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pIt’s Friday, everyone! And that means another a title=”Success Stories” href=”http://www.marksdailyapple.com/category/success-story-summaries/”Primal Blueprint Real Life Story/a from a Mark#8217;s Daily Apple reader. If you have your own success story and would like to share it with me and the Mark’s Daily Apple community please contact me a title=”Contact Me!” href=”http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-book/share-success-story/” target=”_self”here/a. I’ll continue to publish these each Friday as long as they keep coming in. Thank you for reading!/p
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pimg class=”alignright” title=”Primal Blueprint Real Life Story” src=”http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg158/MDA2008/MDA2009/real_life_stories_stories-1-2.jpg” alt=”real life stories stories 1 2″ width=”320″ height=”240″ /Mark,/p
pI never thought I would be writing or sharing a success story. Not because I didn’t#8217; think there would be success, but because I am really not the sharing type. But what happened to me and my wife is important, and I want you to know. I have been telling anyone who will listen:/p
pFirst, a little background. I was and still am an active person. […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

pimg class=”alignright” title=”C. albicans” src=”http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg158/MDA2008/MDA%202011/calbicans.jpg” alt=”calbicans” width=”320″ height=”212″ /It#8217;s been awhile since I#8217;ve done one of these, but I think it#8217;s about time for a Primal Primer. Today we#8217;ll be discussing candida, a genus (more than a species, less than a family) of yeast with many members, at least one of which is currently residing on or in your body: candida albicans. Candida albicans and friends are everywhere, and they#8217;re usually a normal, healthy part of the human microbiome, but it can get a little out of hand. As I#8217;ve mentioned before, a title=”Gut Flora and Your Healthy Immune System” href=”http://www.marksdailyapple.com/gut-flora-healthy-immune-system/”the human gut hosts a tumultuous mix of microbial species /avying for position and supremacy and trying to further their own ends. If all#8217;s well, a balance is maintained, and the various species keep each other in check while promoting good health for the human host. But things can […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

pimg class=”alignright” title=”Chia Seeds” src=”http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg158/MDA2008/MDA%202011/chiaseeds.jpg” alt=”chiaseeds” width=”320″ height=”212″ /The questionable foods just keep flowing in. As soon as I write a new #8220;Is it Primal?#8221; post, I#8217;m inundated with new stuff to scrutinize. It#8217;s like cutting the heads off the hydra (speaking of which, what are the nutritional qualities of hydra? talk about a sustainable animal food source). Luckily I like writing these posts, so they are probably here to stay. I hope you enjoy them. Well, let#8217;s get on with it, shall we?/p
pToday we#8217;ll delve into the sordid inner world of the chia seed (of Chia Pet fame, yes), the dark underbelly of black rice, the hidden agendas of the refined avocado oil consortiums, the Communist North Korean plot to brainwash minds via sweet potato vermicelli consumption, and how strawberries might actually be trying to kill you (yeah, strawberries). Actually, we#8217;ll just figure out if said foods are Primal or […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

pimg class=”alignright” title=”Procrastination” src=”http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg158/MDA2008/MDA%202011/procrastination.jpg” alt=”procrastination” width=”320″ height=”212″ /Do you procrastinate? If you#8217;re an actual human being #8211; not a replicant, nor an android, nor an AI #8211; and you#8217;re being honest, then you should probably be nodding your head. But what#8217;s odd about a ubiquitous behavior like procrastination is that it#8217;s almost unanimously regarded as being detrimental to our success, our happiness, and our progress as human beings, and yet we still put things off until later. Counterintuitive yet persistent behaviors fascinate me to no end, because they suggest (at least to me) an evolutionary incongruence at hand. They suggest that in another context, another environment, the counterintuitive was anything but./p
pIs procrastination just such a behavior? Let#8217;s explore:/p
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blockquotepDear Mark,/p
pI have noticed that procrastination is a huge problem for many of my friends and colleagues. I know that I too will make myself miserable by putting a project off until the very […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

pimg class=”alignright” title=”Shakshuka” src=”http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg158/MDA2008/MDA%202011/shakshuka2.jpg” alt=”shakshuka2″ width=”320″ height=”212″ /Whether you’re looking for a new breakfast idea or are fond of serving breakfast for dinner, shakshuka fits the bill. Instead of calling the dish shakshuka you can also just call it “Eggs Poached in Spicy Tomato Sauce” because that’s exactly what this straightforward but surprisingly delicious meal is./p
pEspecially popular in Israel, shakshuka is loved around the world for its comforting flavor and simple preparation. Although the sauce is often sopped up with pita bread, it’s thick enough that you can skip the bread and eat it with a spoon (or spread extra sauce over a hunk of a title=”How to Cook the Perfect Steak” href=”http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-cook-the-perfect-steak/#axzz1rkfvTaeG”grilled meat/a for a really fantastic meal.)/p
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pMost recipes for shakshuka call for a title=”Are Your Canned Foods Safe to Eat?” href=”http://www.marksdailyapple.com/are-your-canned-foods-safe-to-eat-a-bpa-free-buying-guide/#axzz1rkfvTaeG”canned (or boxed) tomatoes/a, but you shouldn’t hesitate to use plump, super-ripe fresh tomatoes if you can […]

Original post by Worker Bee

pimg class=”alignright” title=”Cholesterol – Part 2″ src=”http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg158/MDA2008/MDA%202011/cholesterol5.jpg” alt=”cholesterol5″ width=”319″ height=”238″ /emThis is a guest post by a title=”About Peter Attia” href=”http://eatingacademy.com/dr-peter-attia” target=”_blank”Peter Attia/a and is a summary based on a 10-part series of the same name that you can find at a title=”The Eating Academy” href=”http://eatingacademy.com/” target=”_blank”The Eating Academy/a. /em/p
pemTo read The Straight Dope on Cholesterol: 10 Things You Need to Know #8211; Part 1 click a title=”The Straight Dope on Cholesterol: 10 Things You Need to Know – Part 1″ href=”http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-straight-dope-on-cholesterol-10-things-you-need-to-know-part-1/”here/a./em/p
pemTo start at the beginning of Peter#8217;s 10-part series click a title=”The Straight Dope on Cholesterol – Part 1″ href=”http://eatingacademy.com/nutrition/the-straight-dope-on-cholesterol-part-i” target=”_blank”here/a./em/p
pemNow, Peter#8230;/em/p
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h36. Inflammation makes it worse, but the inciting event is the LDL particle getting past the endothelium./h3
pBecause there is no experiment or clinical trial we can carry out to unambiguously resolve the exact role of inflammation in this process (and, by extension, the role of LDL particles), […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

pimg class=”alignright” title=”Cholesterol – Part 1″ src=”http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg158/MDA2008/MDA%202011/cholesterol4.jpg” alt=”cholesterol4″ width=”319″ height=”238″ //p
pemThis is a guest post by a title=”About Peter Attia” href=”http://eatingacademy.com/dr-peter-attia” target=”_blank”Peter Attia/a and is a summary based on a 10-part series of the same name that you can find at a title=”The Eating Academy” href=”http://eatingacademy.com/” target=”_blank”The Eating Academy/a.  /em/p
pTo put this summary post and, more importantly, this 10-part series in perspective, let’s examine one of the most pervasive pieces of dietary advice given to people worldwide:/p
pem“Eating foods that contain any cholesterol above 0 mg is unhealthy.”/em/p
p- T. Colin Campbell, PhD, author of The China Study./p
pNo summary of this length can begin to fully address a topic as comprehensive as cholesterol metabolism and the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. In fact, those of us who challenge conventional wisdom often find ourselves needing to do exactly what Frederic Bastiat suggested:/p
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pem“We must admit that our opponents in this argument have a marked advantage over […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

pimg class=”alignright” title=”Aurora Borealis” src=”http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg158/MDA2008/MDA%202011/auroraborealis.jpg” alt=”auroraborealis” width=”320″ height=”212″ /Recently, I caught up with an old friend of mine. He’d just returned home from a trip to the Northern Midwest, where they rented a cabin on one of the Great Lakes with family. He showed me pictures of his kids. Being used to a landlocked existence, his 6-year-old daughter had been wholly enthralled by the vastness of the lake, which she referred to as the ocean throughout the entire trip. One afternoon as their younger child napped, he took his older daughter to a nearby park reserve for a bit of exploration. She was mesmerized by a river gorge and more so by the brave, unruly souls who were hurling themselves off a rock ledge into the borderline hypothermic water hole below. What ultimately drew her in that afternoon, he explained, was a sandy beach cove lined with enough tall jagged […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

pimg class=”alignright” title=”Insulin” src=”http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg158/MDA2008/MDA%202011/insulin.jpg” alt=”insulin” width=”319″ height=”238″ /Despite all the success you might have had with the Primal way of life, doubts can still nag at you. Maybe it#8217;s something you read, or something someone said to you, or a disapproving glance or offhand comment from a person you otherwise respect, but it#8217;s pretty common when you#8217;re doing something, like a title=”How to Quit Grains” href=”http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-quit-grains/”giving up grains/a, avoiding processed food, or eating a title=”Animal Fat” href=”http://www.marksdailyapple.com/yet-another-primal-primer-animal-fats/#axzz1t4UHVJDc”animal fat/a, that challenges deeply-and-widely held beliefs about health and wellness. It doesn#8217;t really even matter that you#8217;re losing weight or seem to be thriving; you may still have questions. That#8217;s healthy and smart, and it#8217;s totally natural./p
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pA question I#8217;ve been getting of late is the effect of reducing carb intake on insulin sensitivity. It#8217;s often bandied about that going low carb is good for folks with insulin resistance, but it#8217;s also said […]

Original post by Mark Sisson