No.
This is a U.S. Army-style sit-up. I do sit-ups with my arms folded across my chest, hands on my shoulders
For a couple years I’ve thought that stretching didn’t prevent injuries. Now I’ve got a scientific reference to back up my contention. Also from the abstract:
Strength training reduced sports injuries to less than 1/3 and overuse injuries could be almost halved.
h/t James Steele II
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Posted in Exercise
Tagged exercise, physical activity, sports injuries, stretching
…according to an article at University Herald.
That milk mustache is a tell-tale sign she’s not eating pure paleo
The idea is that nasty bacteria around your gums somehow cause arterial inflammation in your heart arteries, which could lead to heart attacks. I’ve written about this before.
A quote from the article:
The researchers followed 420 adults as part of the Oral Infections and Vascular Disease Epidemiology Study (INVEST), a randomly sampled prospective cohort of Northern Manhattan residents. Participants were examined for periodontal infection. Overall, 5,008 plaque samples were taken from several teeth, beneath the gum, and analyzed for 11 bacterial strains linked to periodontal disease and seven control bacteria. Fluid around the gums was sampled to assess levels of Interleukin-1β, a marker of inflammation. Atherosclerosis in both carotid arteries was measured using high-resolution ultrasound.
Over a median follow-up period of three years, the researchers found that improvement in periodontal health-health of the gums-and a reduction in the proportion of specific bacteria linked to periodontal disease correlated to a slower intima-medial thickness (IMT) progression, and worsening periodontal infections paralleled the progression of IMT. Results were adjusted for potential confounders such as body mass index, cholesterol levels, diabetes, and smoking status.
Thickening of the arterial lining is linked to higher rates of heart attack and stroke.
It remains to be seen whether alteration of gum bacteria and periodontal disease via oral self-care and dental care will reduce cardiovascular risk going forward. Stay tuned.
Posted in Heart Disease, Teeth
Tagged arterial inflammation, atherosclerosis, gums, heart disease, mouth bacteria, oral bacteria, periodontal disease
It’s easier to pop a pill than change your diet, especially if someone else is paying for the pills
Dr. Michael Eades has a recent post on gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and it’s treatment with carbohydrate-restricted eating versus drugs. A quote:
Most people who have GERD, have it for the long term. It’s not something that comes and goes. So these folks go on GERD therapy for the long term, and the most prescribed medications for long-term GERD treatment are PPIs [proton pump inhibitors], which, you now know, keep stomach acid neutralized for the long term, and, as you might imagine, creates a host of problems.
The scientific literature has shown long-term PPI therapy to be related to the following conditions:
Read the rest if you or someone you love has GERD. Acid-reducing Nexium is the second most-prescribed drug (by sales) in the U.S. We have stomach acid for a reason. It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature eliminating it.
Here’s a scientific report supporting Dr. Eades’ clinical experience that carbohydrate restriction helps with GERD. Carbs were reduced to 20 grams a day.
Steve Parker, M.D.
Posted in Low-Carb
Tagged carbohydrate restriction, Dr. Michael Eades, gastroesophageal reflux disease, GERD, low-carb, reflux, stomach acid
As an introduction, he writes…
The canonical Paleolithic diet approach excludes legumes because they were supposedly not part of our ancestral dietary pattern. I’m going to argue here that there is good evidence of widespread legume consumption by hunter-gatherers and archaic humans, and that beans and lentils are therefore an “ancestral” food that falls within the Paleo diet rubric. Many species of edible legumes are common around the globe, including in Africa, and the high calorie and protein content of legume seeds would have made them prime targets for exploitation by ancestral humans after the development of cooking.
Richard Wrangham thinks hominins started cooking with fire as long as 1.8 million years ago. There’s no expert consensus yet.
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Posted in Paleo Diet, Paleo Theory
Tagged beans, caveman diet, legumes, paleo diet, Richard Wrangham, Stephan Guyenet
…and that condition underlies most heart attacks, strokes, and poor circulation to limbs. Here’s the conclusion from an abstract:
High-carbohydrate diets, particularly in the form of high-glycemic index carbohydrate, have the ability to directly induce atherosclerosis. Based on anthropologic facts, the reason for these dietary-induced, insulin-mediated, atherogenic metabolic perturbations are suggested to be an insufficient adaptation to starch and sugars during human evolution. Restriction of insulinogenic food (starch and sugars) may help to prevent the development of atherosclerosis, one of the most common and costliest human diseases.
This treadmill stress test is looking for atherosclerotic heart disease, aka coronary artery disease and coronary heart disease
The article was published in 2006. In 2007, Harvard’s Dr. Frank Hu was singing the same tune about carbohydrates. Jenny Brand-Miller and associates implicate high-glycemic-index carbohydrates as a cause of atherosclerotic heart disease in women, but I don’t recall any similar evidence in men. Yet.
I know many diabetics hate to cut dietary carbohydrates. If this new theory of atherosclerosis pans out, maybe carb restriction will be easier to stomach.
h/t Mangan
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Posted in Heart Disease
Tagged atherosclerosis, carbohydrates, coronary heart disease, Frank Hu, Jenny Brand-Miller
Ready to roll up and eat
BLT = bacon, lettuce, and tomato.
As I’ve written before, bacon isn’t a pure paleo food. Cavemen didn’t eat it. It’s too highly processed. You could make your own if you want. But bacon is convenient and no doubt better for you—at least if you have diabetes—than many of our traditional breakfast foods like cereal with milk, pancakes, instant oatmeal, bagels, or donuts. Those could shoot your blood sugar up to the moon.
Some studies link processed meats with cardiovascular disease and cancer, other studies don’t. If you want to be cautious with your health, don’t go hog-wild with bacon or other processed meats like hot dogs, bologna, and liverwurst.
Avocados come in hundreds of varieties. In the U.S., we mainly have California avocados (aka Hass) and Florida avocados. Californians are by far the market leader. They reign at the Parker Compound.
California or Hass avocado
Florida avocado
California avocados are smaller dark green lumpy-skinned ones. Florida avocados are larger, smoother-skinned, and lighter green. Monica Reinagel has an article comparing the two, with notes on ripening and storage.
Oh, and by the way, avocados are fruits, not vegetables. But you knew that, you smartie.
Ingredients:
1 California (Hass) avocado, raw, medium size (about 4 x 2.5 inches or 10 x 6 cm), peeled and seeded, cut into long strips
6 bacon strips, medium thickness
4 oz (115 g) lettuce (e.g., iceberg, romaine, bibb, or broad-leaf lettuce you prefer)
4 oz (115 g) tomato, raw (this is about one-and-a half roma tomatoes or one medium regular tomato), cut into long strips
1 oz (30 g) pecans (option: substitute your favorite tree nut except for cashews—too many carbs)
Instructions:
Fry your bacon in a skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Next you’re gong to build two wraps. Lay out about two oz ( g) of lettuce and load it with three bacon strips, half your tomato, and half your avocado. Fold or wrap lettuce edges together and enjoy. Repeat with remaining ingredients. The pecans are for dessert.
Our vicious guard dogs waiting for bacon
Number of Servings: 1 (that’s 2 wraps plus nuts)
Nutritional Analysis:
74% fat
12% carbohydrate
14% protein
720 calories
24 g carbohydrate
15 g fiber
9 g digestible carbohydrate
1137 mg sodium
1507 mg potassium
Prominent features: Good source of fiber, sodium, protein, vitamin B6, niacin, thiamine, pantothenic acid, copper, manganese, phosphorus, and selenium.
Posted in Recipes
Tagged avocado, bacon, BLT Avocado Wraps, low-carb, paleo diet, Paleobetic Diet
It looks more appealing if you use green and red bell peppers
My earliest recollection of fajitas is from Austin, Texas, in 1981. I had just moved there from Oklahoma City to start my internship and residency in Internal Medicine. Back then fajitas were made with skirt steak, the diaphragm of a cow or steer. It was considered a cheap low-quality cut of meat. You can also make fajitas with chicken. The contents of a fajita are wrapped in a tortilla usually made with flour. Since we’re a paleo crowd, we’ll skip the tortilla. Use lettuce as a wrapper if you wish.
I wonder if the El Azteca Restaurant is still in business. Best Mexican food I ever had. I think it was on 6th Street or so, about 3/4 mile east of I-35. Good times.
By the way, the j in fajita is pronounced “h.” Accent on second syllable. “Fuh-HEET-uh.”
Today we’re using chicken and making four servings
Pre-cut chicken breasts and sweet mini-peppers
Ingredients:
1 lb (454 kg) chicken breast, raw, boneless and skinless, cut in strips about 1/4-inch wide (you can often buy it this way)
7 oz onion, raw, cut in long crescent shapes about a 1/4-inch wide (0.6 cm)
6 oz (170 g) bell pepper, raw, cut in long strips roughly a 1/4-inch wide (these are also called sweet peppers; a combination of the red and green ones is eye-pleasing)
2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
5 or 6 oz (155 g) tomato, raw, cut in long strips
1 tsp (5 ml) salt
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) pepper
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) chili powder
1 tsp (5 ml) parsley flakes
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) oregano leaves
1 pinch of cumin
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) paprika
(Optional: You could replace all these spices with a 1-oz (28 g) pack of Lawry’s Chicken Fajitas Spices & Seasoning. The sodium and potassium values below would be different.)
1/3 cup (80 ml) water
16 oz (454 g) lettuce (e.g., iceberg, romaine, or bibb)
4 oz (113 g) walnuts
4 pears, small (about 1/3 lb or 150 g each))
Instructions:
Add the onions, peppers, and 1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil to a 12-inch (30 cm) skillet and cook at medium-high heat until tender, stirring occasionally. This’ll take about 10 minutes. Set the skillet contents aside.
This is double the recipe amount since there are six humanoids in my household
The vegetables reduce volume by half while cooking
In the same pan, add 1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil and the chicken and cook at medium to medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until chicken is thoroughly cooked. For me, this cooked quicker than the vegetables. But don’t overcook or the chicken will get tough. Then add the water and all the spices. Bring to a boil while stirring occasionally, then simmer on low heat a few minutes. This is your fajita filling.
My original plan was to make “fajita wraps,” wrapping the cooked fajitas into a large leaf of iceberg lettuce. This was pretty messy, especially since I love the sauce in the bottom of the pan. I tried two leafs as a base: still messy. Finally I just made a bed of lettuce (4 oz) and loaded the fajita concoction right on top. Mess gone. Try a different lettuce? Skip the lettuce entirely and you can reduce digestible carb count in each serving by 2 grams.
Enjoy the walnuts and pear with your meal.
Leftovers taste just as good as fresh-cooked, perhaps even better.
I have another fajita recipe using skirt steak marinated in commercial Zesty Italian Dressing in the refrigerator overnight or for at least four hours. Grill it over coals outside. Yum! I don’t recall whether I added lemon juice to the marinade or squirted it on the meat just before serving. You would just cook the onions and peppers on a pan on the stove as above, with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with a margarita and I’ll make you an honorary Texan.
Number of servings: 4
Serving size: A cup (240 ml) of the fajita mixture, 4 oz (113 g) lettuce, 1 oz (28 g) walnuts, 1 small pear. One cup makes two lettuce wraps.
Nutritional Analysis Per Serving:
48% fat
26% carbohydrate
26% protein
Calories: 514
37 g carbohydrate
10 g fiber
27 g digestible carbohydrate (25 g if you skip the lettuce)
928 mg sodium
904 mg potassium
Prominent features: Rich in protein, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin C,copper, iron, manganese, niacin, phosphorus, and selenium.
Another view, prior to rolling it up (wrapping)
Posted in Recipes
Tagged Austin, chicken, diabetes, fajitas, low-carb, onions, Paleobetic Diet, sweet peppers
Sirloin steak, salad, cantaloupe, raspberries (on the Paleobetic Diet)
Or paleo-ish anyway.
Most diabetics eating paleo-style need to know how may grams of digestible carbohydrate they’re eating. Their blood sugars will go too high if they eat too many carbs. “Too many” varies from one person to another. Additional nutrient numbers are just icing on the cake. (Oops! Not a good metaphor for a Stone Age diet website.) Other than this site, I’ve only found three other sites that divulge basic nutritional analysis of their free recipes. Several sites listed are primarily low-carb, so you have to see if the recipe you’re interested in fits your definition of paleo.
Before you go, I just want you to consider financially supporting the owners and writers at the following sites. Many of them have books or services for sale. Some have a Donate button. If they can’t bring home the bacon, the websites go down and the recipes go bye-bye.
Recipes With Nutritional Analysis
Hold the Toast (I bet Dana Carpender’s “500 Paleo Recipes” book provides basic nutrient analysis.)
More Recipes (You can do your own nutritional analysis at places like Fitday.)
Julianne’s Paleo & Zone Nutrition (see drop-down menu under Paleo Links, Recipes, and Meals tab)
Everyday Paleo (see drop-down menu under Food tab)
Happy hunting!
Steve Parker, M.D.
Comments Off on Free Online Paleo Recipes
Posted in Diabetic Diet, Paleo Diet
Tagged caveman diet, Dana Carpender, Julianne Taylor, Loren Cordain, Melissa Joulwan, Michelle Tam, Nell Stephenson, NomNom Paleo, paleo diet, Paleoista, paleolithic diet, Paul Jaminet, Sarah Fragoso, Sebastien Noel, Steve Cooksey, Stone Age diet
…according to an article at Diabetes Care.
Visit the Linus Pauling Institute for dietary sources of magnesium. It remains to be seen, however, whether purposefully increasing your magnesium consumption via food or supplements will prevent diabetes.
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Posted in Causes of Diabetes
Tagged magnesium, type 2 diabetes
The beaming smiles of gold-medal winners Usain Bolt, Jessica Ennis-Hill and Mo Farah are some of the defining memories of London 2012.
But a team at University College London says many competitors had dental problems.
“Our data and other studies suggest that, for a similar age profile, the oral health of athletes is poor. It’s quite striking,” said lead researcher Prof Ian Needleman.
He said eating large amounts of carbohydrates regularly, including sugary energy drinks, was damaging teeth.
Impaired immune system function associated with hard training may also play a role.
Many, if not most, high-level athletes think high carbohydrate consumption is necessary for optimal performance. They should know better than I. For their sake, I hope meticulous oral care—brushing, flossing, professional cleaning—helps preserve dental health.
Cross-section of a tooth
Comments Off on Carb-Craving Olympians Have the Teeth To Prove It
Posted in Teeth
Tagged athletes, carbohydrates, Olympians, oral health
Click pic to purchase book at Amazon.com. E-book versions also available at Smashwords.com.
Diabetic Mediterranean Diet Advanced Mediterranean Life
Paleo Diabetic 