My Top 6 Favorite Health and Fitness Blogs and Websites

Hey all,

I'm in the thick of final taking this week, 4 down 2 to go. I haven't had as much time to churn out good content. Anyway, I thought I'd post some other people's good content! Here are some of my favorite blogs and websites for solid health and fitness information in no particular order.

1. Mark's Daily Apple - http://www.marksdailyapple.com/

Mark has popularized a lifestyle he labeled "primal." The basic premise is that the key to health requires a more primitive approach. eg: eating only what you could hunt or gather, sleeping longer, reducing stress, exercising efficiently and more like our ancestors. He churns out great information about health and fitness and posts a lot of research to go along with his articles. Great stuff!

2. The Weston A. Price Foundation - http://www.westonaprice.org/

Weston A Price was a dentist who traveled the world in the 1930s to see if there was a link between dental problems and diets in different civilizations. Besides finding a definite correlation between dental caries and nutrition he found much more. Turns out these more primitive cultures were very healthy! This website opened my eyes to the incredibly important aspect of eating foods as least processed as possible. They were the first to introduce me to the idea of raw milk, grass-fed beef and the thought that animal products are not bad for you but were most likely beneficial.

3. Mike Reinold's Blog - http://www.mikereinold.com/

Being a student physical therapist I love reading about my career and Mike has a boatload of excellent advice. He also has an excellent section for recommended reading for anyone who is interested.

4. Whole Health Source - http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/

Stephan Guyenet has a Ph. D. in Neurobiology and knows more then I'll know in several lifetimes. He caters his research to the science of fat loss, health and wellness. What initially attracted me to his blog was the information he was posting about various tribes living untouched by modern civilization. There is some pretty nifty research showing just how healthy these people were and their diets may surprise you. (Hint - diets high in saturated fats) Check out the masai diet for something really interesting. http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2008/06/masai-and-atherosclerosis.html

5. Kelly Starret's Mobility WOD - http://www.mobilitywod.com/

WOD stands for workout of the day and has been popularized by crossfit. Kelly is a physical therapist who took the idea of producing a WOD for flexibility (mobility) and injury prevention. He caters the WOD toward crossfit athletes but anyone can benefit from the information.

6. Chris Kresser's Blog - http://chriskresser.com/

Chris is another person who adopts a stance similar to Mark and the Weston A Price Foundation. He is research based (practices based on what the literature says) and delivers a good blend of traditional medical knowledge combined with a preventive emphasis. He focuses on the big picture of wellness addressing nutrition, exercise and lifestyle management.

There it is! Read up!

6 Reasons to Eat Grass-Fed, Pastured and Wild Animal Products over their Grain-Fed Brethren: A Case for Eating Healthy Animal Products: Part 3

And now the third and final piece to this series...

If you at any point want to order some grass-fed meat for yourself you can get some delivered to you by clicking the banner on the right hand side of my page labeled EAT GRASS FED BEEF. I get a lot of my food from there. Great company.

If you missed part 1 you can find it here:

http://strengthfoodlife.blogspot.com/2011/12/6-reasons-to-eat-grass-fed-pastured-and_05.html

Part 2:

http://strengthfoodlife.blogspot.com/2011/12/6-reasons-to-eat-grass-fed-pastured-and_12.html

Here are the cliff notes for all of you busy bees out there:

Grass fed beef has less of the saturated fatty acids that increase cholesterol.
- There are different types of saturated fats
- Certain types of saturated fats raise cholesterol levels and some do not
- Grass fed beef contains less saturated fatty acids that affect cholesterol levels.
- 30% of the fat from grass-fed beef is oleic acid, the heart healthy fat found in olive oil
- Grass-fed beef contains less saturated fat and less total fat then grain fed beef
Grass fed dairy products contain more vitamin K2.
- K2 is a form of vitamin K
- K2 is only found in animal products and fermented foods
- K2 decreases your risk of heart disease and decreases the risk of fractures in the elderly
- K2 is highest in animals that are allowed to free range on grass.

5. Grass fed beef has less of the saturated fatty acids that increase cholesterol.
There is a lot of controversy right now about whether or not saturated fat causes heart disease. The literature also goes both ways. This topic is kind of like the elephant in the room as far as nutrition topics go. The general idea is that higher levels of saturated fat eaten correlates to increased blood levels of cholesterol. High blood levels of cholesterol are theorized to cause heart disease. This is a very simplistic view and not all types of saturated fats actually raise cholesterol (19).

Some types of saturated fat can preferentially increase HDL (the “good” cholesterol) like lauric acid, found predominantly in coconut. Some types of saturated fats raise cholesterol more then others. Cows contain the saturated fats palmitic acid, myristic acid and stearic acid. Myristic acid has been shown to increase cholesterol levels as well as palmitic acid to a lesser degree. Stearic acid on the other hand is neutral as has been shown to have no influence on cholesterol levels (20). Contrary to popular belief, fat from animals is not entirely saturated and contains small amounts of polyunsaturated acids as well as a hefty amount of monounsaturated fatty acids (5). 30% of the fat from cows is oleic acid, the same healthy monounsaturated fatty acid found in olive oil (5). Oleic acid has been shown to decrease cholesterol, lower blood pressure and decrease risk of stroke (5). CLA is a polyunsaturated fat found in beef fat as well with health benefits discussed earlier (5).

Grass fed beef has less palmitic and myristic acid and more stearic acid then its grain fed counterpart (5). This means that grass fed beef should be less influential on cholesterol levels. Grass fed beef has less fat in general because grass fed cows tend to have less intramuscular fat (5). This means you are getting less saturated fat per serving of beef and the fat that you do eat has less of an effect on your cholesterol levels. If saturated fat does actually affect your risk for heart disease, eating grass fed over grain fed beef should decrease your risk for heart disease. In reality, the fat is where many of the beneficial nutrients discussed previously are stored including CLA (5). This along with the heart healthy oleic acid beef fat contains could make you rethink trimming all the fat from your steak.
6. Grass fed dairy products contain more vitamin K2.

Vitamin K2 is a form of vitamin K that has been getting some very interesting attention lately. This vitamin should not be confused with its brother vitamin K1 which is present in certain vegetables. K2 has been shown to decrease the risk of heart disease (21) as well as reducing fracture occurrence in the elderly (22). Unfortunately vitamin K1 does not have these same health benefits. Vitamin K2 is found in cheese, eggs, butter, liver, beef, chicken liver and fermented foods like natto. Vitamin K2 is believed to be highest in animals able to range freely on the pasture and eat the grass and plants around them, although there is no research I have found t support this position. Dr. Weston A. Price popularized this idea.

Whoa! Information overload. I think it helps to look at some published research when you are making the decision to decide what is good and what is bad in your own diet. Conventional wisdom may tell us that meat is bad but a lot of research says the contrary. Hopefully this is some food for thought and can help give you some direction with your nutrition. I don’t believe that marketing, politics and rumors should make up the majority of what we know about health. Lets try and take a more scientific approach!

Remember, the source of your food and what your food eats has everything to do with your health as a result.

Disclaimer: Consult your physician before embarking on any major changes in your dietary regime. That's it! I greatly appreciate any and all feedback from everyone.

16 Tips for reducing stress

Let’s face it, stress sucks. No one likes to constantly feel overwhelmed and powerless. Chronic stress is a destructive force that’s tough to deal with. Stress has been linked to numerous illnesses including cancer, fat gain and decreased sex drive, all super fun stuff. A character from Woody Allen’s movie once said, “Angry? I don’t get angry, I grow a tumor instead.” Funny but true!

Fortunately, you can make positive choices in your life to help reduce stress. If you’re looking to optimize your health and wellness, this is a vital and often overlooked area of important. Here are some tips to help reduce stress.

1. Acceptance - Things that are not within your power to control are not things worthy of worry.

2. Assertion - You are who you are and that is a wonderful thing. You can not and should not be ashamed of the person who you are.

“I yam what I yam and that’s all that I yam”
- Popeye

3. Find the modifiable causes of stressors in your life and make changes accordingly - These can be things like a stressful job or a toxic relationship.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference. - Reinhold Niebuhr

4. Figure out what you want to accomplish in your life and spend each day working towards that goal - Life tends to be much more enjoyable when you are working towards something that excites you.

5. Practice pleasure - Give yourself time to enjoy things you are interested in outside of work.

6. Surround yourself with people who share your own interests and passions in life - Build social networks with these people. Avoid those who have a negative influence on your life.
7. Don’t let your emotions control you - Try to think logically and rationally instead of emotional reacting to situations.

8. Get enough sleep at night - Usually somewhere between 7 and 9 hours. Find what works for you to wake up feeling energized and ready to tackle the day.

9. Exercise - Any type of exercise is fine, choosing what you enjoy most is best.

10. Manage your time efficiently - Practice tackling chores in priority of importance and keep a to do list. Entire books and courses have been devoted to this subject.

11. Avoid hurry - Slow down, take some time to smell the roses. Prepare for situations before hand so that they become more predictable and less rushed.

12. Make decisions and act on them - Being in a state of limbo between making decisions creates anxiety.
13. Use caution when accepting responsibility - Putting too much onto your plate all at once is a surefire cause of stress.

14. Love and Laugh more

15. Meditation - Practicing meditation can decrease stress both immediately and in the long term.

16. Spirituality - This is often a great source of peace for many.

I took this last piece directly from Robert Sapolsky. As is true in a lot of other cases the 80/20 rule applies to stress management. 80% of stress reduction can be attributed to the first 20% of effort. Choose the strategies here that most apply to you. Applying 20% of these strategies will most likely account for 80% of your stress reduction. I personally think the first few strategies are most powerful in your life but I’m sure it will differ from person to person.



For a more in depth look at stress’s affect on the body and more ways to deal with stress check out:

1. Full Catastrophe Living - Jon Kabat-Zinn
2. Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers - Robert Sapolsky
3. When the Body Says No - Gabor Mate

Take your health into your own hands!

Resources:

1. Trivieri, Anderson (2002) Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide. Berkeley, CA: Celestial Arts
2. Sapolsky R, (2004) Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers: The Acclaimed Guide to Stress, Stress-Related Diseases, and Coping. New York: St. Martin's Griffin
3. Mate G. (2003) When The Body Says NO: Exploring the Stress-Disease Connection. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons Inc.

A personal story that hits close to home.

I hear all the time about how expensive it is to eat properly, find time to exercise and manage stress in people's lives. I get it guys, its hard to do! I'm with you and I understand that.

A family member of mine recently went to the doctor and found out that they had a heart condition. I want to keep this private so I won't mention any names or specific illnesses.

The doctor prescribed a specific medication for the problem as is very common. This may be a drug this family member will have to take for the rest of his / her life. The price of the drug is $75 per month. $75 per month adds up. Keep in mind that the general trend for the population is to begin adding more expensive drugs to their daily list over time. This adds up to a bigger hit on your wallet as time goes on and your health declines.

The amount of money spent on pharmaceutical drug prescriptions, surgeries, hospital stays, insurance plans and doctor visits is staggering. Don't believe me? Ask anyone you know over the age of 65 how many drugs that they take on a daily basis. Its very common for this demographic to plan their entire lives around doctor visits. I've known many people who have lost their entire life's savings on prescription drugs, hospital stays and eventually nursing homes and long term care facilities.

The problem here is that the majority of our health problems are preventable. Things like Heart Disease, Cancer, Stroke, COPD and Diabetes have a very strong correlation to your lifestyle choices. Keep in mind that I just rattled off 5 out of 10 of the leading causes of death in the US. Disorders like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Multiple Sclerosis have a very strong genetic component, but recently we are starting to realize that there may be some environmental triggers at play in causing these disorders.

Its very possible to age gracefully but it requires your action from a young age. These problems tend to creep up on people and when they occur, they often can't be reversed. Take Parkinson's Disease for example. Patients don't begin showing symptoms of the disease until 80% of the portion in their brain responsible for movement is destroyed. By the time they have been diagnosed they are already missing 80% of that part (Substantia Nigra) of their brain! Parkinson's may be a bad example because we truly don't know the real cause of this disorder. However, diseases like Diabetes and Heart Disease follow a very common trend caused by poor lifestyle habits that are truly preventable. That's a sad reality.

One thing I've noticed is that people tend to take their health for granted. I've been guilty of this many times. Youthful people who currently have their health are notorious for this. Here are some of my favorites: I'll put off exercising until things lessen up at work. I don't have time to make lunch so I'll grab something from the vending machine instead. Work is really piling up, I'm not going to be getting any sleep the next few weeks. For whatever reason, humans tend to put their health last on their list of priorities.


Working in healthcare exposes you to people who don't have their health. You get exposed to people who would do anything to have their health back. You see people who can't walk across the room because they get so short of breath. The disorder is COPD and it is the 4th leading cause of death in the US. What causes it? Smoking. You see patients who routinely come into the hospital to have portions of their limbs amputated because they lack good blood supply to their feet. The disorder is Diabetes, and I'm sure you all know that poor diet applies here. Diabetes is also the 7th leading cause of death in 2009.

I implore everyone to realize the significance of eating properly, exercising regularly and managing your lifestyle beginning today. Spending the money on better foods and eating properly today will cost a fraction of what those prescription drugs and hospital bills will be in the future. Worse even will be the cost of a nursing home where the cost might not even be coming out of your pocket. Unless you've accumulated a small fortune in your life time, the burden may fall on your children and family.

What's even worse is that you lose your quality of life when your health declines. Not only will your pocketbook be lighter, but you might not be able to enjoy the same things in life that used to give you pleasure.

It's time for a change. Let's rework our priorities. The bottom line is that WE have control over our health. If you enjoy your life and have others in your life that love you, it would be wise to start investing in your personal wellness. It is MORE EXPENSIVE to eat poorly now and forgo a healthy lifestyle because it will catch up to you later.

6 Reasons to Eat Grass-Fed, Pastured and Wild Animal Products over their Grain-Fed Brethren: A Case for Eating Healthy Animal Products: Part 2

Alright guys and gals, here's part 2. I hope you had time to digest all of the information from the last post because here comes another dose! If you at any point want to order some grass-fed meat for yourself you can get some delivered to you by clicking the banner on the right hand side of my page labeled EAT GRASS FED BEEF. I get a lot of my food from there. Great company.

If you missed part 1 you can find it here:

http://strengthfoodlife.blogspot.com/2011/12/6-reasons-to-eat-grass-fed-pastured-and_05.html

As with the last part I'm providing a cliff's notes portion to get a quick dose of the information.

Summary:

Grass-fed/pastured and organic animals have healthy livers
- Grass-fed/pastured organic liver contains fewer and safer levels of toxins and heavy metals, giving you the benefit without the negative side effects.
- Great source of Vitamin A, CLA, Vitamin K2 and a modest source of vitamin D
- One of the only natural sources of Coenzyme Q10 (heart healthy compound)
- Statin Drugs inhibit your body's ability to produce CoQ10

Grass-fed / pastured meats are higher in vitamins and antioxidants
- Grass-fed / pastured beef contains 7 times more Vitamin A (beta carotene) then grain-fed
- Grass-fed / pastured beef contains 3 times more Vitamin E (alpha tocopherol) then grain-fed
- Grass-fed beef contains higher levels of the anti-oxidants glutathione and super oxide dismutase
- Food sources of vitamins and anti-oxidants are superior to supplemental sources.
- Vitamin A and E in supplemental form may actually be detrimental

Without further ado!

3. Grass fed/pastured and organic animals have healthy livers

Organic, pasture raised animals graze on what they were biologically evolved to eat. Because of this their livers contain safer levels of heavy metals and other toxins (8) when compared to grain fed meats. Keep in mind that all meats will contain some heavy metals regardless of source (8). Liver contains an enormous amount of easily absorbable Vitamin A, modest amounts of Vitamin D, CLA, Vitamin K2 and some nifty nutrients not found from other food sources like Coenzyme Q10.

Vitamin D has recently been in the news because it appears that many Americans have been becoming deficient in vitamin D for a variety of proposed reasons including underexposure to the sun, use of sun blocks, suboptimal levels of vitamin D in the diet and obesity (9). Vitamin D is incredibly important in the body and has even been linked to reduced risk of bone diseases, cancers (23-25) and muscle weakness. It is believed to have a link to multiple sclerosis (26,27), type 1 diabetes (28) and even may have performance enhancement benefits for sport (29). For more information about the health benefits of vitamin D check out this link. ( http://www.thorne.com/altmedrev/.fulltext/10/2/94.PDF )
Unfortunately, due to getting less Vitamin D in our diets and underexposure to the sun our vitamin D levels have declined in recent years (9). Keep in mind that as much as 50% of the population appears to be deficient in Vitamin D (9) and it may appear wise to seek out additional sources of vitamin D in the diet. Vitamin D is found in very few sources of food, the main reason why we fortify our foods with it. The best sources of dietary vitamin D are from liver, especially fish liver and other fatty fish (30).

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is another useful compound that is only really found in a few select food sources including animal liver and heart. Coenzyme Q10 has been found to be helpful in reducing hypertension, heart failure, as well as decreasing your risk of atherosclerosis after a recent heart attack (11, 12, 13). Your body naturally produces CoQ10, but its ability to produce it declines with age (as your risk for heart disease rises). Another interesting factoid is that statin drugs inhibit your body’s ability to produce CoQ10 by inhibiting the same pathway used by the body to produce cholesterol (10). Given the prevalence of statin drugs being used in the US it might be
prudent to add some of this nutrient to our diet.

Liver, especially fish liver is particularly high in essential fatty acids like Omega 3. Omega-3 fatty acids are discussed in detail in part 3. I guess grandma was right about eating liver. I personally really enjoy liverwurst and braunschweiger from US Wellness Meats. Its a delicious and easy way to get this health food into your diet. For ordering information click the banner at the top right of my page.



4. Grass-fed / pastured meats are higher in vitamins and antioxidants

Grass fed beef has been shown to contain higher levels of vitamin A and E as well as the antioxidants glutathione and Super Oxide Dismutase. This study (14) provides evidence that 50% of the US population gets less then 50% of the RDA for vitamin A. By the way, vitamin A and E are found in large amounts in liver, pate anyone?

Research shows that there is up 3 times more alpha tocopherol and 7 times more beta carotene in grass fed beef then grain fed (5). Beta carotene is a precursor to vitamin A in the human body and alpha-tocopherol is a heavily researched form of vitamin E. Beta Carotene is also a well studied antioxidant. If you are afraid to consume meat because of some of the proposed deleterious effects and decide to supplement with vitamins A and E instead you may want to rethink that idea. An article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (16) looked at 68 randomized trials and 230,000 participants to take a look at the effect of supplemental beta-carotene, vitamin A and E on mortality (deaths). Unfortunately, the usage of vitamin A and E supplements significantly correlated with increased mortality (16)! This means that taking long term vitamin A and E supplements may lead to death earlier then without it. Utilizing supplemental vitamin A and E products may not be advantageous, but we still need vitamin A and E in our diets. Eating whole foods from sources such as animal products seems to fit the bill here.
Another reason to get your nutrition from whole foods, ie: vegetables, fruits and pastured animal products come from a 2009 article from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. (17). They offer the concept of food synergy. In other words we don’t completely understand the complex interaction of nutrients contained in food once they enter the body to be digested (17). The nutrient mixture found in whole foods appears to have benefits above and beyond single nutrient supplementation that in many cases is not fully understood yet.

With all the information that has been presented in this article as well as the health benefits vitamins and minerals have in the human body it makes sense that a multi-vitamin would be essential to optimal health right? Well maybe not (18). In a 2009 study from the Archives of Internal Medicine following 160,000 post menopausal women over 8 years, multivitamin supplementation had little to no influences over common cancers (breast, ovarian, endometrial, colorectal, lung), cardiovascular disease, heart attack, stroke and all cause mortality (18).
Supplementation may not be the best way to get the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that our bodies need. Maybe we should just be eating high quality real food to achieve optimal health?

Stay tuned for 3rd and thrilling final post next monday! Thanks for reading.

6 Reasons to Eat Grass-Fed, Pastured and Wild Animal Products over their Grain-Fed Brethren: A Case for Eating Healthy Animal Products: Part 1

Since I got so excited and wrote so much about this super interesting topic, I've broken this into 3 sections, that I'll be posting over the next few weeks. I'll also attach a cliffnotes version at the top of each post because well, this thing is long and I want you all to get the information


Cliffnotes:

1. Grass fed beef contains up to 5 times more CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) then grain fed beef.
- CLA has been shown to reduce your risk of heart disease, decrease body fat in obese individuals and has been linked to a reduced chance of acquiring breast cancer (1).

2. Grass fed beef and dairy as well as pastured hen’s eggs contain more omega-3 fatty acids then its grain fed counterpart (3).
- Grass-fed beef has more Omega-3 fatty acids
- Grass-fed beef has a better ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6 fatty acids
- Animal sources of Omega-3 have readily available EPA and DHA
- Wild caught fish is great for you, regardless of mercury content
- Eating fish is better then taking supplemental Omega-3
- Farm raised fish contains very high levels of PCBs and are not as nutritious as wild caught


I often hear how popular vegetarian diets are for getting healthy and living longer. They generally equate the lack of animal products as one of the major reasons why their diets are so superior. I have absolutely no problem with vegetables and fruits, they have incredible health benefits. I’m all for them, but hey, I’m an avid meat head / meat eater extraordinaire so I have difficulty believing the hype about meat being bad. Anyway, as a true scientist you can’t be biased one way or another without proper evidence right? We need to be in search of the TRUTH! What is the best way to eat?

The hell if I know.

However, I think our approach to nutrition is not entirely fair. A lot of research is misinterpreted, certain companies begin marketing the heck out of a product and all of the sudden the consumer is duped into believing that Rice Crispies will help us lose weight. (But hey, give it a shot and let me know) We need to have an unbiased research based approach to nutrition.

There are a few ways where I believe we have gone wrong with conventional wisdom in regards to animal products (you know, beef, eggs, dairy). Without getting too far into the history, and boring you with the details, we’ve come to demonize saturated fat and cholesterol as heart disease causing rubbish. Animal products are laden with this stuff. Therefore the idea that meat = heart disease and premature death. Makes sense right? I’m not too sure…

I’d like to provide some interesting research that shows that a lot of these animal products have some very interesting health benefits that fly directly in the face of our current conventional wisdom. I believe as consumers it is our job to read the research and determine what is healthy and what isn’t. I want you to have the power of knowing for yourself which foods are healthy.

One very important thing to understand is the difference between animals that eat what they were meant to eat and those that were fed a cheap grain based diet. Unfortunately grain fed makes up the majority of animal products in the supermarket. What we eat has a direct impact on our health. Here are my top reasons to eat grass fed or pastured meat products.


1. Grass fed beef contains up to 5 times more CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) then grain fed beef.

Why is this important? CLA is a naturally occurring fatty acid found in meat and milk. CLA has been shown to reduce your risk of heart disease, decrease body fat in obese individuals and has been linked to a reduced chance of acquiring breast cancer (1). CLA has also been shown to reduce tumor growth in rats when it is present in small amounts in the diet. (2) Heart disease and cancers are two of the top killers in the United States. If we can decrease deaths in this area we’d really be helping ourselves out. Cheese and milk for the win!


2. Grass fed beef and dairy as well as pastured hen’s eggs contain more omega-3 fatty acids then its grain fed counterpart (3).

Omega-3 fatty acids have gotten a lot of media attention lately and are associated with a myriad of health benefits. Some benefits include a decreased risk of heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, renal disease, ulcerative colitis, COPD and Chrohn’s disease. I won’t bore you all with the details but if you’re interested take a look at this big old study. Its a definitive guide to the benefits of fish oil. http://www.ajcn.org/content/70/3/560S.full.pdf+html

Grass fed beef contains much more omega-3 fatty acid than grain fed beef (5). Human beings are also meant to consume a specific ratio of omega-3 fatty acids to omega-6 fatty acids. The typical American diet is currently consuming somewhere between 1 to 11 and 1 to 30 (omega-3 to omega-6) and this is hypothesized to be a major cause of modern illness (4). A healthy intake of omega-3 to omega-6 should be somewhere between 1 to 2 and 1 to 4 parts omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids. Grass fed beef has a fatty acid profile of about 1 to 1.5 whereas grain fed beef is closer to 1:7.6 (5).

You can obtain Omega-3 from plant sources (flax, hemp) but they must first be converted to their active components EPA and DHA in the body. Unfortunately plant sources of Omega-3 convert very poorly to the usable forms EPA and DHA in the body. EPA and DHA is readily found in animal products, making them a superior source of omega-3s.

One of the best sources of omega three fatty acids is wild caught fish (5). Some people are afraid to eat fish because of a fear of mercury. However, eating fish is so beneficial it trumps the potential problems associated with mercury consumption. The FDA makes a very interesting argument that eating fish is a whole lot safer for you then not eating fish (6). The risk of succumbing to a disease by not eating fish is actually greater then eating the mercury that accompanies fish (6). Also, the literature shows us that eating fish is more beneficial then taking a fish oil supplement in raising our body‘s omega 3 levels. (7). So go eat some fish.

Just be aware that farm raised fish do not have the same nutritional value as wild caught fish in the same way that grass fed beef differs from grain fed beef. Also, in July 2003 the Environmental Working group reported that farm raised fish contains 16 times more PCBs then the wild caught variety. The environmental protection agency states that PCBs can cause cancer, reproductive and neurological problems, among other things. More information on PCBs can be found here -http://www.epa.gov/osw/hazard/tsd/pcbs/pubs/effects.htm

All resources are found in a seperate post. Stay tuned next Monday for part 2!

If anyone gets interested in buying grass-fed beef there is a great company called US Wellness Meats that sells grass-fed meat and other healthy animal products. You can click the banner in the upper right corner of my blog to get some. This is where I get most of my meat. The food quality and customer service is great.

6 Reasons to Eat Grass-Fed, Pastured and Wild Animal Products over their Grain-Fed Brethren: A Case for Eating Healthy Animal Products: Resources

Resources:

1. Aro A., S. Mannisto, I. Salminen, M. L. Ovaskainen, V. Kataja, and M. Uusitupa. "Inverse Association between Dietary and Serum Conjugated Linoleic Acid and Risk of Breast Cancer in Postmenopausal Women." Nutr Cancer 38, no. 2 (2000): 151-7.)

2. C, J.A. Scimeca, et al. (1994) "Conjugated linoleic acid. A powerful anti-carcinogen from animal fat sources." p. 1053. Cancer 74(3 suppl):1050-4.

3. C. J., R.Sanz Arias, A.I. Rey, A. Castano, B. Isabel, J. Thos (1998). "Effect of free-range feeding on omega-3 fatty acids and alpha-tocopherol content and oxidative stability of eggs." Animal Feed Science and Technology 72: 33-40.

4. Simopoulos A: Omega-3 fatty acids in health and disease and in growth and development. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1991, 54:438-63

5. Daley C., Abbot A., Doyle P., Nader G., Larson S. A review of fatty acid profiles and antioxidant contant in grass-fed and grain-fed beef. Nutrition Journal 2010

6. http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/Product-SpecificInformation/Seafood/FoodbornePathogensContaminants/Methylmercury/ucm088794.htm#execsum

7. Visioli F, Rise P, Barassi MC, et al, Dietary intake of fish vs. formulations leads to higher plasma concentrations of n-3 fatty acids. Lipids. 2003 Apr;38(4):415-8.

8. Penumarthy L., Oehme FW., Hayes RH. Lead, Cadmium, and Mercury tissue residues in healthy swine, cattle, dogs, and horses from the Midwestern United States Archive of Contamination Toxicology 1980:9(2):193-206

9. Looker AC., Pfeiffer CM., Lacher DA., Schleicher RL., Picciano MF., Yetley EA. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D status of the US population: 1988-1994 compared with 2000-2004. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2008;88:1519-27.

10. UC San Diego First Comprehensive Paper on Statins’ Adverse Effects Released (January 29, 2009) http://health.ucsd.edu/news/2009/Pages/1-29-statin-study.aspx (Accessed 12/2/2011)

11. Rosenfeldt FL., Haas SJ., Krum H., Hadj k., Leong J-Y., Watts G F. Coenzyme Q10 in the treatment of hypertension: a meta analysis of the clinical trials. Journal of Human Hypertension. April 2007:21, 297-306 doi:10.1038/sj.jhh.1002138

12. Pepe S., Marasco SF., Haas SJ., Sheeran FL., Krum H., Rosenfeldt., Coenzyme Q10 in cardiovascular Disease. Mitochondrion 2007 Jun;7 Suppl:S154-167: Epub 2007 Mar 16.

13. Singh et al. 2003 Effect of Coenzyme Q10 on risk of Atherosclerosis in patients with recent Myocardial Infarction. Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry 246: 75-82, 2003

14. Dixon LB, Winkleby MA, Radimer KL. Dietary Intakes and Serum Nutrients Differ between Adults from Food-Insufficient and Food-Sufficient Families: Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-1994. J Nutr. 2001 Apr;131(4):1232-46.

15. Huang et al. The efficacy and safety of multivitamin and mineral supplement use to prevent cancer and chronic disease in adults: A systematic review for a national institutes of health state of the science conference. Annals of Internal Medicine 2006;145:372-385

16. Bjelakovic et al. Mortality in Randomized Trials of Antioxidant Supplements for Primary and Secondary Prevention: Systematic review and meta-analysis. The Journal of the American Medical Association 2007;297(8):842-857. doi: 10.1001/jama.297.8.842

17. Jacobs D., Gross M., Tapsell L. 2009 Food synergy: an operational concept for understanding nutrition. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition May 2009 vol. 89 no. 5 1543S-1548S

18. Neuhouser ML., et al. Multivitamin use and risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease in the Women’s Health Initiative cohorts. Arch Intern Med. 2009 Feb 9;169(3):294-304

19. Siri-Tarino P W, Sun Q, Hu F B, Krauss R M. Meta-Analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2010;91:535–46

20. Mensink RP, Katan MB. Effect of dietary fatty acids on serum lipids and lipoproteins. A meta-analysis of 27 trials. Journal of the American Heart Association Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 1992, 12:911-919doi: 10.1161/01.ATV.12.8.911

21. Geleijnse J M, et al. Dietary Intake of Menaquinone is Associated with a Reduced Risk of Coronary Heart Disease: The Rotterdam Study. The Journal of Nutrition November 1, 2004 vol. 134 no. 11 3100-3105

22. Cockaye S, et al. Vitamin K and the Prevention of Fractures Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Arch Intern Med. 2006;166:1256-1261

23. Garland CF, Garland FC. Do sunlight and vitamin
D reduce the likelihood of colon cancer? Int J
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24. Garland C, Shekelle RB, Barrett-Connor E, et al. Dietary vitamin D and calcium and risk of colorectal cancer: a 19-year prospective study in men. Lancet 1985;1:307-309.

25 . Grant WB. An estimate of premature cancer mortality in the U.S. due to inadequate doses of solar ultraviolet-B radiation. Cancer 2002;94:1867-1875.

26. Goldberg P, Fleming MC, Picard EH. Multiplesclerosis: decreased relapse rate through dietary
supplementation with calcium, magnesium andvitamin D. Med Hypotheses 1986;21:193-200.

27. Hayes CE, Cantorna MT, DeLuca HF. VitaminD and multiple sclerosis. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 1997;216:21-27.

28. Hypponen E, Laara E, Reunanen A, et al. Intake ofvitamin D and risk of type 1 diabetes: a birth-cohort study. Lancet 2001;358:1500-1503.

29. Cannell J J, Hollis B W, Sorenson M B, Taft T N, Anderson J B. Athletic Performance and Vitamin D. American College of Sports Medicine

30. Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Vitamin D. Office of Dietary Supplements http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind#h3

Fun Fact #4 - Meditation reduces stress among other things

Got Stress?

Meditation has been utilized as an effective tool for stress reduction for years.

In addition to stress reduction, meditation has been documented to decrease blood pressure, slow breathing rate, increase oxygen utilization and to have a positive effect on the body's immune system (3).

Meditation and certain Yoga practices have been shown to improve short and long term cardiovascular function (pulse, blood pressure) in healthy individuals (1). It has even been implicated in some studies to increase intelligence (2)

For more information on how to meditate and make it part of your daily practices check out mindfulness meditation by Jon Kabat-zinn. He makes it incredibly easy to use.

Give it a shot!

Resources:

1. Ankad, R B, Herur A, Patil S, Shashikala G V, Chinagudi S. "Effect of short-term Pranayama and Meditation on Cardiovascular Functions in Healthy Individuals" Heart Views. 2011 Apr-Jun 12(2): 58-62

2. R.W. Cranson et al. "Transcendental Meditation and Improved Performance on Intelligence Related Measures: A Longitudinal Study." Personality and Individual Differences 12 (1991), 1105-1116

3. Trivieri, Anderson "Alternative Medicine The Definitive Guide" 2002 Innovision Health Media Inc. Celestial Arts Berkeley, CA:pg 930-931

What I eat on a typical Training Day

8:00am
Bone broth (from sheep bones), Braunschweiger (from US wellness meats, grass-fed, oragnic), Nuts - brazil and almonds (raw and soaked), Raw Whole Milk

10:00 - ½ of this shake
Raw Milk, 2 oranges, 1 banana, strawberries, blueberries, greek yogurt, olive oil

12:00pm
Salad, hummus, 2 hardboiled eggs(from my parent's chickens), homemade dressing

3:30pm - 2nd half of the shake

5:30 - handful of organic raisins

6:00pm - 5 g BCAA while training


7:45pm Handful of organic raisins

8:00pm
Mashed sweet potato and turnip and Kerrygold butter, Asparagus, Brussel sprouts and bacon

10:30pm
4 eggs, hot peppers, mushrooms fried up in coconut oil, 1 avocado, 1 sweet potato

Fun Fact #1

Hey guys,

I wanted to start up a fun fact portion for this blog. Here goes, get excited!

Bone broth (also known as stock) made from animal bones, especially joints contain compounds called glycosaminoglycans(GAG) which support joint health. Some well known GAGs are glucosamine and chondroitin. Give your joints a healthy dose of this good stuff by making yourself some chicken or beef stock.

Here's a link to a recipe.

http://thenourishingcook.com/beef-stock-anyone/

Resources:

Shanahan, Cate Deep Nutrition Lawai, HI:Big Box Books, 2009. Print

How to make a salad

Hey guys. Wanted to show you all how I make greens for myself for the week. I pretty much do this every week with my girlfriend steph and it makes enough salad for both of us to eat once a day for the entire week.

For the Salad:
Romaine Lettuce
Spring Mix
Arugula (when we can find it)
Carrots
Tomato
Onion
Broccoli
Celery

Sometimes I'll get fancy and add things like hummus, nuts, cheese, avocado, hardboiled eggs or some meat but this is usually the base that I begin with each week.

Chop everything up in quantities large enough to enjoy for the entire week and put them in big containers. 7 meals prepared all at once, not bad.

Next is the dressing. For the dressing I use:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
White wine vinegar - I make sure to add more oil then vinegar, otherwise I'm not very specific.
Crushed Black Pepper
Garlic Powder
Oregano
Crushed Red Pepper
Cayenne Pepper

I'd play around with the amounts depending on how much spice you like in your dressings. Just mix this mess up and put it on the salad before you eat it.

Everyone knows how tough it is to get vegetables into their diet. Making salad once per week is pretty easy and keeps you well fed without too much work.

There you go, get your green on.

Well, today I picked up 1/5th of a cow

Time to play, guess what's in these plastic bags?

If you guessed kidneys, heart, tongue, liver and bones you would be correct!

Steph and I purchased 1/5th of a cow from Neptune Farms in Salem County NJ. The cow was organicly raised and 100% pasture fed. I'm pretty excited to get my grub on. We got about 70-75lbs of meat, organs and bones for $364. That comes out to about $5 per pound of good old grub. We get all cuts including about 1/3 ground beef, 1/3 organs and bones and 1/3 steaks and other cuts. Now how do I cook all of this? I'm excited to make some sausage from the organs and some stock from the bones. Seriously guys check out eatwild.com to find some high quality, reasonably priced, locally farmed, environmentally friendly and healthy food!


10/29/2011 - Dynamic Warmup + Overhead Squat and Snatch practice

Glute Ham raises 3 x 10

Hero WOD
3 Handstand Pushups/225lb deadlift x 6/12 pullups/24 double unders x 10 rounds for time.

Finished somewhere between 17 and 18 minutes, I think I remember Khalipa doing this in about 11:30

11/2/11 - Dynamic Warmup and Band X-walks

Deadlifts + 90lbs of chains at the top and 40lbs at the bottom. No belt
135 x 5
225 x 5
325 x 3
375 x 3
405 x 3
425 x 3 - Back rounded a bit at the top and I repositioned and finished it. I need to clean up my technique.

Back Squats
95 x 6
135 x 6
185 x 6
225 x 6
246 x 6 - My focus is on depth and technique. My knees are feeling great so far.

Overhead Squat/Pistols/Bodyweight Squats
95lbs x 10 / 5 per leg / 25 reps
115lbs x 6 / 5 per leg / 25 reps
135lbs x 6 / 5 per leg / 25 reps

11/4/2011 - Dynamic Warmup - forgot to do prehab today

Bench Press - 80-100lbs of chain at the top, 40-50lbs at the bottom.
125 x 5
175 x 5
215 x 3
245 x 1
255 x 1
265 x 1 - Chains are tricky, but fun

2 and 1/2" thick bar Dumbbell Press - A birthday gift from Steph, these things are massive and awesome! I'm very happy to be Dumbbell Pressing again. These were very awkward. I know I'll be pushing big weight again soon. Maybe 140-150lbs per hand?!? I supersetted these with ring pullups and Bicep curls
60lbs x 5
110lbs x 5, 7 - awkward still. Could not get in the correct groove.
90lbs x 17 - better, but not perfect yet.

Ring pullups (focusing on getting my shoulders to touch the rings at the top)
Bodyweight x 10, 10, 10, 8

Rope Low Cable Bicep Curl 3 x 8-12

Intervals of 30 seconds on, 15 seconds off. 4 exercises, 3 rounds
Toes to bar / 30lb DB thruster / Ring Dips / Burpee

The toes to bar bothered my back a bit here even when hammering technique, I think I'll leave these out of my training for now

Good Eats:
8:00 am
Bone Broth
Brazil Nuts
Liverwurst

10:00 - half of my trusty shake
2 bananas
strawberries
blueberries
1/2 can coconut milk
Greek Yogurt
Olive Oil

12:00pm
other half of my shake

3:30pm
2 sweet potatoes
Salad (romaine, arugula, spinach, broccoli, carrots, tomato, olives)
2 hard boiled eggs
Dressing (olive oil, white vinegar, garlic, pepper, oregano, red pepper flakes, cayenne)

6:00 - 10g BCAA

8:00pm
Sweet potato Fries
Roasted broccoli and cauliflour with garlic and olive oil
Steak
Caramelized onions and mushrooms
Lots of manchego and feta cheese

Steph's mom cooked that dinner. I ate like a king.

How to treat Premature Ventricular Contractions (PVC)

I've had a funny heart beat for about 10 years. I've been to the doctor and had many tests performed, EKG, echocardiograph, stress echocardiogram, halter moniter, event recorders, the whole gammit. I'm 25 years old! What could be wrong? I have been told time and time again I am young and have negligible risk for any serious heart problems. However I consistently feel like my heart stops beating for a second and then catches up with a stronger beat and another faster beat following the stronger beat. What gives?

Well in my undergraduate education I had a class on how to interpret an EKG. I described my symptoms to my professor at the time and she was fairly certain that I was experiencing PVCs. They are typically a benign phenomenon and occur in response to stress.

Fast forward a few years and I'm having these PVCs 4 to 10 times per minute. This is bad. It feels terrible . At this point I head back to the cardiologist and get myself an event recorder. Its a pretty cool device that attaches to your chest and reads your heart rhythm for 2 weeks at a time. I go back to the doctor after this and he tells me I'm having PVCs and PACs (similar phenomena) and this is a normal thing. NORMAL?! Come on! My options are either ignoring them or taking a Beta Blocker to rid myself of these. Uhhh....


Since then I've learned a few things that relate to lifestyle and nutrition that can effect PVCs in the body and I've put them in a list:

**Disclaimer: If you think you may be having a heart arrythmia consult your doctor immediately! and ask about these interventions before trying them.

Stress in the main culprit in my PVC activity. When I'm stressed my body responds by tormenting me with PVCs. Here is how I manage my stress with lifestyle changes.

1. Manage the relationships in your life that are stressing you and drop the ones that can't be changed. Recommended Reading: Non-violent Communication by Marshall P. Rosenberg Ph.D.

2. Manage your life! If your job sucks, find a new one or change your attitude. I could go on forever about this but do your best to sit back and ask yourself what you want to get out of life (your career, lifestyle, relationships etc.) and start making progress toward that!

3. Practice Pleasure! This is exactly what it sounds like. Enjoy your life. Engage in activities that are pleasurable. Smile and laugh. Love more.

4. Meditate! Meditation is such a powerful thing that in 1984 the National Institutes of health recommended meditation over prescription drugs as the first treatment for mild hypertension. (1) Transcendental meditation has been found to increase intelligence, creativity,perceptual ability, reduce blood pressure and reduce rates of illness by 50%. (2) Recommended Listening: Guided Mindfullness Meditation practice CDs by Jon Kabat-Zinn

5. Stop drinking and eating foods with caffeine and other stimulants as well as alcohol: Coffee, Green Teas, chocolate, beer, wine, liquor etc. These are notorious for causing PVCs!

6. Get to Sleep! Sleep in a dark room with no light. Use eye shades and ear plugs if you need to. Shoot to be in bed by 10:00PM and sleep until you can wake up feeling rested. Recommended Reading: Lights Out by T.S. Wiley

I don't mean to bash doctors at all they are an integral and incredibly important part of our well being. However they don't specialize in dietary and lifestyle changes. Often times this is the primary cause of our problems in the first place. This means that a pill won't cure the problem, its going to take some work on our part to change our daily habits.

Remember, consult your doctor and then bring these options up with him or her before trying anything here.

Bibliography:
1. D. Goleman. The Meditative Mind (Los Angeles: Jeremy P. tarcher, 1988), 168
2. R.W. Cranson et al. "Transcendental Meditation and Improved Performance on Intelligence Related Measures: A Longitudinal Study" Personality and Individual Differences 12 (1991), 1105-1116

My Grocery list

Haven't posted in a bit. Wanted to give you guys an idea of what I put into my shopping cart on a weekly basis. I like shopping at trader joe's and I do get some select things from Wegman's and a local produce place called produce junction.

Trader Joe's is probably the cheapest place I have been able to find organic products and is a great place to shop for a health conscious individual! Here's what I bought today from trader Joe's.

1. Organic bananas
2. Kerrygold Irish Butter, unsalted(grass-fed)
3. Bacon! (not pasteured though)
4. Eggs - I usually get eggs from my parent's chickens but once in a while I'll get some supplemental eggs here.
5. Dr. Bronner's soap - all organic oils, no strange perfumes or chemicals
6. Cheddar Cheese (grass fed, would be better if it were raw too)
7. Olive oil
8. Organic extra virgin olive oil
9. Organic Garlic'
10. Limes
11. Organic Carrots
12. Avocados
13. Organic Romaine hearts
14. Organic baby spinach
15. Yellow Onions
16. Coconut Milk
17. Organic green tea
18. Organic salsa
19. Gluten free oatmeal
20. Wild caught salmon
21. Organic Broccoli
22. Organic frozen blue berries
23. Organic frozen Strawberries

I try and do organic as much as possible. If I find I can't afford all organic I'll try and follow the dirty dozen (http://www.organic.org/articles/showarticle/article-214)

I recently put an order in for 1/5th of a cow from Neptune Farms in Salem County NJ. This is 70-90lbs of all cuts of meat including organs and bones! I'm pretty pumped about it. The farm is organic and the cows are 100% grass-fed. Going to be sweet.

I also purchase some raw, grass-fed milk from my main man Alvin at Spring Water Farm / Dutch Meadows Organic Dairy in paradise pennsylvania. I buy a bunch of gallons and freeze them and they taste fine after thawing. Contact Alvin at (717) 442-9208.

If you are looking for local, pasteured/grass-fed food try www.eatwild.com. That's where I found Neptune farms. Often times you can get organic/pasteured products much cheaper then you can find them in other places. I found Alvin at http://www.realmilk.com/ You can find other people supplying real milk there as well. Get your health on.

Beefcake Shake

Beefcake Shake

Alright. So I am trying to get more muscular. I’m trying to put on weight. I’m trying to get stronger. It’s hard as heck to eat enough calories per day and cooking takes a long time. I’m a busy man/woman! I’m trying to stay healthy and all the meal replacement powders out there are expensive and taste terrible.

I’ve been toying around with shakes for a long time now. I’m obsessed with staying healthy while trying to get in enough calories to support my caloric needs. All the current meal replacement shakes are loaded with simple carbohydrates even though they state otherwise. They are filled with low quality proteins. (They have historically given me enough gas to fill my car for a week!) They also have plenty of ambiguous ingredients in there that supposedly help me to “GET JACK3D”, “BE HARDCORE” and become “SUPER PUMPED”. They’re also a one way ticket to the diabetes clinic if anyone decides to use them for any significant period of time.

So I made my own shake. Enter the beefcake shake. This shake has plenty of calories, is easy to make, is nice and healthy, and tastes pretty good. Be skinny no more.

Beefcake Shake!

4 Large Bananas

½ cup strawberries

½ can Unsweetened coconut milk (full fat)

3 cups whole milk

2 TBSP red palm oil

10 TBSP olive oil

Ice – as much as ya want

I also add in different fruits from time to time to mix it up. Sometimes I’ll juice some oranges and grapefruits and throw that in there. Very tasty. The shake is just about 3,000 calories so it’s pretty diesel. I don’t want to hear any more excuses out there from anyone who can’t gain any weight. I split this thing up into three meals per day and make sure to keep it refrigerated so it won’t taste like rancid skunk by the end of the day. Coconut milk usually contains guar gum which some people may have problems digesting. If you can’t handle it, either use less of the milk or nix it altogether. As for the milk I use organic, raw, grass fed variety that I get from my man Alvin from an Amish farm in pennsylvania (you can read more about it here, http://realmilk.com/) That is best but if you don’t have the access you can only use good old shoprite brand. Red palm oil has a myriad of health benefits including potent antioxidants, medium chain triglycerides and has antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial properties. Olive oil also has many fantastic benefits.

Instead of the bulk of calories coming from either maltodextrin or dextrose(what most meal replacement powders are made of) they come from fat with a moderate amount of carbohydrates. The source of fat is uber healthy (olive and red palm oil, natural milk and coconut milk) and won’t give you terrible insulin resistance over time with accompanying diabetes (BAD!). Because the bulk of calories comes from fat you won’t end up putting a spare tire around your waste very quickly like most high carbohydrate diets and shakes tend to. Another overlooked property of oils and animal fats is that they contains cholesterol and other building blocks which help make up the hormones in your body to make you stronger (ie: testosterone). I’ve made a boatload of terrible tasting shakes in the past and this one actually tastes pretty good. The red palm oil will make the shake look orange and if you’re scared of the orange you can substitute the palm oil for coconut oil or more olive oil. If you are a strict paleo person then just drop the milk out.

I buy most of the ingredients from the supermarket but I’m pretty picky about getting natural and organic ingredients. You may have to do some shopping around. I also use amazon.com like its my job. They have everything! Goodluck with your future weight training and get your beef on!