEAL who does parkour on the weekends in between missions on the space shuttle. Pick a few things that benefit you the most and try to get incredibly good at them. I’d recommend starting with the get up, deadlifts, push ups, and running. You’ll be surprised how much more athletic you’ll feel when you’re not destroyed by trying to train like an action movie hero year round or by doing a lot but being good at very little. The benefit from exercise is in the adaptation to it. Changing what you’re doing too often actually stops you adapting and slows down progress.

6. Quit eating garbage.

I like simple tests for things. My nutritional test is even easier than my elite sportsman status check – if it comes in a packet it’s most likely garbage. The more ingredients on the side of the packet the more likely it’s garbage, too. Have you ever read the contents of an apple? And show some restraint while you’re at it. There’s nothing manly about eating so much meat that in six months time you can’t see your toes. Overeating the right food will ultimately still lead to being obese and unhealthy. While I don’t think the BMI charts are the be all and end all of weight and health there is a mountain of research to indicate a healthy BMI will go a long way towards a healthy life. If your BMI is in the unhealthy range then do something about it.

7. Consistency is the best training plan.

It doesn’t matter if your training plan was written by a PhD who worked with an Olympic gold medallist if you don’t do follow their advice. Repeatable sessions are the key to getting in shape. Tour de France legend Miguel Indurain trained five or six days per week with only one hard ride for the week. The rest of the rides were around five hours at a steady pace. I think this is one of the reasons you will find old body builders still able to train, but you won’t find old CrossFitters in a decade – the intensity is simply too high in “metcon” type work. In contrast hypertrophy work is typically around seventy percent of your maximum, which is easily sustainable year round. Likewise aerobic running usually ends up as about sixty to seventy percent of your maximum and is equally sustainable. Who will be in better shape in a year – the guy who trains three days per week but makes himself so sore he can’t move after or the guy who trains six or seven days a week year round?

8. Don’t train yourself.

This really should be first on the list. There is a very real reason why the top performers in every physical field have coaches. Training yourself, or worse, trying to rehab yourself, just doesn’t work very well for most people. They lack the objectivity as well as the necessary self-discipline to address their weaknesses and then stick to a plan that may involve feeling like they suck for months at a time. But that’s how progress is made – you train your weaknesses out. Not only that, but an experienced coach has traveled down this path many times and knows the pitfalls and possible problems and can work to help you counteract them before they even become noticeable.

9. Adaptation = work + recovery.

The purpose of training is to build the body up over time. The only problem is that every session actually makes you a little worse than you were before you started. Your glycogen stores are depleted, there’s muscle damage, and the fatigue will lower force production. But, when you’re adequately rested you’ll experience increased performance. There’s no magic formula for how much recovery you need for the amount of work you’re doing but at the bare minimum if you’re a daily trainer you need eight hours sleep and massage every week. If possible, I would add in a session of mobility and flexibility only. Every third or fourth week should be a deload week. “But coach,” you’ll whine, “I don’t feel like I need it.” And that’s exactly the point. You shouldn’t feel run down and exhausted all the time from training. Regular deload weeks stave off injury and keep you progressing in a two steps forward one back format that ties in well with point number seven.

10. Get outside.

Despite what equipment manufacturers will tell you there is a massive difference between running on a treadmill and running outside. The same goes for any of the popular indoor fitness methods such as stationary cycling and rowing. Research shows that running outside is ten percent harder at the same speed than running indoors on treadmill. That’s ten percent more calories if you’re looking at it from a fat loss perspective. Over weeks that will add up to be a huge difference.

There’s also a wonderful world out there filled with sunshine and vitamin D. Research on this is showing that even minimal exposure to natural sunlight is greatly beneficial for mood, cognitive function, and body fat levels. I’m also convinced that many of the allergies people suffer from are because of being cut off from the natural world. Since I started being sure to do at least a few hours of outdoor activity each week a few years ago my hay fever has gone to zero. You don’t need a treadmill to get in shape, nor a gym membership to use that treadmill. Walking and running are free and available anytime of day or night without time restrictions right outside your front door.

Read part two for the second set of ten lessons I have learned in my twenty years of training.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

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Many writers for Breaking Muscle are proficient coaches. Some are masters or on their way to mastery. I am honored to write among them and I read most all their articles because I am a scrub – a new coach. I feel part of my job as a new coach is to voraciously learn as much as I can, as often as I can, from a wide range of sources, and this site has been a great resource.

As luck would have it, my best and most amazing resource has been my very own home, CrossFit LA, which is one of the original ten CrossFit gyms. Owner Andy Petranek has mentored many amazing coaches and athletes including Breaking Muscle’s own Becca Borawski. I’m humbled to be tapped as the latest student under his wing. Though I have been coaching and programming for CFLA’s Prodigy Teen program for about a year, transitioning to life as an adult coach offers many more lessons.

Today I’m sharing my top seven lessons learned as a new coach. I know for as many new gyms that start up every month, there are at least that many more new coaches out there seeking knowledge.

1. Voraciously learn as much as possible, as often as possible.

Every single day I study. I study anatomy. I study weightlifting books and videos. I sign up for seminars and workshops. I observe how great coaches carry themselves and speak to people. I don’t just learn from CrossFit coaches, either. One of the most influential coaches for me in the last five years has been, of all things, a spin instructor. I study why he is so effective with his students and how he is able to motivate them to move better. Every single coach at my gym has a strength that inspires me. I try to learn as much as possible from their strengths.

2. Talk to all coaches all the time.

It’s not enough to observe great coaches in action, though sometimes that’s all you’ll be able to do, e.g., Coach Burgener on You Tube, but if you have experienced coaches around you who inspire you, talk to them. Talk to them all. Pick their brains about the technical and mental aspects of coaching. Corner them with any questions that arise about programming, class flow, or progressions of movement. You will find that great coaches are more than willing to share their knowledge. Often they will tell you stories about when they first started and these stories will be of great comfort. You’ll realize you are not the only new coach on the planet who is nervous or who loses their breath leading a warm up. The great ones were once nervous wrecks, too.

3. “Good artists copy, great artists steal.”

Pablo Picasso said this. Steve Jobs lived by this. And the hell if I’m above them or that philosophy. I steal warm ups that I love. I steal cues. I steal whole speeches on intention. What I steal is what resonates with me as an athlete. Even though I am using what I steal as a guideline until I’m confident enough to wing everything on my own, I still have to deliver it from a place of authenticity.

4. Lead by example.

I think often about what I ask of my teen athletes and what I will most likely ask of my adult students. In essence, I ask them to take risks, not silly risks to injure themselves, but I ask them to step outside of their comfort zone and confront places of fear. And that’s risky stuff. I feel if I’m not living by that, why should they trust me? If I’m asking students to act from a place of genuine effort or to become vulnerable to the practice, then I must do so myself. I have to be my own best student otherwise I’m just full of words, and shit.

5. Separate the athlete-self from the coach-self.

This has been one of the hardest lessons for me. I am not the best athlete in our gym and it has taken some of our best athletes and coaches reminding me that this is not the point of great coaching. If I stifle all that I have to offer with an embarrassment that I can’t deadlift twice what my students can, then I’m am not letting my best gifts as a coach shine. If I have the ability to connect with a student and make them move better, then I’ve done well as a coach. My deadlift has nothing to do with that ability.

6. Be constantly susceptible to evaluation.

I’m no spring chicken and I’ve been through many life experiences that have provided hard life lessons. What I know from that maturity is when to be humble and receptive when I have a ton to learn. Even if I’ve been to hell and back in my life, I still need a lot of guidance and training as a new coach. My ego is all but obliterated in the evaluation process, and that’s just the way it is. And a good evaluation, especially when it’s hard, is the fast track to becoming better. The more comfortable you get with being uncomfortable and putting yourself on the spot, the more you will learn. Also, you can memorize every bit of information that comes out of a coach’s mouth, but until you put it into practice to be evaluated and honed, it all remains just information.

7. Rely on current strengths.

I know that I’ve been tapped by one of the most respected CrossFit coaches for a reason. Though I’m not the best athlete and though coaching is a new venture for me, I know that my strength lies in my connection with people. I am approachable and relatable. I am empathetic. Students feel safe with me and hopefully within this safe space I provide students are able to grow as athletes. All the technical information and the biomechanics of the body will be learned, but this connection is either something one naturally has or it takes many years to get. And for now, until the other stuff is embedded, I rely heavily on that natural gift.

We can’t know all there is to know when starting something new. That’s a silly and presumptuous notion. The road to mastery is a long and humble one, but it’s one that is rewarding to no end. It’s one I’m happy to be on. I know patience is part of the journey and I can only hope that someday, years down the road, while continuing a never-ending quest to learn, I will have motivated athletes to move better and new coaches will use me as resource as they head out onto their own path.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

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If I could tell my older readers (or younger readers who plan on becoming older readers) one thing to focus on for long-term health, longevity, and wellness, it would be to maintain your bone density. Not eat this food or do that exercise. Not get more sleep. Those are all important, and many of them fall under the rubric of and contribute to better bone density, but “maintain bone density” gets to the heart of aging. Even the importance of muscle strength shown in longevity studies of older people could actually indicate the importance of bone density, since bone density gains accompany muscle strength gains. You can’t gain muscle without gaining bone.

That’s because bones aren’t passive structures. They are organs that respond to stimulus and produce hormones and help regulate our metabolism.

Osteocalcin, a hormone produced by bone-building osteoblasts, communicates directly with fat cells to release a hormone that improves insulin sensitivity. The osteocalcin produced by bones plays a key role in testosterone production and male fertility, helps regulate mood and memory, and even interacts with the brains of developing fetuses.¹² It may also help improve endurance, with studies in mice showing that older mice were able to run almost twice as far after being injected with osteocalcin.³

Bones provide structural, hormonal, cognitive, and metabolic support. Having strong bones won’t just make you less likely to break something if you fall. They’ll actually give you more energy, brain power, and a healthier metabolism.

If you do nothing, bone density wanes with age. That’s part of entropy. The longer time goes on, the more the human body is pulled toward dissolution, toward chaos. Doing nothing is not an option. You must actively resist the force of entropy on your bones because bones undergird your entire physical existence. Underneath the skin, the muscles, all the surface stuff lie the bones. They’re your literal support system.

How should you support your support system as you age?

How Can You Maintain Bone Density as You Age?

Here are the most important factors for maintaining bone density as you get older.

1. Mechanical loading—lifting heavy things
2. Eating animal protein (plus collagen)
3. Bioavailable calcium from fermented dairy
4. Sun exposure and vitamin D
5. Bone-specific nutrients
6. Mineral water
7. Sleep
8. Eating more colorful produce

Let’s explore each of them in greater detail.

Lift Heavy Things and Endure High Impact Activity

Just like your muscles respond to mechanical loading (lifting weights) by getting stronger, bones also fortify themselves in response to intense loading.

“Heavy” and “intense” are relative. What’s heavy to a 60 year old grandma won’t be the same to a 30 year old athlete. All a weight has to be is “heavy for you” to start improving bone density. Don’t think you need to deadlift twice bodyweight to get a good effect (unless, of course, 1.9x bodyweight deadlifts are easy to you).

You can even do it without any weights at all. Several studies have shown that merely hopping in place 20-40 times a day can improve hip density in both premenopausal and postmenopausal women.

The best way to maintain bone density is a combination of impact training (jumping, sprinting, hopping, calisthenics—anything where you move quickly and then must stop and absorb the force you’ve just generated) and weight training. That’s true for women especially, the most vulnerable population.⁴

The impact is key. Older endurance runners have lower bone density than age-matched sprinters, and senior athletes who engage in high-impact activity have higher bone density.⁵⁶ Just like “heavy” is relative, so is “impact.” Only expose your body to impact you can handle safely. It should be jarring, but mildly.

Eat Animal Protein

Vegans will tell you that animal protein “leaches calcium from bones.” That it’s “acidic.” That it’s “inflammatory.” That you need to get your protein from plants to conserve your bone health. But the opposite is true.

Animal protein increases calcium absorption and assimilation. Seniors who eat the most animal protein (yes, even the dreaded meat) have the strongest bones, while those eat the least have the lowest bone density.⁷ Meanwhile, other studies have found that plant protein—but not animal protein, which has the opposite association—is associated with lower bone mineral density.⁸

There are studies that find negative associations between “meat diets” and bone density, but only in the context of modern Western diets like the Standard American Diet high in refined grains, sugar, and seed oils. In Mediterranean or Asian diets, a high meat intake is protective.⁹

Two things to keep in mind:

• Make sure “animal protein” contains collagen and gelatin, not just muscle meat. Collagen is an integral part of the bone matrix, providing “bounce” and pliability and strength.¹⁰ Great ways to get more gelatin/collagen include bone broth, collagen powder, gelatinous meats like oxtail, feet, necks, and skin.
• Make sure you eat enough protein. As the average person ages, their ability to utilize protein diminishes. That’s due to many factors, some of which you can mitigate by leading a healthy Primal lifestyle, but some of it is a consequence of time. Eating at least 100 grams of protein a day is a good target for the average older reader.

Eat Dairy and Other Sources of Bioavailable Calcium

Yes, yes, the absolute amount of calcium doesn’t matter as much as people think and calcium supplementation can have counterintuitive, even negative effects if you don’t have the right co-factors for calcium assimilation and utilization, but you still need calcium in the diet. The most bioavailable form of calcium can be found in dairy, especially fermented dairy like cheese, yogurt, and kefir. Other good forms include small bone-in fish, like sardines.

Dairy consistently and reliably improves bone mineral density, whether it’s in 6 year olds or young adults or Europeans or Asians or the elderly.¹¹ I recommend fermented dairy like kefir for a couple reasons.

• One, animal studies suggest that the fermentation process creates peptides that have special effects on bone loss and density.¹²
• Two, even lactose or dairy-intolerant people are more likely to tolerate fermented dairy.
• Three, the probiotics in fermented dairy have been shown to improve bone density.¹³

Dairy works really well in older adults looking to increase bone mineral density, especially fermented.¹⁴ Choose yogurt and kefir for maximum effect.

Get Sunlight and Take Vitamin D

Sun is important for bone density for several reasons.

• Getting the natural light of the sun in your eyes helps set your circadian rhythm, making you sleepy at night and less vulnerable to the disruptive effects of bright light at night.
• Getting the UVB on your skin at midday lets you produce vitamin D, a pro-hormone with huge effects on hormonal health, calcium absorption, and bone metabolism.
• Getting UVA on your skin increases nitric oxide production. This one is a little more speculative, but researchers have used nitric oxide donors (drugs or compounds that increase nitric oxide in the body) to improve bone density.

Unfortunately, the older you are, the less vitamin D you make from sunlight. Older folks may need to supplement with vitamin D and should definitely monitor their vitamin D levels to ensure they’re either making enough from sunlight or taking enough through supplementation.

Get Bone-specific Nutrients

Get adequate amounts of the nutrients most relevant to bone density.

• Melatonin: Optimize your sleep or take 1-3 mg at night.
• Vitamin K2: 0.5-1 mg per day.
• Vitamin D3: Get levels up to 30 ng/mL at least, ideally through sun but with supplementation if sun isn’t doing it.
• Vitamin A/retinol: Makes vitamin D3 more effective, combines well with D and K2.
• Calcium: 800-1600 mg/day
• Magnesium: 400-600 mg/day
• Potassium: 3-5 g/day
• Protein: 100+ g/day
• Collagen: 10-20 g/day
• Omega-3s: 3-5 servings of fatty fish each week

Some foods that are great sources of these nutrients:

• Cod liver oil/cod livers (omega-3s, vitamin A, vitamin D)
• Blackstrap molasses (magnesium, calcium, potassium)
• Shellfish (magnesium, omega-3s, protein)
• Aged cheeses like gouda (vitamin K2, calcium)
• Natto (vitamin K2)

A combination of melatonin, strontium, vitamin K2, and vitamin D3 given to postmenopausal women for one year increased bone mineral density at several sites.¹⁵

Optimize Your Sleep

Sleep is an active time. Even though you’re just lying there, totally unconscious and unaware of your surroundings, your body is repairing damage, clearing out refuse, and maintaining the structure and stability of your muscles, brains, and bones. Just how does poor sleep impair bone health?

• In seniors, the more they sleep the less osteoporosis they have. Less sleep leads to greater bone loss. More sleep protects against it.¹⁶
• Melatonin, the hormone that induces sleepiness at night, plays a huge role in bone metabolism. For instance, removing a rat’s pineal gland (which produces melatonin) significantly lowers their bone mineral density.
• Obstructive sleep apnea, a disorder characterized by frequent cessations of breathing during sleep and an overall lower quality of sleep, is independently associated with low bone mineral density.
• Too much or too little sleep are both linked to osteoporosis, with daily sleep durations of 7-8 hours, 9-10 hours, and 10 hours all showing a relationship to low bone mineral density.

So it’s not just “sleep more.” It’s “sleep better.” You have to optimize your sleep hygiene, which is a big job. Luckily, I’ve told you how to optimize your sleep before.

Drink Mineral Water

Historically, the water most people drank was rich in minerals. That’s the environment in which the human body and its mineral requirements evolved. Our genes thus “expect” the water we drink to contain minerals. So what do we do? Drink tap water low in minerals, purified water bereft of most minerals, or “reverse osmosis” water bereft of anything at all.

What should we do?

Drink mineral water.

Drinking a liter of your average bottled mineral water a day can provide between 20% and 58% of your daily calcium needs and 16% and 41% of your daily magnesium needs.¹⁷ In addition to that, mineral water can be a good source of other minerals relevant to bone health, like silicon, boron, and strontium. The absorption of calcium (and, presumably, other minerals) from mineral water is equal to or greater than the absorption of calcium from milk, a clear indication that we are well suited to drinking it.¹⁸

Women living in areas with high mineral levels in their drinking water have slightly higher bone mineral density, a clear indication that we should be drinking it.¹⁹

I like Gerolsteiner best.

Optimize Hormone Status

Hormones are master orchestrators of physiological homeostasis. They keep things running smoothly. They maintain muscle, organ systems, and bone mineral balance. When they start to falter with age, our ability to maintain homeostasis across all these systems suffers.

The fall in estrogen levels that characterizes menopause often triggers a loss of bone mineral density, as estrogen is the primary regulating hormone of bone health. Osteoporosis is so common in postmenopausal women that the efficacy of most menopausal interventions is determined by how they affect bone mineral density. I’ve written about menopause in the past. Hormone replacement therapy may be in order; there’s a post on that as well.

For men, low testosterone is a major indicator of osteoporosis risk. About 50% of older men with hip osteoporosis also have hypogonadism; I’d wager the other half have lower than normal testosterone that doesn’t qualify clinically.²⁰ However, estrogen remains important. Even in men who take testosterone replacement therapy to normalize low T levels, the subsequent increase in bone mineral density is associated with a rise in estrogen. The increased testosterone helps bone health (and certainly has other benefits), but it does so indirectly by helping normalize estrogen.²¹

Eat Colorful Produce

Whether it’s extra virgin olive oil or blueberries or bok choy, all the studies finding a link between specific “superfoods” and better bone health have one thing in common: the foods they’re studying contain lots of polyphenols and other phytonutrients.

How is it working?

• Mostly by lowering inflammation. Chronic low level inflammation slowly dissolves bones (not literally, but in effect), predisposing your body toward atrophy and catabolism rather than healthy growth and maintenance. The polyphenols in things like olive oil and blueberries can counter that inflammation by upregulating your own endogenous antioxidant systems.
• Also by increasing potassium intake. Plants are a great source of potassium, and potassium intake has been shown to modulate bone density.

These all work best together. This isn’t a “do this one thing to improve your bone density” post. You need to be lifting, jumping/hopping, eating dairy, eating meat, optimizing hormone status, sleeping well, eating colorful plants or bitter olive oil, and getting sunlight, all of it. Getting sun gives you vitamin D and improves your sleep and promotes physical activity. Eating foods high in calcium tend to provide both animal protein and nutrients that improve bone density. And so on. They’re all synergistic.

And the older you are, the more important everything here becomes. The more time-sensitive. You need to start today.

The post Maintaining Bone Density as You Age appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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Meet Brent, a member of Nerd Fitness Coaching who just found out he no longer needs blood pressure medication.

Awesome!

Oh, and he’s also celebrating losing over 35 pounds.

Incredible!

What’s crazy is that he did it all in about six months…which is BONKERS!

However, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing for Brent.

He had done the New Year’s resolution dance quite a few times…but always seemed to fizzle out.

“I didn’t know what I was doing,” Brent admits.

However, instead of going through the same “start and stop” pattern again, Brent decided to do something different – he decided to ask for help!

Let’s find out how it went.

#1) Brent Started Exercising in a Way He Enjoyed

“When I joined the coaching program, my coach asked me a novel question:

What exercise do I actually enjoy doing?

I hadn’t thought about it before – I always figured I’d just have to slog through my workout.

I admitted to my coach that I enjoyed running, so we quickly built a program around doing 5ks.”

Takeaway: Half the secret of getting in shape is moving in a way we enjoy.

(The other half is nutrition, but we’ll get to that.)

So when we first start exercising, we should focus on what excites us!

• Like walking? Perfect, go first thing in the morning.
• Enjoy rock climbing? Great, join a nearby gym.
• Look forward to kickball? Awesome, sign up for a local league.

The important thing at first is to enjoy the activity! Then, we’re much more likely to make it a habit (our goal here).

There’s a reason Brent’s coach asked about his preference. They knew finding his passion would be critical for building consistency.

Here are our tips for running a 5k if you wanna get going yourself. 

#2) Brent Mixes in Strength Training

Although Brent loves to run – and even knocked out a couple of 5ks during the last six months – he also started a strength training practice.

“My coach advised we mix in some strength training as part of my 5k training. The goal was to build some muscle and also prevent injury during my runs. 

The big surprise was just how quickly this helped me lose weight. My belt size shrunk fast because of all the workouts.”

Takeaway: Strength training can go a long way towards transforming our bodies.

Obviously, it’ll help us grow strong. But it might also help us slim down.

That’s because building and maintaining muscle takes a lot of calories.

As Brent learned, the side effect of strength training might be a lower body fat percentage (as we explain in our Guide to Body Recomposition).

#3) Brent Leveled Up His Nutrition

“I never thought too much about what to eat – I just ate whatever was in front of me.

But since I wanted to lose some weight, my coach took me through a little Nutrition 101. 

Now, I think about:

• Where is my protein coming from?
• Where is my fiber coming from?
• Is this enough energy for my needs?

I don’t follow any sort of diet. But these simple lessons from my coach changed the way I eat, without too much effort.”

Takeaway: If we’re trying to lose weight, nutrition will be a big part of the puzzle.

However – as Brent learned – we don’t necessarily need to follow any sort of “diet.”

Just some good healthy habits might be enough:

• Eating lean protein at every meal.
• Eating fruits and veggies throughout the day.
• Matching our energy intake to our energy needs.

This might be the trick if “going on a diet” hasn’t quite worked out yet. For more on our philosophy here, check out The Nerd’s Guide to Healthy Eating. 

4) Brent Created Accountability

“To be honest, I think accountability to a coach and my financial investment helped me form habits more than anything. 

Just knowing that someone would check in on me – and that I was paying for it – made me push through on days when I didn’t want to.

Now, I work out and train without too much thought. They’ve just become normal parts of my life.

Having accountability at first really helped me get here.”

Takeaway: Having someone check in on us can be critical when we’re starting a new habit.

Sure, a coach might be a great way to go about it.

But there are others:

• A friend who also wants to start working out.
• A group of co-workers who walk on breaks.
• An online group of folks with the same goals. 

Accountability was missing during Brent’s previous attempts to get in shape.

It really can be the difference-maker.

How Will You Close Out 2021?

I’m super proud of Brent and what he’s accomplished the last year.

However, if you personally didn’t meet your fitness goals in 2021, don’t beat yourself up over it.

Getting in shape is tough stuff and the ongoing pandemic didn’t make it any easier. 

But, as we close out this year, it can be important to ask: how will I handle my goals next year?

What can I do for the remainder of this year, to help me build momentum?

If you think one of our coaches might be able to help you prepare for 2022, we’re here for you.

With Nerd Fitness Coaching, you’ll gain:

• Confidence on exactly what to do. No guesswork needed, you’ll simply log into our coaching app and follow the plan laid out for you.
• A program tailored to your needs. We won’t just say “do this workout” or “eat broccoli.” You can get that for free on the internet. We’ll find out what works best for you as an individual. Plus, if it’s not working for whatever reason, NBD. We’ll absorb that information like a non-judgmental scientist would, and together we’ll create a new path forward.
• A partner to help you make your goals. Many people can set goals and hit them by themselves. But some of us can’t (I personally needed a coach to hit my fitness goals too). If you’ve been struggling by yourself, know that it’s okay to seek help from an expert who knows the way.

Interested?

You can schedule a call to see if we’re right for each other right here:

Learn more about Nerd Fitness Coaching!

Even if you decide not to join our coaching program, do one thing:

Think about how you can build accountability. Even if it’s just to yourself, with a daily journal.

But being asked “Am I doing what I said I would do?” can be incredibly powerful.

You have to look not much farther than our friend Brent for proof.

-Steve

###

The post How an accountability partner changed Brent’s life first appeared on Nerd Fitness.

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Last week we offered responses to three common misconceptions about what we’re all about here in the Primal community. Of course, no matter what we say, some people will always believe that we’re just a bunch of barefoot weirdos who are inexplicably willing to—gasp!—stop eating bread. It can be incredibly frustrating when people you care about can’t seem to shake conventional wisdom and give the Primal Blueprint a shot.

But what about the people who show a genuine interest in our lifestyle? Hopefully, as you’re out there walking your Primal walk and talking your Primal talk, you’re catching the eye of friends, family, and coworkers who can’t help but notice your healthy vibe. These folks might be willing to take the leap for themselves. They just need a little nudge in the right direction.

Getting the word out about healthy Primal living is more important than ever, but you want to do it in a way that is encouraging, not alienating. After all, we are a little weird here (in the best way possible). Below are my responses to seven questions someone might ask you when they’re still on the fence about launching into a Primal lifestyle. I’ll also link some relevant MDA posts that you can share once someone is ready to start.

Prepare Your 30-Second Elevator Pitch

Let’s say you have someone on the hook. They’re not rejecting your Primal lifestyle outright. The look in their eyes says, “Ok, I’m listening…” Now’s the time! You need a quick, concise way to explain the rationale behind the Primal Blueprint. Something like:

Bottom line: It’s abundantly clear that all the so-called “expert advice” about how to be healthy isn’t working for most people. The Primal Blueprint is simple, and it works better than anything else I’ve tried. This isn’t about trying to “live like a caveman.” It’s about respecting that humans are genetically programmed to thrive when we eat lots of meat and vegetables, move our bodies in particular ways, spend time outside in the sunshine, and try to get away from all the stress that modern life heaps on us.

The Primal Blueprint takes the stuff that worked for our ancestors, blends it with modern scientific advances, and effectively gives you the best of both worlds. It just makes sense.

Feel free to steal that verbatim or put it in terms that are authentic to you.

How to Respond to Common Questions and Concerns

Do I really have to give up sugar and grains? I could never live without bread!

Sure you can. And no, you don’t have to, but do you want to feel better? Have more energy? Achieve your health or fitness goals?

You have nothing to lose by trying, I promise. Give it 21 days. You can do anything for 21 days. The thousands of people who have participated in the Primal Blueprint 21-day Reset can attest that three weeks is enough time to start seeing some real changes!

I think you’ll be surprised at how easy it is to give up those things once you start to see the benefits for yourself: losing fat without feeling deprived, improved gut function, boundless energy, and much more. Anyway, once you’ve adjusted to the Primal way of eating and developed metabolic flexibility, you can enjoy the occasional decadent dessert or bowl of pasta without incident—if you even want to by then.

Go deeper:

• Read some of the inspiring Mark’s Daily Apple Success Stories from people just like you.
• Learn about the Primal Blueprint 80/20 Principle.

Don’t we need grains for heart health?

You have to hand it to the breakfast cereal industry for their wildly successful campaign to make people believe that sugary cereal made with whole grains is a “heart healthy” way to start your day. (And don’t forget that glass of orange juice for an extra 25 grams of carbs at least!) What a scam.

The short answer is no, nobody needs grains. Quite the opposite, in fact. Grains actively detract from health, especially when they are of the highly processed, acellular variety—think refined grains and flours, plus the many products made with them. Even whole grains are relatively nutrient-poor compared to vegetables and animal products, they spike insulin, and worst of all, they contain harmful anti-nutrients that can be absolute menaces.

I’ve personally heard from countless individuals whose health was radically transformed by the simple act of removing grains from their diet. Once people realize how much better off they are without grains, they are usually eager to go all-in with the Primal Blueprint.

For more information, start here:

• Definitive Guide to Grains
• Why Grains are Unhealthy

Don’t we need carbs for energy?

This gets into some pretty deep physiology that you probably aren’t going to delve into while sitting around the family dinner table, so here’s the summary version:

• When people say “carbs for energy,” they really mean “glucose for energy.” Yes, some of your cells require glucose (sugar), but they’re in the minority. Most cells run perfectly well—better, arguably—off fat and ketones (when the latter are available).
• It doesn’t take much to meet your body’s requirement for glucose. Primal foods provide plenty of carbs. You don’t need a giant plate of spaghetti.
• If your body ever needs more glucose, your liver has an elegant system called gluconeogenesis for making glucose on demand. Carbs are not required.

Anyway, this question implies that Primal folks don’t eat carbs, which is untrue. We don’t eat grains and refined sugar. Still, a typical Primal eater who includes sweet potatoes, nuts, bivalves, and some seasonal fruit in their diet will easily consume anywhere from, say, 75-150 grams of carbs on an average day. That’s not low-carb. Primal is only low-carb when compared to a Standard American Diet, which is high-carb.

Even on ketogenic diets where you eat 50 grams or less of carbs per day, your cells have plenty of fuel thanks to the aforementioned fat, ketones, and gluconeogenesis. And while it’s true that very active individuals—think ultra-endurance athletes and CrossFit competitors—might indeed perform better on a higher-carb diet (200 grams or more per day), that’s still easy to do eating Primally.

Want more science? Here you go:

• You want to burn fat as a primary energy source. Here’s why.
• Your brain needs less glucose than you might think.

Aren’t you worried that about eating so much fat? Isn’t all that fat (especially saturated fat) unhealthy?

When it comes to fat, I’m far more concerned with quality than quantity. Fats found in nature—animal fats, avocado, coconut, nuts—have always been an integral part of the human diet. Highly refined seeds and vegetable oils (canola, corn, soybean, the ubiquitous “vegetable oil,” and so on) have not. I don’t touch those with a 10-foot pole.

More to the point, Primal diets aren’t even especially high in fat. We simply don’t kowtow to the conventional wisdom that says we should fear fat. We embrace fat that naturally occurs in Primal foods, and we happily use fats for cooking and dressing our meat and vegetables to make them taste good.

If your conversation partner wants to get into the supposed dangers of saturated fats, encourage them to check out these posts:

• Is Saturated Fat Healthy?
• The Definitive Guide to Cholesterol

Ok, but isn’t too much protein bad for you? And what about the impact of meat-eating on the planet?

Yes, I’ve heard the news that we’re all supposed to be eating “plant-based” diets now. Where’s the eye-roll emoji when you need it? Actually, that’s not entirely fair. I spent years moderating my protein intake in the name of health. I was never anywhere close to being a vegetarian, but I did wonder if there was such a thing as “too much protein.” More recently, however, I updated my stance based on the available evidence. Long story short, I don’t think there’s any compelling evidence that meat-eating poses a health concern.

As for the environmental concerns, the evidence is clear: regenerative agriculture that includes well-managed livestock practices is the way forward. I’m certainly no fan of concentrated animal feeding operations where animals are raised in unhealthy, inhumane conditions, and I have been speaking out against them since the early days of the blog. However, monocropping corn, soy, and wheat to produce energy-intensive fake meat products is not the answer.

Clearly, this is a hugely controversial issue fraught with emotions on both sides. One of the great things about the Primal Blueprint mandate to “eat lots of plants and animals” (Primal Blueprint Law #1) is that it allows individuals to interpret what that means for themselves. Our Primal community runs the gamut from vegan to carnivore and everything in between. I’d venture that many of my followers’ diets qualify as “plant-based” insofar as they include generous portions of vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, and fresh herbs. Bring on the Big-ass Salads!

Additional resources:

• A Fresh Look at High Protein
• I’ll also refer you to my friends Diana Rodgers and Robb Wolf, who are doing incredible work fighting the uphill battle against the current anti-meat movement.

It feels like everyone is telling me something different. How do I know who to trust?

Listen, I get it. I’m a questioner at heart, not to mention a bit of a rebel, and I’ve been challenging conventional wisdom for a long time. That’s uncomfortable for some people. They’d rather listen to the “experts” and be done with it.

Except look around. How well has that expert advice served humanity? Are we humans healthy? Is the planet thriving?

It’s easy for me to say, “Trust me,” but at the end of the day, I’m not asking anyone to trust me. I’m saying, “Trust nature.” Trust the hundreds of thousands of years of human history that shaped us. All I did was look to that ancestral wisdom and distill it into 10 Primal Blueprint Laws.

If you’re not ready to buy into the Primal Blueprint whole-hog, that’s fine. Start with the pieces that make the most sense to you. Take your time reading through the archives of Mark’s Daily Apple, and follow the links to the research provided. Most of all, let your results speak for themselves. I have every confidence that once you start, you’ll understand.

It seems like so much. Where should I start?

This is the question I have the hardest time answering. Just when I think I’ve talked myself into diet being the most important aspect of health, sleep enters the ring. We also can’t ignore the health hazards of being sedentary, nor of exercising too much and in the wrong ways. And if the last couple years have taught us anything, it’s that sunlight and the vitamin D it provides are precious. Who can pick a winner when it’s all so important?

But you have to start somewhere. Some people can completely overhaul their lives in one go, but many folks need to take it one step at a time. Either way is fine. Just do something. My advice would be to start with diet and, specifically, eliminate the “big 3” health offenders: grains, refined sugar, and industrial seed and vegetable oils. Otherwise, start with the Primal Law that speaks most to you. What’s your biggest pain point? If you’re a burned-out endurance athlete, perhaps you need to start by dropping chronic cardio and exercising Primally, for example.

Even if you decide to tackle it all at once, understand that this will be an ongoing process of gradual improvement, self-experimentation, and iteration. You’ll get to know your body better, your health will improve, and your needs will change. Scientific understanding will continue to evolve, and you’ll adjust your approach accordingly. That’s as it should be.

The point is, you don’t have to have it all figured out right now. Take the leap anyway.

Start here:

• Making the Switch to Primal Living in 6 Easy Steps
• For more support, try the 21-day Primal Reset Online Course

The post How to Tell Friends About the Primal Lifestyle appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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A bowl of tomato soup is delicious any time of year, for lunch or for dinner, for kids and adults. If fresh, super-ripe tomatoes aren’t available then this recipe for tomato soup made from canned tomatoes is the best one to follow. This homemade tomato soup has a rich, pure tomato flavor and silky texture, a flavorful version of the canned stuff.

A steaming bowl of tomato soup is one of life’s simple pleasures. The fact that this recipe is so easy to make with such great results is an added bonus. The soup turns out best with whole tomatoes (not chopped) because they have a flavor that’s most similar to fresh tomatoes. The quality of the canned tomatoes matters – choose a brand with a flavor you like and if you’re worried about BPA, stick with jarred or a BPA-free brand.

Served alone, this tomato soup makes a super-quick meal. But if you want to spice things up, drop a handful of spicy, mini-meatballs into the bowl, too. These delicious bite-sized mini meatballs are small enough to eat with a spoon (or by the handful).

This recipe makes a lot of tiny meatballs, so you can freeze the extra if you’d like. Raw, frozen meatballs can cooked by dropping them directly into simmering sauce or soup. Cooked, frozen meatballs are best if frozen along with some soup or sauce, but can also be frozen alone and defrosted in the refrigerator.

Tomato Soup with Gluten-free Spicy Mini-Meatballs Recipe

Ingredients

Soup

• 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 1.5 cups arrabiata sauce
• 28 oz. whole peeled tomatoes in sauce
• 1.5 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 tbsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh basil

Meatballs

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 lb. ground pork
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 1 egg
• 3 tbsp. fresh basil
• 2 tbsp. almond flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• ½-1 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. dried basil
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper

Directions

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients in a large bowl.

Roll the meat mixture into small meatballs, about 16-20 meatballs per pound of meat.

Arrange them in a glass dish or on a sheet pan and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until cooked through. Alternatively, you can sear them in a skillet on the stovetop and then move the pan to the oven for the meatballs to finish cooking.

As the meatballs are cooking, prepare the soup. Heat the olive oil on your stovetop over medium heat in a pot. Once hot, add the onion and saute for 3-5 minutes, or until it begins to soften. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant.

Add the arrabiata sauce, can of tomatoes, chicken broth, oregano, salt and pepper. Break the whole tomatoes up with a spoon or spatula. Bring the soup to a simmer, then cover the pot and allow it to cook for about 20-30 minutes.

Transfer the sauce to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth with half of the basil (do this in batches if necessary.) Pour the sauce back into the pot and continue cooking until the soup reaches your desired consistency. Stir in the rest of the basil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the soup into bowls and place a handful of meatballs on top. Top with a drizzle of olive oil, and a pinch of fresh basil and red pepper flakes and enjoy.

Print

Homemade Tomato Soup with Gluten-free Spicy Mini Meatballs Recipe

---

• 
  Author: Mark’s Daily Apple
• 
  Prep Time: 5 min
• 
  Cook Time: 20 minutes
• 
  Total Time: 25 minutes
• 
  Yield: 6 servings
• 
  Diet: Gluten Free

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Description

Homemade tomato soup with a slight kick, with gluten-free mini meatballs makes a hearty, satisfying meal.

---

Ingredients

Soup

3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

4 cloves minced garlic

1.5 cups arrabiata sauce

28 oz. whole peeled tomatoes in sauce

1.5 cup chicken broth

1/2 tbsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/4 cup fresh basil

Meatballs

1 lb. ground beef

1 lb. ground pork

1/2 cup minced onion

1 egg

3 tbsp. fresh basil

2 tbsp. almond flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. dried oregano

½–1 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. black pepper

---

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients in a large bowl. Roll the meat mixture into small meatballs, about 16-20 meatballs per pound of meat. Arrange them in a glass dish or on a sheet pan and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until cooked through. Alternatively, you can sear them in a skillet on the stovetop and then move the pan to the oven for the meatballs to finish cooking.

As the meatballs are cooking, prepare the soup. Heat the olive oil on your stovetop over medium heat in a pot. Once hot, add the onion and saute for 3-5 minutes, or until it begins to soften. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant.

Add the Arrabiata sauce, can of tomatoes, chicken broth, oregano, salt and pepper. Break the whole tomatoes up with a spoon or spatula. Bring the soup to a simmer, then cover the pot and allow it to cook for about 20-30 minutes.

Transfer the sauce to a high speed blender and blend until smooth with half of the basil (do this in batches if necessary.) Pour the sauce back into the pot and continue cooking until the soup reaches your desired consistency. Stir in the rest of the basil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the soup into bowls and place a handful of meatballs on top. Top with a drizzle of olive oil, and a pinch of fresh basil and red pepper flakes and enjoy.

• Category: Lunch, Dinner
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Italian

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe
• Calories: 585.2
• Sugar: 8.1 g
• Sodium: 1141.4 mg
• Fat: 36.6 g
• Saturated Fat: 5.3 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 22.1 g
• Trans Fat: .6 g
• Carbohydrates: 16.2 g
• Fiber: 2.5 g
• Protein: 46.9 g
• Cholesterol: 173.4 mg
• Net Carbs: 13.63

Keywords: gluten free meatball soup recipe, gluten free tomato soup recipe

The post Tomato Soup with Gluten-free Spicy Mini Meatballs Recipe appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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Research of the Week

After a heart attack, taking erectile dysfunction drugs reduces the risk of another one.

Virgin coconut oil lowers C-reactive protein (inflammatory marker) in suspected/probable COVID patients.

Severe COVID infections can impair adaptive immunity, an effect likely mediated by spike protein inhibition of DNA repair.

Rice starch is highly digestible, regardless of whether you cool it or cook it or both.

Molecular and physiological differences in how the sexes respond to exercise.

New Primal Kitchen Podcasts

Episode 6: Exporing Your Own Potential with Dr. Michael Gervais: Morgan chats with Dr. Michael Gervais.

Media, Schmedia

What happens when a company tries to make a new infant formula that doesn’t involve soybean oil and corn syrup? The FDA happens.

A Spanish preserve saved a rare Saharan gazelle from extinction, and now it’s back home and thriving.

Interesting Blog Posts

How does this end?

How rooftop gardens can fight the urban heat island effect.

Social Notes

Japanese versus American school lunches.

Always look at all-cause mortality.

Everything Else

“‘The Sun is not always shining, water is drying up, fossil fuels are not always going to be used, but people are always moving,’ says Thoronka.”

Try this walking meditation.

Things I’m Up to and Interested In

Great piece: On berserker rage.

Finally: Man cooks perfect steak in dishwasher.

Sometimes we forget: Exercise is really good for you.

Interesting article: Is “long COVID” mostly in your head?

Didn’t someone say this back in the day?: Floor sitting is good for your health.

Question I’m Asking

What are you doing for Thanksgiving?

Recipe Corner

• Paleo kung pao chicken.
• Filipino peanut butter oxtail curry.

Time Capsule

One year ago (Nov 6 – Nov 12)

• 12 Ways to Boost Your Serotonin — Assuming you want to.
• How to Stay Level During Uncertain Times— Keep a cool head.

Comment of the Week

“I had the opportunity to go to Mongolia with my family in 2019. We have friends in Mongolia we visited and we went out on the Steppe and visited people in their Gers literally in the middle of nowhere. Average family has about 300 animals the manage. Some much more. The preferred meat is sheep for breakfast lunch and dinner with goat and sheep cheese and yogurt and salty milky tea. No vegetables minimal to no spices salt meat is usually boiled. Also had sheep knee soup once.Also one time they prepared sheep the same way Genghis Khan and his army did they take the sheep and remove the organs and place hot stones from the fire in the cavity and sew it up and let it cook from the inside out. Then serve in bowls that you eat out of while sitting on your horse. They are a very strong resilient people who are very proud of their heritage. They are looking forward to their future since they are no longer under the Control of Russia. However the younger generation is moving away from the nomadic life and to the big city. Using motorcycles to herd the animals instead of horses. It was a great experience we plan on going back in the future next time in July when they have Naadam festival. Also try Airag fermented horse milk they love it.
Also look up The Hu band fusion of traditional Mongolian music ie horse fiddle and throat singing with rock.”

-What a fantastic trip that must have been.

The post New and Noteworthy: What I Read This Week—Edition 154 appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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Hey folks, Erin is back to answer more of your questions about feeding picky eaters, how to stay motivated when you’re not seeing results, and the real reason meal plans don’t work. Got more health and wellness questions for Erin? Drop them in the comments below or head over to the Mark’s Daily Apple Facebook group.

Lucas asked:
“While I’m doing well with my primal lifestyle, I’d like some help getting my 3-year-old to eat better. Out of ease, my wife and I (wife isn’t so primal) have been buying processed things for him and since I stay at home, I do have more control over his schedule and diet for most of the time. What are some strategies I can implement for getting him to eat healthier foods and what sort of foods should I feed him?”

Trust me Lucas, you’re not alone in this battle. Many of my clients are moms and dads in this same stuck-between-a-rock-and-a-hard-place situation. As you mentioned, you’re doing well on your primal journey, but it’s not so easy for everyone. Especially kiddos.

Think about what it took to get you where you are now. Maybe you were fed up with carrying extra weight. Or you were sick of battling cravings or fatigue. Or you didn’t want to go down the traditional route of developing a chronic disease. Little kids don’t have that. Your picky eater has zero motivation for wanting to change his food preferences. Couple that with the fact that he’s probably bombarded with hyper-palatable foods that come out of brightly colored packages, and it’s no wonder he’s not super psyched about forgoing his mac ‘n cheese and chicken nuggets for ribeye and sautéed greens.

Overconsumption of processed food is proven to lead to all sorts of conditions, including type 2 diabetes in kids under 18. And if you start them out on these foods out of “ease” you’re actually making things harder for them later in life.

Remember, you and your wife are the ones buying the groceries. You have the opportunity to change your child’s habits and patterns before he’s out there making choices for himself.

How to Change a Picky Eater’s Preferences

This study out of the University of Alberta showed that kids who were involved with food prep were more likely to make healthy choices at mealtimes. Researchers asked 3,398 fifth graders how often they helped prepare food at home and then rated their preference for things like fruits and vegetables. Not surprisingly, they found that up to 93% of the children reported helping their parents at mealtime at least once a month. And the more they helped, the more often they chose healthy foods.

Instead of forcing the issue, which typically leads to a power struggle, and possibly a dysfunctional relationship with food, follow the research and learn how to help him overcome picky eating and make eating healthy fun for everyone.

1. Get him involved. Look through recipes together, go grocery shopping together, and then eat dinner together. Being part of the process of preparing a meal inherently makes him more interested in eating it.
2. Make simple swaps. Instead of diving right into meat-and-veg mode, start slow. Swap his favorite juice for the fresh fruit version. Or make a healthier holiday treat using better-for-you ingredients.
3. Feed him when he’s hungry. Timing meals right can make the difference between being curious about trying something new and a full-on tantrum.
4. Be smart about new foods. Studies show that pickier palates preferred new foods when paired with familiar flavors. Does your kid love drowning everything in ranch or ketchup? Feel free to keep a few of those old favorites when introducing something new.
5. Walk the talk. You mentioned your wife isn’t so primal. Just be aware of what your little one is seeing at home. Kids are smart. And if he notices mom loads up on processed foods, even if you aren’t, there’s a good chance he’ll follow her lead.

Debra asked:
“I’ve been doing Primal about 2 months and am starting to struggle. I have not missed a day of exercise for 2 months and have slowly improved my eating habits. I had a goal before vacation, and I didn’t reach it so I’m a bit disappointed. How do I stay motivated when the results are so slow?”

If there’s one thing I tell my health coaching clients over and over again, it’s this: get comfortable with undramatic efforts. I know it’s not sexy to go slow, especially when you’re lacking motivation and jaw-dropping (and extremely unhealthy) before-and-afters are plastered all over social media. Diet culture tells us that this kind of glow up is normal. It’s absolutely not.

Slow Process is the Best Kind of Progress

Fast progress is rarely real. And, research proves it’s not sustainable. Sure, you can micromanage your caloric intake or “diet down” until you reach your goal. But then what? What happens when you start eating normally? It’s unlikely you gained your extra weight quickly, so why would it come off quickly? This is the time to practice the art of patience.

I’m not here to give you some rah-rah motivational cheerleader pep talk. I’m not gonna say, “you can do it!” or the tough-love version, “just suck it up!” Instead, I’m going to share a little nugget of wisdom with you.

True change and personal growth aren’t easy. They require self-compassion and radical honesty, two traits of human behavior I think we could all use to improve on. I know you’re discouraged with your results, but instead of focusing on the fact that you haven’t yet met your goal, take this time to look at the positives:

• Celebrate the victories. You said you haven’t missed a day of exercise for two months and you’ve improved your eating habits. Those are two wins in my book.
• Stop punishing yourself. There’s nothing you’ve done to deserve a slap on the wrist. Your stories or limiting beliefs (these are the thoughts that run through your mind) try to convince you that you’ve failed because you haven’t met a goal, but these are just based on past programming and aren’t in fact, true statements.
• Learn to love the gray areas. We live in a very black-or-white society and the gray areas in between are often dismissed. Let me assure you that this is where the magic happens, so learn to love them.

Working on yourself is hard, frustrating, and even painful at times. It’s also 100% worth it. Offer yourself the kindness of not giving up on yourself.

I know you can do this. But if you need extra health coaching help moving forward, I recommend checking out myPrimalCoach. It’s Mark’s latest venture and it’s a powerful way to work with a real health coach 1-on-1 from the comfort of your home. We built it with real change and personal growth in mind.

Debbie asked:
“I know what my macros should be but trying to get my meals to match them has proved beyond challenging. Can you recommend a good program that allows one to put meal plans together (with recipes) based on individual macros?”

Here’s the thing about meal plans. Usually, they suck; they don’t teach you anything about food and they can be a little boring and inflexible. And rarely do they last. Many nutrition and health coaches are trained to give their clients meal plans (thankfully, the ones who graduate from the Primal Health Coach Institute know a better way), but just because meal plans are a staple in the health and fitness world, doesn’t mean they’re a good thing. And they probably aren’t what you need.

Here’s Why Meal Plans Don’t Work

More than 45 million people start a new way of eating each year and most of them don’t stick with it. Here’s why. With traditional diets and meal plans, you’re instructed to eat a specific amount of a specific thing at a specific time. You might be thinking, YES, that’s exactly what I want! Except it’s not. While that might work for a few days, or if you’re lucky, a few weeks, ultimately, one of three things happens:

1. Life gets in the way. No matter how psyched you are to have a plan completely laid out in front of you, there will come a time when you stop sticking to it. Maybe you work late or forget to buy groceries, or your kids are sick, or heaven forbid you go on vacation. Strict meal plans usually aren’t conducive to the ups and downs of life.
2. Your inner rebel pipes in. Even if you’ve gone through the effort of finding a meal plan or paying someone to make one for you, there’s a little thing called your inner rebel that can sabotage your efforts. This is the part of you that subconsciously resists when you feel like you’re being forced to do something.
3. You hate it. Sounds dramatic, right? But food is one of life’s joys. And when you become so rigid around what you eat, you begin to dread the idea of making eggs (again) or having to skip happy hour so you can grill your food for the week.

These are just a few of the reasons I don’t do meal plans. If I were you, I would get familiar with which foods support you and make you feel vibrant and healthy, and then learn how to cook those foods in a way that’s appetizing to you. Don’t outsource this one. Instead, spend a little time doing the work. Like the saying goes, give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

Tell me what you think below. And if you want to work with your own health coach, visit the new myPrimalCoach site, and let me know what you think of that too.

The post Ask a Health Coach: Motivation, Meal Plans, and Managing Picky Eaters appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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It’s probably the one thing that prevents people from fully buying into the Primal Blueprint. Almost anyone can agree with the basic tenets – eating more vegetables, choosing only clean, organic meats, and getting plenty of sleep and exercise is fairly acceptable to the mainstream notion of good nutrition. The concept of Grok and a lifestyle based on evolutionary biology can be a harder sell, but anyone who’s familiar with (and accepts) the basics of human evolution tends to agree (whether they follow through and adopt the lifestyle is another question), at least intellectually. But saturated fat? People have this weird conditioned response to the very phrase.

“But what about all that saturated fat? Aren’t you worried about clogging up your arteries?”

In fact, “saturated fat” isn’t just that; it’s often “artery-clogging saturated fat.” Hell, a Google search for that exact phrase in quotations produces tens of thousands of entries. Most doctors toe the company line and roundly condemn it, while the media generally follows suit. The public, unsurprisingly, laps it up from birth. The result is a deeply ingrained systemic assumption that saturated fat is evil, bad, dangerous, and sinful, a preconceived notion that precludes any meaningful dialogue from taking place. Everyone “knows” that saturated fat clogs your arteries—that’s treated as a given—and attempting to even question that assumption gets you lumped in the crazy category. After all, if you start from such a “fundamentally incorrect position,” how can the rest of your argument be trusted?

What is Saturated Fat, Exactly?

A fatty acid molecule is typically an arrangement of carbon and hydrogen atoms. Saturated fats have two main characteristics:

• All or most of the carbon-hydrogen bonds are single bonds
• All available carbon bonds are paired with hydrogen atoms

This makes saturated fats highly stable and resistant to oxidation and rancidity, even when heated. That’s why our bodies tend to build cellular membranes with a significant portion of saturated fats. They provide stability and a strong foundation.

Saturated fat is also a fantastic source of energy, at least if you trust your body to make the right decision—otherwise, why else would we store excess carbohydrates as saturated body fat?¹ In fact, when we burn body fat for energy, either through exercise or through dieting, we are quite literally consuming huge amounts of saturated (and monounsaturated) fat. Body fat is energy to be used for later; dietary fat is energy to be used immediately or stored for later.

Losing weight is like eating pure lard, which has nearly the same fatty acid composition as human adipose tissue. To vilify saturated fat is to assume that, over the span of our evolution, our bodies have somehow developed a predilection for a deleterious energy source that contributes to cardiovascular disease.

Does Saturated Fat Cause Heart Disease?

It should be a simple thing to show, right? Populations that eat the most saturated fat should have the most heart attacks. But this isn’t the case. Let’s look at a few.

The Tokelau Islanders

The Tokelauans traditionally consumed a diet high in saturated fat from coconut, as well as fish, fruit, and tubers. When I say “high in saturated fat” I mean it: about 40-50% of their total calories came from saturated fat from coconut meat. Conventional cardiologists would have a fit if their patients were eating that much saturated fat. And yet ECG research from a study in the 80s on Tokelauans still eating their traditional diet shows zero evidence of any prior heart attacks. In New Zealand at the time, about 1% of males aged 40-69 had readings that suggested a prior heart attack. In Tecumseh, USA, 3.5% of men aged 40-69 had prior heart attack readings. In Tokelauans, it was 0.0%.

The Kitavan Islanders

The Kitavans ate a much higher carb diet than the Tokelauans, but they still had a much higher saturated fat intake than is typically considered “healthy” at a 17% of calories. And they were free of most modern metabolic diseases, like diabetes and heart disease.

No matter where you look across the Pacific, high saturated fat intakes from coconut do not appear unhealthy or dangerous.² No matter where you look across the Pacific, you see traditional diets that exceed the maximum 6% of calories form saturated fat ordained by the American Heart Association—and you see traditional populations eating those traditional diets avoid heart disease.

The Masai

The traditional diet for male Masai is a low-carb, high-saturated fat one that consists mainly of meat, milk, and blood, and research shows that they remain lean, healthy, and free of heart disease despite this conventionally-atherogenic diet.³

The French

The most famous of health “paradoxes,” the French paradox describes the fact that despite logging some of the highest intakes of saturated fat the French have some of the lowest rates of heart disease. And boy do people try to explain it away.

Just check out this explanation:⁴

“In representative cross sectional surveys of the French population performed in 1986–87 and 1995–97, the saturated fat intake was 15% of the total energy intake in the first survey and 16% in the latter survey. This high consumption of saturated fatty acids is such that French subjects are exposed to a high risk of CHD. Why a high consumption of saturated fatty acids does not lead to a high CHD risk in France (and maybe elsewhere) is a central question behind the French paradox concept.”

Somehow the French “survive” their exposure to a “high risk of CHD” in the form of eating saturated fat. You see what they did? The “risk” is very real. It’s just that the French luck out and survive it.

It all started, of course, with the infamous Ancel Keys and his Seven Countries Study, which tracked the fat consumption and heart disease levels of various nations. It was named for the seven countries that saw an increase in heart disease cases correspond with increased fat consumption, but it should have been named the Twenty Two Countries Study for all the data he omitted. Data, I should mention, that demolished his hypothesis of fat intake causing heart disease. Those red dots in the bottom right are the populations that didn’t make the original study: Tokelau, Masai, and Inuit.

Try drawing a straight line through those data points. As you can see, there is a faint, weak correlation between fat intake and heart disease, but it’s just that: a correlation. It shouldn’t confirm anything except the need to run controlled experiments to directly measure the effects of dietary fat. Unfortunately, that correlation was enough to get Keys the front cover of Time and widespread acclaim as the father of dietary science. His hypothesis gained traction in the scientific community and mainstream CW, a position it has never really relinquished. Subsequent controlled experiments to measure the effects of saturated fat have been either inconclusive, poorly designed, or completely unsupportive of the saturated fat-is-evil hypothesis, but because the starting point assumes it to be true, those inconclusive or unsupportive results become aberrations while the poorly designed studies become canon.

Meanwhile, Keys’ peer, British scientist John Yudkin, was finding even more compelling connections between dietary sugar and heart disease, but his ideas gained no traction and garnered no significant follow up experimental studies.⁵ Keys got the cover of Time and heaps of public adulation; Yudkin was relegated to publishing now-out-of-print books, writing letters to scientific journals that were only ignored, and languishing in relative obscurity. If you want a deeper discussion of Yudkin, check out Taubes’ Good Calories, Bad Calories.

Are Foods that Contain Saturated Fat Bad For You?

Ultimately, we aren’t eating “saturated fat.” We don’t eat isolated palmitic acid or stearic acid. We eat food, and sometimes that food contains saturated fat along with vitamins, minerals, and many other fatty acids. That’s food.

If researchers are going to say saturated fat is dangerous, they must show that saturated fat-containing foods are dangerous to eat. Have they? Let’s look at research into some foods high in saturated fat.

• Gouda cheese: Full of saturated fat, also full of vitamin K2, reduces cardiovascular mortality.⁶
• Pecorino romano cheese: Improved markers of atherosclerosis in those who ate it. Good source of CLA, yes, but also saturated fat. Still manages to reduce heart disease risk.⁷
• Red meat: Increased red meat intake reduced dementia risk.⁸ Okay, grandpa, you might be able to remember your grandkids’ names but you’re gonna have a heart attack.
• High-fat dairy: Reduces heart disease, diabetes, and overall mortality. Very high in saturated fat.

Okay, okay. Maybe these foods are “healthy in certain contexts” but still give you heart disease somehow. Sure, just prove it.

They cannot.

Or maybe they’re healthy “despite” the saturated fat intake. If we could just engineer gouda cheese to be richer in PUFAs or ribeyes to be lower in saturated fats, they’d be “even healthier!”

Does anyone believe this? We’re living in the real world where foods are foods. You can’t “control” for a variable that literally exists inside the food you’re trying to demonize.

Look to Evolution

To begin with, humans are born with a taste for fat. It’s delicious, and that’s no mistake. Given the choice between a lean chicken breast and a fatty, crispy thigh, most people instinctively go for the thigh. Social anti-fat conditioning might direct a few of us toward the dry breast, but fatty cuts just taste better.

Our taste for fat is hundreds of thousands of years old. From mammoth marrow you could use an ice scream scoop to harvest to shattered kudu femurs from half a million years ago to Bronze Age nomads living off mare milk and boar backfat, humans have always loved animal fat—much of which is saturated. Vilhjalmur Stefansson, hallowed purveyor of pemmican and admirer of the high-fat Inuit diet, spent considerable time with the northern native Americans and noted that they seemed to “hunt animals selectively.” They would specifically pass on the tender calves and go for the older caribou, the ones with huge slabs of back fat that could be rendered and stored. This caribou fat was about 50% saturated.

Does this mean you should only eat saturated fat? Of course not.

For one thing, eating nothing but saturated fat is very hard to do using whole foods. Very few animals exist in the world, past or present, with only saturated fat. The only exception I can recall is the coconut, a curious sort of beast that spends most of its time hanging from a tree impersonating a large hairy drupe. Your average slab of beef fat runs about 50% saturated fat, 45% monounsaturated fat, and 5% PUFA. That differs from cut to cut and depending on the diet of the animal, but not by much. It’s similar for other ruminants like bison and lamb. And the most prominent saturated fatty acid in ruminant fat is stearic acid, a fat that converts to monounsaturated oleic acid in the body and has an effect on cholesterol indistinguishable from MUFA or PUFA.

My point is that by eating whole foods, you will get saturated fat, monounsaturated fat, PUFA, vitamins, minerals, polyphenols, and a whole host of yet to be quantified food components. To single one out, one that has never even been shown to be dangerous, is pure folly.

I could go on, but you get the idea: Humans have been consuming a wide range of fatty acids for millennia, including saturated fatty acids. It probably makes sense to emulate that intake.

I’d love to hear you thoughts, so hit me up with a comment. What’s your stance on saturated fat?

The post Is Saturated Fat Healthy? appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.