Paleo Is The Way To Go...

Weight: 214.2

I didn't eat anything till I got hom from work last night.

Dinner consisted of 2 cans of tuna, 1 1/2 avacados, diced onion, diced tomato, diced jalepeno, minced garlic and spices made into a "tuna salad".  I used cabbage leaves as "edible spoons" to eat the tuna salad.  I could only eat about 1/2 of it and gave the rest to my daughter.

I also made a bowl of steamed veggies--broccoli, brussel sprouts and onions.  I put ghee and coconut oil on it and sprinkled garlic salt on it.  I ate about 1/2 of it and gave the rest to my daughter.

I also ate a whole canteloupe--small, but I did eat the whole thing.

I drank two 32oz of Bengal Spice tea with a little stevia and another 32oz bottle of lemon water.

Aside from that, I spent most of the evening relaxing, playing a game on my computer and watching a movie.  I haven't had a relaxing night in a long time...

Add Years to Your Life

Ways to Add Years to Your Life

We've been told that the only sure things are death and taxes. But just as creative accountants have helped many men triumph over their 1040s, we can help you outrun the reaper. Maybe it's a game you can't ultimately win. But by following these tips, you can send it into overtime.

Drink 5 8-Ounce Glasses of Water a Day
Scientists at Loma Linda University found that men who drank this amount of H2O were 54 percent less likely to suffer a fatal heart attack than those who drank two glasses or less daily.
(Add lemon and/or ice if you have trouble drinking that much plain water.)

Take a Laugh Break
Watching 15 minutes of funny video can improve bloodflow to your heart by 50 percent, report researchers at the University of Maryland. "This may reduce blood-clot formation, cholesterol deposition, and inflammation," says study author Michael Miller, M.D.

Don't Go to Work Sick
Over a 3-year period, men who clocked in despite feeling under the weather had double the heart-attack risk of guys who stayed in bed, according to a U.K. study.

Put Out the Fire in Your Chest
Untreated heartburn can lead to a heart attack, according to a study in the International Journal of Cardiology. Scientists discovered that as acid levels in the esophagus rise, the incidence of blocked bloodflow to the heart also rises by 20 percent. A natural remedy: Analyze your diet. Don't make a habit of drinking wine, juice, or carbonated beverages, all of which are highly acidic and may trigger heartburn, say South Carolina researchers.

Indulge Your Chocolate Craving
In a 15-year study, Dutch scientists determined that men who ate just 4 grams of cocoa a day had half the risk of dying from heart disease than those who ate less. That's the equivalent of two 25-calorie Hershey's Kisses -- an amount that can fit into any diet.
(Just be aware that it's *dark chocolate* with *almost no sugar* that helps.  Milk chocolate or highly sweet chocolate is extremely damaging -- as noted below in the "avoid sugar" entry.)

Say No to Froot Loops
In a review of 53 studies, Australian researchers found that regularly eating cereal made from refined grains raises insulin and C-reactive protein, and lowers good cholesterol -- all factors that boost your odds of developing heart disease. A better choice for your morning bowl: Post Shredded Wheat cereal, which is made from 100 percent whole grains and contains no sugar.
(Sugar is what fat is made from. Carbohydrates is what the body uses to put fat on your body. Low carb, high fat, high protein diets are where you need to look for good, sustainable health.)

Take a Magnesium Supplement
Over an 18-year period, French researchers determined that men with the highest blood levels of magnesium are 40 percent less likely to die of any cause than those with the lowest levels. Magnesium can make multivitamins too bulky, so add a 250 milligram (mg) pill from iherb.com or GNC to your daily regimen.
(I use "Natural Calm" -- which is a "fizzy drink" -- which also helps me down those glasses of water...)

Burn 1,100 Calories a Week
Duke University scientists discovered that this amount of exercise prevents the accumulation of visceral adipose tissue -- the dangerous belly fat that causes arterial inflammation and hypertension. Falling short? Join a league: A recent British Medical Journal study reported that people who exercised in groups boosted their average calorie burn by 500 a week.

Take a Daily Multivitamin
Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley discovered that this helps prevent the DNA damage that causes cancer. We like Centrum Silver.
(I take a lot more than just a daily multivitamin...)

Hit the Weights
University of Michigan scientists found that men who completed three total-body weight workouts a week for 2 months lowered their diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) by an average of eight points. That's enough to reduce the risk of stroke by 40 percent and heart attack by 15 percent.

Set a 3-Drink Limit
Harvard researchers determined that downing more than three drinks in a 24-hour period increases your risk of atrial fibrillation, a condition that may boost your odds of a stroke fivefold during that time. An important note: When the average man pours himself a glass of wine, it's typically twice the size of a standard drink (4 ounces), report researchers at Duke University.
(Two drinks should be the limit for men--and one for women and men over 45.)

Plop an Alka-Seltzer . . .
If you think you're having a heart attack. It contains 325 milligrams of aspirin, the same as a regular aspirin, and begins fighting blood clots almost 3 minutes faster than a pill, according to a study in Thrombosis Research.

. . . and Call a Ride
Walk-in patients wait almost twice as long in the E.R. as those who arrive by ambulance, according to a University of New Mexico study.

Treat a Killer Bee Sting
You may not know if you're allergic to the venom of a bee, wasp, or hornet until you've already been stung. But if you start to experience the symptoms of a life-threatening reaction -- hives, wheezing, abdominal cramping -- you can save yourself in 3 steps:
Step 1: Call 911.
Step 2: Take a Benadryl.
Step 3: Lie on your back and elevate your legs while you wait for help, says Steven Kernerman, D.O., an allergist at the Spokane Allergy and Asthma Clinic. An allergic reaction can constrict your blood vessels, and our three-step strategy counteracts that by improving bloodflow to your heart.

Eat Produce at Every Meal
If you consume more than five servings of fruits and vegetables per day, you have a 26 percent lower risk of stroke than people who eat fewer than three servings, according to a recent U.K. study.'

Monitor Your Blood Sugar
Johns Hopkins University researchers recently determined that people with the highest blood-sugar levels have twice the risk of heart disease as those with the lowest. A warning sign: fasting blood sugar that's greater than 100 mg per deciliter.

Think Positive
Purdue scientists discovered that constant worrying shortens your life span by 16 years.

Busy Summer

My last weigh in on Sunday was 211.2.  I fasted through Saturday.

I know that my weight on Monday would've been higher--because I had Hooters wings, a dinner at IHOP with my wife and a bunch of fruit.  However, due to remodeling taking place at my house, my scale has vanished...

So, here it is Tuesday and I don't have a lot to report.

Monday evening for dinner, I had some steak, onions, guacamole, steemed broccoli, onions, brussel sprouts and cabbage. 

I've been enjoying some tea with a little stevia in it lately.

I've also been drinking lemon water and add Natural Calm to the water sometimes.

As soon as the scale has been located, I'll weigh in and see how things are going.

I'm currently fasting.  I haven't eaten anything today.  Planning to maintain this for a few days.  Going out of town this coming weekend and I'll break my fast while out.

Day 4, Thursday, July 19

Weight: 215.4

The water weight is pouring off.  Nothing but water (and some lemon juice, pulp and seeds) for the last couple days.  Tuesday I ended up having dinner with my step-dad and thought it impolite not to eat.  Baby-back ribs with broccoli and rice. I avoided bread.  I didn't have dessert. However, later that night I had some sliced tomatoes, canned salmon and guacamole. It was a healthy dinner, but I should've just gone to bed.  I also stayed up way too late that night.

I'm trying to get back to a proper night's sleep. I'm reading a book called "Lights Out" that talks about how important sleep is to good health and fighting obesity. If you want to lose weight, sleep--and at the right time--is more important than exercise.  It probably ties for importance with eating properly.

I can feel a difference in how I think and feel between fasting and eating.  I feel a lot better.  I think more clearly.  I'm less stressed.  I sleep better. 

But why is it that all my cool, creative ideas for making food come to me when I'm fasting! LOL

I'm really trying to crash my weight hard before my trip August 15th.  I am hitting my diet harder than usual for this reason.  I know I'm not going to have much chance to eat properly on the trip. (Not that I couldn't, but that won't want to...)  I'm planning for it to be my "cheat week".  Though I'd still like to avoid sugar.  I have a goal to go at least a year without sugar, and that means January 10, 2013 is the next time I can consume sugar.

Last night I went to the sauna and pool.  I was in the sauna for about 35 minutes (25, then pool for 10, hot tub for 5, then sauna again for 10).  I used to be able to sauna for 30 minutes, cool down for 10 and then do it again for 15 without any issues.  However, it's been awhile and those last few minutes are really hard for me, now.  I have to build up my resistance again. :)

This is the book that I recommend:

http://www.amazon.com/Lights-Out-Sleep-Sugar-Survival/dp/0671038680/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1342707894&sr=8-3&keywords=lights+out

(Note that it is a direct link and there is no commercial gain for me if you decide you're interested.  I don't make money on any kind of suggestions that I make on this blog.  My interest is in freely sharing what I have learned with others--not profiting from them.)

2 Ways to Lose Fat, Only 1 Way to Get Ripped

2 Ways to Lose Fat, Only 1 Way to Get Ripped
by Nate Miyaki – 6/15/2012

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/2_ways_to_lose_fat_only_1_way_to_get_ripped;jsessionid=26D1529CF96FEC8E9D3355B311BF8CF2-mcd01.hydra

It's that time of year, when even the most anti-cosmetic guy thinks a little bit less about his lifting totals and a little bit more about how he looks in his spandex lifting suit.
If that just made you throw up in your mouth, or made you want to punch me in the face, you don't have to keep reading.
Then again, maybe maintaining your functional lean muscle mass and strength while dropping some non-functional fat will allow you to perform better in a lower weight class, thus giving you a competitive advantage.
At the very least, it could help you improve your health profile, prolong your career – and maybe even your life – if that type of insignificant stuff matters to you? Unless of course, you're still just a teenager at heart that thinks immortality awaits everyone.
We're all fighting an uphill battle in Y2K America. Every human being shares a common problem, and current statistics prove only a very small percentage are able to overcome it.

Fat Loss Nemesis

Your biggest enemy in the war against body fat may be the one that you're not even aware of – it is you, or more accurately, your internal instincts.
Make no mistake about it – human beings are preprogrammed to overeat.
There was no portion control for most of our existence. When you had access to food, you ate it, and stocked energy reserves to prepare for times when you didn't have access to it.
Going crazy at an all-you-can-eat buffet is not weakness or a cheap way to bulk up. It's simply a survival instinct. That may be cool during the off-season, but it's a liability when trying to cut the fat.
In an environment where resources are limited, and food is real and scarce, this natural tendency to overeat leads to survival.
In an environment with unlimited access to highly refined, fake foods, it leads to chronic overeating, and the health and body fat struggles associated with living on the wrong side of excess.
I don't care what the ADA says the arbitrary serving size of a bowl of Cocoa Pebbles is (3/4 cup), human instinct dictates it's the whole damn box.
When you combine the natural evolutionary instinct to overeat with the following:

• Refined foods that have weak effects on the hormones that regulate appetite and energy intake.
• Unlimited access to those foods (The 5 AM mocha and muffin run to the 3 AM post-drinking taco truck stop).

You have yourself one big, modern problem – an obese country with biomarkers of health that resemble the zombie apocalypse in an episode of The Walking Dead.
When analyzing the root causes of this problem, it becomes clear there are two different ways you can lose fat and get on the right side of the energy balance equation.

Fast Loss Strategy #1 – The Food Choices Route

I don't want to beat a dead horse. I'd rather indulge my inner Francophone and eat it. I mean, look at the nutrition analysis and essential fatty acid profile of 1 pound of raw horsemeat:

603 calories
97g protein
0g carbohydrate
6.5g saturated fat
7.3g monounsaturated fat
1,632mg omega-3 fatty acids
1,315mg omega-6 fatty acids

But alas, horsemeat is not available in my city yet. I'd have to pull up stakes and move to Quebec and kick it with Coach Thibaudeau. Sadly, that would also require swapping my striped Hotskinz unitard for a throwback Quebec Nordiques jersey. Sorry Thibs, not going to happen.
For now, I'll have to settle for kicking that dead horse one more time.
Improving your food choices is the healthiest and easiest (after a rough transition phase) way to lose fat. It's also the most sustainable approach for the long-term.
If you hate counting calories, calculating macronutrient percentages, measuring and tracking foods, etc., your only choice is to start making better food choices. It's way too instinctual and easy to overeat refined foods.
It's much harder to overeat real foods. I'd argue it's almost impossible. Without any tracking or measuring, I've had female clients struggle to eat 1200 calories a day and male clients had a similar problem getting 2000 calories a day when cutting out all refined foods, and only eating real, natural foods.
They couldn't believe how so much food volume led to so few total calories. That's the beauty of real food.
Here's the thing: fat boys like to eat (they used to call me Baby Sumo, so I'm not trying to be a jerk).
A client of mine called me last night complaining about having to eat too much for dinner. What was on the menu?
It was 3/4 pound of top round steak and 2 pounds of potatoes. Remember, my overall approach is to eat lighter during the day and eat the majority of calories and carbs at night – which allows us, at least once a day, to satisfy that natural urge to feast like a beast.
That's a crap-load of food to eat; yet it's still less than 1500 calories. No late night, starvation-induced binges here.
This guy couldn't lose weight when he was on his ketogenic, unlimited fat diet pouring oils on everything. Why?
Refined oils are much easier to overeat than real food, so he was always in a caloric surplus despite treating carbs like rat poison.
On his new plan, he's lost 50 pounds.

Simple Eating Templates

If you're sedentary, eat like a caveman: animal proteins, vegetables, whole fruits, whole food fats (nuts, shredded coconut, avocado), and muddy pond water.

If you're active, follow the patterns of a Japanese village-style diet, which simply means adding in some low sugar, gluten-free starches to the above caveman diet to support anaerobic training: sweet potatoes, potatoes, or rice.

Now I'm sure I'm going to get some nit-picker saying something like epidemiological research shows no culture has a universal diet and food intake varies across geographical locations, etc. My response?

• When was the last time you got laid? Seriously? And Palmela Handerson doesn't count.
• "Themed" approaches to eating aren't meant to be 100% historically accurate dogmatic scrolls. They're simply educational tools to give people simple templates to remember.

The bottom line is that emphasizing lean proteins, vegetables, whole fruits, whole food fats, and a select few starch foods if you strength train is good advice regardless of historical era or geographical location.

Fat Loss Method #2 – The Portion Control Route

Here's the tough love reality: 90% of the foods available to us these days aren't that great for either body composition or biomarkers of health. That's why people are always shocked, or even offended, when I give my honest opinion about certain food choices.

"Nate, what do you think about this high fiber cereal or low glycemic bread or low-carb chips or pro-biotic yogurt?"

They suck.
If I didn't list it, I don't like it. And the list is relatively small. But remember, I'm not the be-all-end-all of nutrition. To paraphrase the Dude, well, that's just my opinion, man.
And for a lot of people, a full-blown real-foods diet may seem too restrictive or extreme.
There are some people out there who just don't want to eat better, despite their knowledge of the health effects of food. It's mind blowing to me. But I get it at some level – refined foods and sugar have drug-like effects. Like any addict, we scour the earth for justifications for including them into our plans.
Some people just aren't going to give up their cereals, wheat bread sandwiches, fruit juices, high n-6 cooking oils and salad dressings, pastas, etc., no matter what. Fair enough.

Fake Foods and Real Instinct Don't Mix

If you think you can take an instinctual approach to eating while making less-than-ideal food choices, you're in for a rude, belly fat awakening. See beaches and poolsides everywhere.
Because it's so easy to overeat refined foods, you'll have to do the ol' measuring, calorie counting, macro-calculating, and tracking thing if you have any real shot at dropping a visually significant amount of body fat.
My ears are already ringing from all the complaints.
Quit whining. Damn, am I talking to a T-Man or my Auntie? If you don't want to eat real foods, you're going to have to measure your fake foods.
I like to make fat loss as easy as possible for people, but you can't be completely lazy and expect to achieve goals. If you refuse to fight one battle, you're going to have to fight another one. You can't win a war from the sideline.
Besides, all it really takes is one extra step. If you're on a carb-based diet, is it backbreaking to pour your cereal or pasta into a measuring cup first instead of directly into a bowl?
If you're on a low carb, fat-based diet, how hard is it to pour salad dressing into a tablespoon measurer instead of directly onto the salad, or count out twenty-four almonds?
I'll even help you. I have two nuts for you right here for you to get started with.
For most foods, especially the energy nutrients (added fats or carbs) that are the most important to measure, it takes an extra 10 seconds to get an exact measurement, instead of just winging it.

Portion Precision Tactics

Here are some thoughts about how to implement this process in the real world. It's not as hard or inconvenient as you think:

• Buy a couple sets of measuring cups (1/4 cup to 1 cup) and teaspoon/tablespoon measures.
• Use measuring cups as serving spoons instead of traditional serving utensils, particularly for starch foods and added fats like nuts.

There's no need to weigh your meats, poultry, and fish on a scale. Simply buy these foods one pound (16 oz.) at a time and cut them up according to your dietary needs.
If you're supposed to be eating 3 oz. servings cut into 5 pieces, 4 oz. servings = 4 pieces, 5 oz. servings = 3 pieces, 8 oz. servings = 2 pieces. It doesn't have to be exact; we just want the right range. Food scales seem a bit excessive to me.

• Pour oils, dressings, and condiments into teaspoon or tablespoon measures before cooking or topping food.
• When you don't have access to measuring cups and spoons, like eating at a friend's or at a restaurant, you'll have to eyeball portion sizes.

4-6 ounces of meat, poultry, or fish is about the size of the palm of your hand or a deck of cards. 1 cup of starch is about the size of a closed fist or a baseball. 2 tablespoons of dressing is about 2 spoonfuls, or about 1/2 of most of the cups they use for the "dressing on the side."

• No need to measure non-starchy vegetables (broccoli, lettuce, spinach, onions, etc.) unless they're cooked in butter or oil. Plain vegetables are pretty much free foods that can be eaten in unlimited amounts.

Halftime Report

The first half summary is really simple. To lose fat you can either:

1. Make better food choices.
2. Start measuring your crappy food choices.

For health, and overall ease of the program, I prefer route #1. You're always going to be hungry trying to diet on refined foods, and your biomarkers of health probably aren't going to be great either.

The Lethal Combination – The Only Get Ripped Method

Now all of that's for losing some fat – a relatively easy process, right? The problem is with summer coming up, the approaches to just lose some fat start to get marketed as effective approaches to get ripped. I respectfully disagree with that.
Getting ripped is a whole different ballgame in a completely different stadium than just trying to lose some fat and get healthier. It's an athletic endeavor that needs to be treated as such.
The only way I know of for most people to achieve this higher-level goal is to combine fat loss strategies #1 and #2. You must make good choices and measure/track your food intake so you consistently hit targeted calorie and macronutrient numbers.
Extreme fat loss nutrition is all about details – portions and ratios. It's about a well thought-out plan based on science that gives our body exactly what it needs without any excess.
Why do you think there are serving sizes and measuring cups in your Surge® Recovery containers? Because the people that use Surge® are most likely advanced athletes with more advanced goals, not just average goals.
And advanced goals require way more details and precision.

Don't Follow the Exceptions to the Rule

Many fitness professionals proclaim that you don't need to count calories or macronutrients to get ripped. Really? Those are generally the ones who are:

1. Blessed with great genetics, and could do whatever they want and would still be in shape.
2. The drug enhanced, that still have to work hard, but have a lot more leeway than the average dude.
3. Have never been ripped. Trust me, there are plenty of fitness experts, dieticians, and PhD types who write about getting ripped because they know it sells well, but have never successfully gone through the process themselves.

Theory is different from real world application and results. What looks good on the chalkboard doesn't always end up looking good in the streets.
I'm not interested in theory or opinion. I'm interested in real world results. And if you look at the diet plans of the most ripped people on the planet – bodybuilders – you'll see that they all measure their food. Whether they're as natural as grass-fed beef or a Salisbury steak TV Dinner is irrelevant.
Eight ounces of this, 1 cup of that, 2 tbsp., etc., are used for the good food choices that make up the bulk of their diet. If you're serious about reaching elite leanness, follow their example.
Saying you can't learn anything from bodybuilders is just as ignorant as saying you should learn everything from them.
Because of the negative association with the extreme chemical experiments that have become bodybuilding, the industry as a whole seems to have this subconscious need to dissociate from anything related to its core principles. Anything even remotely resembling old school bodybuilding methods gets blasted. This is ridiculous.
The truth is, measuring food is a bodybuilding habit that will serve you well in your get-shredded efforts.

Arguments Against Purely Instinctual Eating

We've used caveman, village, and farmer-style eating as templates to help people lose fat. But these demographics were eating simply to survive.
Modern athletes are eating and training for much more than just the fulfillment of the general life cycle. They're trying to reach the pinnacle of physique development, and "get ripped."
If you want to reach peak condition and ultra-low body fat percentages, then certain sports nutrition principles must creep their way into a 100% natural or instinctual eating plan.
And sports nutrition is all about numbers, calculations, and details.
Look, I get it. I have a genetically elite colleague who is about as honest as it gets, and he always says to me, "People don't get it Nate, I could do anything and be ripped. I don't need to measure anything, especially doughnuts. But that's not what I recommend to other people."
While we'd all like to dream that could be us, and a lot of us use those 'exceptions to the rule' as examples of why we don't need to do certain things, the reality is, it's not.

Simple Summer Shredding Tips

I'd rather go outside and look at some bikini babes than continue writing, so let's wrap this thing up.
Debate could go on forever about what the best plan is to get ripped. Who cares? It all needs to be tested and refined in the real world, for you personally, anyway.
Here's a decent starting point, assuming you strength train 3 or more days a week:

1. 12 calories/pound of lean body mass.
2. 1-1.5 grams of protein/pound of lean body mass.
3. 20% calories dietary fat mostly as byproduct of protein sources and maybe some Flameout™.
4. Remaining calories to carbs.
5. Have a cheat meal/re-feed meal once a week.
6. Choose the meal frequency pattern that's most functional and sustainable for you.
7. Aside from your peri-workout nutrition, I think the easiest plan is to eat lighter during the day and eat the majority of calories and carbs at night.
8. Try measuring your foods and making sure you're consistently hitting the above recommendations before you think you need some crazy, triple-carb rotating, ketogenic cycling diet to get ripped.

Chances are you just need to be better with the basics.
Until next time, enjoy your summer loving! It happens so fast.

Day 2 Back At It

Weight: 217.4

Lemon water with Natural Calm is all I've had to eat all day. 

Today I may have some food because we're being taken out to eat by my step-dad on my late-mom's birthday, so it's a significant event.  Not sure what to expect, but it would be very impolite not to eat something with him.

It's really much easier than I expected.  I have not felt hunger pangs.  In fact, my body is feeling ... relief?  I am already feeling much less stressed and much calmer emotionally.  I'm also experiencing a much better clarity of thought.  My dry skin on my nose is better.  Can all this come from just one day of fasting?  That seems odd. 

Still, I slept much better last night than I have in a long time.

I went to the sauna and swam in the pool last night. 

I'm reading a new book -- "Lights Out" -- chich discusses how bad light pollution is to the human hormone systems.  The fact that we stay up late, with electricity adding hours to each day's total of light tells the human hormone system that it's "summer" which sets in motion specific hormonal reactions--putting on weight for the expected famine (winter), stresses that include a high demand of the mating instinct and since we tend to work more in the summer, the body interprets it as "danger" which urges us on to even more stress. All of this works to put the body into a state of packing on pounds, specifically around the mid-section.

I've been making a point to keep my alarm clock in the bathroom and eliminating all electronic lighting in my bedroom at night. I need to work toward getting room-darkening shades installed, as well.

Last night I slept from about 10am to 7am.  I'm facing a sleep debt because of the weekend.  I'm going to make a special effort to give my body the sleep it needs.

The bottom line of the book is that your body has a specific number of waking hours that you can be alive. Period. You can burn them up by staying up late at night and prematurely aging your body--or you can sleep and extend your life.

Starting Over Again

Weight: 220.2

I'm past the six month mark. I have only maintained 12 pounds off.  However, it's 12 pounds consistently throughout this six months.  Even when I was eating more than I should've and stopped completely keeping track of what I was doing. 

Now I'm starting over.

I'm starting with a fast.  For the next 3 1/2 - 4 weeks, I'll be water-only-fasting and juice-fasting.  I'm starting with a water-only fast.

Things I've noticed that I'm curious to see how they resolve...  The dry skin on the sides of the bridge of my nose is back with a vengeance.  After one day fasting, it's already better.  That's odd.

My body has spent the day "purging"--its the only thing I can think to call it.  I've had to sit on the toilet three times today.  I've peed a lot more than I've taken in. 

I'm planning to go to the RecPlex and do some swimming and sauna tonight.  I'm really curious to see how much water-weight comes off this week.  I'm predicting close to the 10lbs mark in just water weight.

I have  big trip slated for August 10 - 19.  I'm planning to hit my diet hard until then--relax a bit while I'm traveling (still keeping to the paleo lifestyle) and then back at it again on August 20th.

Encouragement would be helpful.  It means a lot to me when I am encouraged and it really helps me keep going when I know there are others who care. :)

Taking a Break...

Summer has kept me very busy.  I'm planning to write more soon.  I have not forgotten nor forsaken this blog.  I'll be starting up again very soon. :)

http://healthland.time.com/2012/07/10/get-up-sitting-less-can-add-years-to-your-life/

Get Up! Sitting Less Can Add Years to Your Life

Whether you exercise every day or not, you still need to cut down the time you spend sitting in a chair

By Alice Park

Sitting for more than three hours a day can cut two years off a person’s life expectancy, even if he or she exercises regularly, a new study finds. Watching TV for more than two hours a day can shorten life expectancy even further, by another 1.4 years.

The findings suggest that when it comes to gleaning health benefits from physical activity, it may not be enough just to get the recommended amount of daily exercise — the government advises about a half-hour of moderate activity a day for adults. But what about the other 23.5 hours of every day? Researchers say it’s important not to spend it sedentary or sitting.

In the same way that both pushing the gas and hitting the brake can adjust the speed of your car, researchers say that physical activity and sedentary behavior independently affect your health and life expectancy. Whether “you’re physically active and meet the exercise guidelines, or if you’re not active,” says Peter Katzmarzyk, professor of epidemiology at Pennington Biomedical Research Center and lead author of the new paper published in the online journal BMJ Open, “sitting is bad.”

Katzmarzyk’s isn’t the first study to document the ill effects of sedentary behavior. An Australian study published last August found that people who watched an average of six hours of TV a day lived 4.8 years less than those who didn’t watch any television; what’s more, every hour of TV that people watched after age 25 was associated with a 22-minute reduction in their life expectancy.

The current analysis differed from previous research in that it took a broader look, calculating the cumulative effect on overall life expectancy of a sedentary population. Recent surveys show that worldwide people spend about 300 minutes, or 20% of their day, sitting; many people spend much longer. Shaving at least a couple of hours off that time — by turning off the computer, TV or other digital media, for example — could add years to life expectancy, the new study suggests.

To gauge the effect of being sedentary, Katzmarzyk and his colleagues pooled data from five studies that asked participants about their sedentary habits, including how much time they spent sitting, watching TV or using the computer screen. The researchers folded in the mortality risk associated with sedentary behavior, and then calculated how many years of life would be gained if these risk factors were removed from life expectancy calculations.

Sitting, it turns out, can shorten life expectancy almost as much as smoking can, which highlights just how damaging inactivity can be, particularly for the heart. “What the results mean is that we got everyone in the U.S. to sit less, our population life expectancy would be two years higher, so instead of living to 78.5, we would be expected to live to 80.5 years old,” says Katzmarzyk. “That’s a really big deal.”

But getting people to spend less time in their chairs isn’t easy, especially for those who work sedentary jobs at an office desk. Even people who meet the government’s exercise guidelines may spend most of the rest of their days parked on a sofa or chair.

You can start by getting up from your chair intermittently at work. Take walks around the hall in your office or try holding walking meetings instead of sitting around a table. Get up to chat with your colleague instead of sending an email. Standing doesn’t take the place of exercise, but it should replace a good chunk of time you spend in your chair. The key is to spend as little time as possible sitting down.

Alice Park is a writer at TIME. Find her on Twitter at @aliceparkny.

Not Fasting...

Weight: 215.4

Well, that was quick! LOL

When I realized that I had some really tasty food that would go bad because I am the only person that would eat it, I postponed my fasting until that is resolved.  That should be this evening. :)

10 Reasons to Quit Coffee

http://drhyman.com/blog/2012/06/13/ten-reasons-to-quit-your-coffee/

1. The caffeine in coffee increases catecholamines, your stress hormones. The stress response elicits cortisol and increases insulin. Insulin increases inflammation and this makes you feel lousy.

2. Habituation to caffeine decreases insulin sensitivity, making it difficult for your cells to respond appropriately to blood sugar. High blood sugar levels lead to arterial deterioration and increased risk of mortality related to cardiovascular disease.

3. Unfiltered coffee has the highest amount of beneficial antioxidants yet also leaks the most diterpenes into your system. These diterpenes have been linked to higher levels of triglycerides, LDL and VLDL levels.

4. The helpful chlorogenic acids which may delay glucose absorption in the intestine have also been shown to increase homocysteine levels- an indicator for increased risk of cardiovascular disease which tends to be elevated in diabesity.

5. The acidity of coffee is associated with digestive discomfort, indigestion, heart burn, GERD and dysbiosis (imbalances in your gut flora).

6. Addiction is often an issue with coffee drinkers and makes it really difficult to rely on the body’s natural source of energy. Ask any coffee drinker about how it feels to withdraw from coffee, and you will mistake their story for that of a drug addict’s…

7. Associative addictions trend with coffee – who doesn’t immediately think of warm, frothy sweet cream and sugar when they picture coffee? Surely the business of coffee has inspired a culture addicted to the sugary, fatty tastes of what has become more of a meal than a drink! That morning latte is the epitome of food lacking nutrition density yet packing energy!

8. 5-HIA, an organic acid and component of the neurotransmitter serotonin ( the happy chemical) seen in the urine tends to be elevated in coffee drinkers which means they may be at risk for lower levels of serotonin synthesis in the brain. Serotonin is necessary for normal sleep, bowel function, mood, and energy levels. It is a vicious cycle as caffeine can disrupt sleep and promote anxiety and depression. We all know someone who tends to be tired, wired and over caffeinated!

9. Elevated urinary excretion of important minerals such as calcium, magnesium and potassium have been noted in coffee drinkers. An imbalance in your electrolyte status can lead to serious systemic complications.

10. Constituents in coffee can interfere with normal drug metabolism and detoxification in the liver making it difficult to regulate the normal detoxification process in the liver. Another issue to be aware of with coffee intake is how certain medications such as levothyroxine (thyroid) as well as tricyclic antidepressants are poorly absorbed, making symptoms curiously worse for patients.

Back to Fasting

Weight: 215.2

It's been a long week.  I was eating paleo.  Over the weekend, I had more fruit than usual. I also had some wine.  And I had some ham and cheese as a snack on the way home yesterday. 

Today, my body has definitely been purging.  I will spare you the details, but many trips to the bathroom today.

I bought the meat from a grass-fed cow.  It's being slaughtered this week.  I have to get another freezer to accommodate it all. 

My new chicks arrived on Thursday and we've lost one to some kind of a leg condition. The others seem strong and healthy.  We're keeping them in the garage, away from the dog. 

I also ordered some Pharoah Coturnix quail.  I'll be raising them and enjoying quail meat and quail eggs in the near future. They are smaller than chickens and mature faster--but they also don't live as long. 

I'm back to fasting.  Water only.  (I've also had some tea--Bengal Spice with a little stevia sweetener in it).  I've already put away nearly 100oz of liquid. There will certainly be more by tonight.

I had to work this past weekend, so I was out of town and still managed to eat decently. I took an electric skillet to the hotel and cooked up a "paleo feast" stir fry.  :) 

Not much more to report at the moment...

9 Disturbing Side Effects of Soda

9 Disturbing Side Effects of Soda

http://www.rodale.com/facts-about-soda?page=0

Need a reason to break your soda addiction? We've got 9, and they're not pretty.

By Emily Main

 

Soda's Bittersweet Side Effects

If you've been reading health magazines and websites for any length of time, you've read a litany of reasons why soda is bad for you. It's nothing but sugar water. It's devoid of any nutritional value. It leads to obesity and diabetes. But we've dug up nine other disturbing facts about what soda does to your body, besides packing on the pounds, that don't get much attention in broader discussions about soda and its impact on your health.

Weird Fat in Weird Places

In the latest bad news for the soda industry, Danish researchers discovered that drinking non-diet soda leads to dramatic increases in fat buildup around your liver and your skeletal muscles, both of which can contribute to insulin resistance and diabetes. The study revealed that people who drank a regular soda every day for six months saw a 132 to 142 percent increase in liver fat, a 117 to 221 percent jump in skeletal fat, and about a 30 percent increase in both triglyceride blood fats and other organ fat. Their consumption also led to an 11 percent increase in cholesterol, compared with the people who drank other beverages such as water or milk.

Diet-Soda Belly

It's not surprising that drinking all the sugar in sodas would cause weight gain, but what is surprising is that even diet soda will pack on the pounds: Researchers from the University of Texas Health Science Center monitored 475 adults for 10 years, and found that those who drank diet soda had a 70 percent increase in waist circumference over the 10-year study, compared with those who didn't drink any soda. Those who drank more than two diet sodas per day saw a 500 percent waist expansion! A separate study the same researchers conducted on mice suggested that it was the aspartame, which raised blood glucose levels, that caused the weight gain; when your liver encounters too much glucose, the excess is converted to body fat.

Caramel Cancer-Causers

In 2011, the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to ban the artificial caramel coloring used to make Coke, Pepsi, and other colas brown. The reason: Two contaminants in the coloring, 2-methylimidazole and 4-methylimidazole, have been found to cause cancer in animals, a threat the group says is unnecessary, considering that the coloring is purely cosmetic. According to California's strict Proposition 65 list of chemicals known to cause cancer, just 16 micrograms per person per day of 4-methylimidazole is enough to pose a cancer threat, and most popular brown colas, both diet and regular, contain 200 micrograms per 20-ounce bottle.

Accelerated Aging

Diet or regular, all colas contain phosphates, or phosphoric acid, a weak acid that gives colas their tangy flavor and improves their shelf life. Although it exists in many whole foods, such as meat, dairy, and nuts, too much phosphoric acid can lead to heart and kidney problems, muscle loss, and osteoporosis, and one study suggests it could trigger accelerated aging. The study, published in a 2010 issue of the FASEB Journal, found that the excessive phosphate levels found in sodas caused lab rats to die a full five weeks earlier than the rats whose diets had more normal phosphate levels—a disturbing trend considering that soda manufacturers have been increasing the levels of phosphoric acid in their products over the past few decades.

Water Pollution

The artificial sweeteners used in diet sodas don't break down in our bodies, nor do wastewater-treatment plants catch them before they enter waterways, researchers have found. In 2009, Swiss scientists tested water samples from wastewater-treatment plants, rivers and lakes in Switzerland and detected levels of acesulfame K, sucralose, and saccharin, all of which are, or have been, used in diet sodas. A recent test of 19 municipal water supplies in the U.S. revealed the presence of sucralose in every one. It's not clear yet what these low levels are doing to people, but past research has found that sucralose in rivers and lakes interferes with some organisms' feeding habits.

Mountain Dew Mind

Dentists have a name for the condition they see in kids who drink too much Mountain Dew. They wind up with a "Mountain Dew Mouth," full of cavities caused by the drink's excessive sugar levels. "Mountain Dew Mind" may be the next medical condition that gets named after the stuff. An ingredient called brominated vegetable oil, or BVO, added to prevent the flavoring from separating from the drink, is an industrial chemical used as a flame retardant in plastics. Also found in other citrus-based soft drinks and sports drinks, the chemical has been known to cause memory loss and nerve disorders when consumed in large quantities. Researchers also suspect that, like brominated flame retardants used in furniture foam, the chemical builds up in body fat, possibly causing behavioral problems, infertility, and lesions on heart muscles over time.

Whacked-Out Hormones

It's not just the soda that's causing all the problems. Nearly all aluminum soda cans are lined with an epoxy resin called bisphenol A (BPA), used to keep the acids in soda from reacting with the metal. BPA is known to interfere with hormones, and has been linked to everything from infertility to obesity and diabetes and some forms of reproductive cancers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have pegged soda cans, along with restaurant, school, and fast-food meals, as a major source of exposure to the chemical. And while Pepsi and Coke are currently locked in a battle to see which company can be the first to develop a 100 percent plant-based-plastic bottle—which they're touting as "BPA free"—neither company is willing to switch to BPA-free aluminum cans.

Dead Birds

Before you switch from cans to bottles, though, take a look at the photographs of Chris Jordan, an environmentalist and photographer who visited the Midway Atoll area in 2009. It's close to the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch," a mass of plastic debris in the Pacific Ocean where things like soda caps (which often aren't recycled) and plastic fish netting float just beneath the surface of the water. Birds, sea turtles, and other wildlife mistake the debris for food and eat large quantities of the plastic, which they are unable to digest. Ultimately, the plastic causes them to starve to death. It's estimated that thousands of animals die this way every year.

Unknown Side Effects of GMOs

Take a look at the ingredients list for any soda and chances are most of those ingredients are derived from corn. As much as 88 percent of the corn grown in the U.S. is genetically modified to resist toxic pesticides or engineered to create pesticides within the plant itself. Thanks to lax government safety regulations, and tight corporate control over who gets to test these proprietary seeds, there are no human studies that can prove or disprove whether these crops are safe. Independent scientists have found that, in animals, genetically modified crops, or GMOs, are linked to digestive tract damage, accelerated aging, and even infertility. By drinking soda, you're taking part in the biggest science experiment on the planet.

The Scary Facts of High-Fructose Corn Syrup

http://health.msn.com/healthy-living/the-common-food-ingredient-thats-making-you-stupid

The Common Food Ingredient That's Making You Stupid

Lab studies show high-fructose corn syrup can actually sabotage your smarts in just 6 weeks.

Leah Zerbe, Rodale

 

Foods that appear to be nutritious could actually be destroying your brainpower. The culprit? A common ingredient slipped into many "healthy" foods, including baby food, applesauce, and oatmeal, a breakfast favorite. Researchers at UCLA found that ingesting foods and drinks containing the ingredient high-fructose corn syrup for just six weeks caused troubling changes in brain function. "Our findings illustrate that what you eat affects how you think," says Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, PhD, a professor of neurosurgery and integrative biology and physiology at UCLA. "Eating a high-fructose diet over the long term alters your brain's ability to learn and remember information."

While high-fructose corn syrup is rampant in soda and candy products, it also hides out in some seemingly innocuous items like bread, juices, ketchup, and instant oatmeal. (Previous studies have found high-fructose corn syrup is sometimes contaminated with mercury.) Most often associated with obesity and diabetes, this latest study, appearing in the Journal of Physiology, shows this industrial food ingredient can harm the brain, too.

This could be leading to an all-out American brain drain, given that the average citizen downs 40 pounds of the ingredient every year.

The Experiment

To find out how high-fructose corn syrup affects brain function, researchers studied two groups of rats: One group downed high-fructose corn syrup in water for six weeks; another dined on high-fructose corn syrup but also received doses of brain-protecting omega-3 fatty acids.

Before their high-fructose corn syrup diet began, the rats were all trained to navigate a maze. After eating the sweetener for six weeks, researchers put the rats to the maze test again. The animals that didn't receive the omega-3 brain protection were slower and experienced problems with brain signaling, which disrupts critical skills like memory and thinking. Researchers also witnessed signs of insulin resistance in the group without omega-3s; this could hamper normal energy processing, which could impact thoughts, emotions, memory, and learning, according to Gomez-Pinilla. "Our study shows that a high-fructose diet harms the brain as well as the body," he adds. "This is something new."

Rules for Avoiding a High-Fructose Corn Syrup-Derived Brain Drain

#1: Eat organic.

If you don't feel like reading fine-print ingredient labels every time you reach for a product in the supermarket, just look for the organic seal. High-fructose corn syrup and many other harmful food additives are banned. And whatever you do, don't ditch real fruit, which contains a natural form of fructose, not the dangerous processed type. "We're not talking about naturally occurring fructose in fruits, which also contain important antioxidants," explains Gomez-Pinilla. "We're concerned about high-fructose corn syrup that is added to manufactured food products as a sweetener and preservative."

#2: Find safer sweet treats.Gomez-Pinilla, a native of Chile and an exercise enthusiast who practices what he preaches, advises people to keep fructose intake to a minimum and swap sugary desserts for fresh berries and Greek yogurt, which he keeps within arm's reach in a small refrigerator in his office. An occasional bar of dark chocolate that hasn't been processed with a lot of extra sweetener is fine, too, he adds.

#3: Eat for brain protection.

Be sure to eat foods containing naturally robust levels of omega-3 fatty acids, especially if you'll be indulging in food containing high-fructose corn syrup. Omega-3 - rich foods include eggs from pastured hens, wild-caught Alaskan salmon, flaxseed, and walnuts. DHA, the type of omega-3 that comes from omega-3 - rich animal products, helps protect against damage to brain synapses. These synapses are critical to tasks like memory and learning--the very functions that high-fructose corn syrup damages.

Stress, Sleep, Cravings, Food, Weight

Weight: 212.2

I ate at a chinese buffet yesterday evening. I ate a lot.  I was wise in my selections and avoided grain and sugars--though I wouldn't be surprised if some of the sauces had sugar in it. I did have a little rice.

I also had a lot of fruit last night after dinner. 

It's been a very stressful weekend--with less sleep than usual.  I've been craving, too. 

I marvel that everytime I think about craving food, feeling the urgency to eat and my weight ticking up coincides with my stress levels and lack of sleep. I have not been relaxing.  I only went to the sauna once last week.

I don't know if I posted here that I've been trying to raise some chicks and my dog got to the chicks while the family was away. She killed them all.  I've ordered new ones.

I'm working tonight to get a more permanent and better protected pen built for the new chicks.

Not sure if I'll have time to sauna.

No food yet today.  Just some lemon water and ice-water.

Might eat tonight.  Might not.  Not sure yet.

Stressful Weekend

Weight: 208.0

Yesterday I was at 208.2 in the morning.  I also had a very stressful day discovering that my dog had killed all the chicks I had been raising.  :'(

With all the stress yesterday, I caved in and ate a big meal: steamed brussel sprouts with onions and cabbage, a big salad with fresh greens and radishes from my garden, baked salmon and roasted green beans/radishes, several table spoons of almond butter, 1/2 a medium sized watermelon, and an orange. 

Lost .2 lbs. O_o

Onward and downward... ;)

Water-only Fasting, Day 4

Weight: 211.2

I went to the RecPlex and sat in the sauna for 30 minutes, cooled down in the pool for 10 minutes and then sat in the suana for another 15 minutes. (30/10/15) It was good to go back.  :)

I'm also involved in a walking competition at the office, so I walked a bunch yesterday. I'm hoping to do a lot more today.  :)

Since Sunday, I've "lost" almost 9lbs.  Mind you, I believe that all of it is water weight and any food still processing through my system. I'm continuing to take Natural Calm, which has a high magnesium content and tends to flush the system, so I'm making regular trips to the toilet. What's leaving my body basically liquid. Who needs a colon cleanse when you can fast and drink Natural Calm? O_o

Yesterday was the worst as far as hunger demands. At about lunch time, I really felt an urge to eat--but very specific things.  I wanted to go to HuHot and enjoy the buffet.  I wanted to go to Schnucks deli and get some grilled salmon.  I wanted fruit.  Oh, how I wanted fruit!  Sitting at my desk, I have a half bottle of almond butter (high protein, good fats) and a six pack of Spicy V8 (high veggie content, some carbs and lots of vitamins/minerals) -- I didn't want those.  So, I determined that I really wasn't "hungry" -- rather, I had *appetite*. 

In our culture, we've commonly mistaken these two things and cured them with one method: eating.

Appetite, however, is very different than hunger.  That gnawing, craving, urging to eat is not "hunger".  It is appetite. It is a desire to satiate the body--to have a full belly, to enjoy the texture of food, to taste the flavors, to smell the scents.  It is very similar to desire, infatuation and lust.  It is a craving and a "perceived need" (actually a "want"). 

Hunger is very different.  It is a need -- not just perceived, but actual -- that your body is lacking in enough fuel and nutrition and without it, your body diminishes. I liken true hunger to true love (as compared to infatuation.  When you encounter someone and you feel that interest in them, they return it and you spend those glorious early days in raptured bliss with one another -- that's infatuation. It's lust.  It's not love.  Love is deep, abiding, long lasting, self-sacrificing (not self-indulgent) -- and, typically, takes awhile to develop.  Years.  (Yes, infaturation can grow into love -- just as appetite can grow into hunger.) Infatuation is a feeling -- love is a need.

I've often heard it said and I agree with it: Infatuation/Lust is a feeling -- Love is an act of the will (a need).

When I have appetite, my body wants, craves, preceives a need, has a longing, misses what it felt before, desire the stimulus of scent, flavor, even the sight of the food. I've been experimenting on myself.  I've been loading up images of food and smelling foods while feeling this appetite. Surprisngly, it is assuaged slightly when I do this.  That's my first clue that what I'm dealing with is more of a feeling and less of a need. After a couple minutes of looking at interesting recipes and smelling some almond butter yesterday, my appetite diminished. Now, if I'd eaten some, I know I would have eaten a lot more--because stimulation of desire tends to excite it further.  (Just like being close to someone tends to lead to kissing and kissing to more active satisfaction of the physical desires.)

My change in lifestyle has clearly taken a more philosophical turn lately.  :)

Day 2, Water-only Fasting

Weight: 216.2

And the water weight has begun to come off!  I worked some in the garden yesterday after work.  I put up 14 fence posts.  My inner core is very tight today. I should do more fence-post driving!  I soaked my shirt with sweat while I was working.  I drank about 100oz of water yesterday. Lemon and Natural Calm in my water.

A friend of mine has watched "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" and decided to try it.  He asked for some of my experience to prepare himself for the cost of the process.  This is what I had to say:

Yes, the cost of the groceries can seem prohibitive at first.  However, things I've learned over the course of my experience have provided me some insight into how to make it cheaper, more tolerable, etc.

In the beginning, I was also "over indulging" in some things that I later learned weren't helping.  Sure, it made the juice sweeter and tastier, but ultimately caused some problems (less weight loss).

I've never been a "recipe" kind of guy.  I just make things that "feel" right.  Some "recipes" are on my blog, others you can find all over the internet.  They key that I use is to get certain things that your body needs and intermingle them with things that you can stand to eat.  I say this becuase if you're not accustomed to eating certain foods, you won't like them.  Your tastebuds are changeable and until you start eating more healthy foods and your body learns to appreciate them, you'll find that most everything tastes "bad".  After a few days, it tastes "better" and by the end of your first 10 days, you'll find that you actually are starting to enjoy them.

I'd also like to recommend that you read the book: The Paleo Solution Diet by Robb Wolf.  When you come off your 10 days of juicing, I highly recommend that you go into at least 10 days of paleo.  If you can alternate between those two, you will see amazing results. 

The juicing is primarily a *cleansing* activity for your body. And, I will warn you, it can have some painful side effects.  I got seriously sick for three days when I first started and in those first couple weeks, I was still encountering pretty intense headaches. 

The juicer is going to cost a pretty penny--you'll need something of decent quality, so you're looking to put down about $150 on it. I got mine on Amazon.  When I talked to others about juicers, those who went cheap regretted it.  My juicer has been damaged (some broken plastic hinges) because my kids are not as careful with it as I am.  However, it's been quite reliable and sturdy. 

As for the costs...  Let's see...  In a typical juice I would put in:

2-3 green leafy veggies (kale, collards, spinach, etc). Those are actually fairly inexpensive.  You're probably looking at $5 for a 10 day supply

2-3 apples.  Apples are fairly inexpensive.  $1.50 a lb?  So, you're looking at about $2 a day -- $20

1/2 per juice Cucumbers. Great for juice, decent flavor.  $1.50 a lb? Again, about $2 a day -- $20

1 stalk Celery per juice -- it's worth it to get the celery hearts--they have a better flavor--$5 for 10 days

1 Carrot per juice -- $1.50 a lb?  Baby carrots are "tastier" but they cost more. $5 for 10 days

I would avoid: oranges, pineapple, grapes, cherries, berries (blue, black, straw, rasp) -- all of those are higher in carbs (sweeter) and (at least for me) hamper weight loss. They are also expensive.

So, botton line, 10 days of produce will run you about $60 or so. As you do this more, you may find that you can expand your selections and try different things.  Some recipes suggest beets -- and I just couldn't stomach those at all!  However, 1/4 of a beet (and the beet leaves) mixed with apples, cucumbers and celery was palatable for me.  Who knows, you might find you *like* beets.  More power to you! :)

You'll feel gnawing hunger for the first three days. Expect it.

You may get sick--nasea, vomitting, headaches, general "malaise".  Expect it.

After 5 days, you'll start to feel a lot better--not sick, not hungry, sleeping better.

At 10 days, you'll look back and be amazed at how much better you feel. 

Go ahead and take a break, though--enjoy some protein and essential fats (avacado is perfect!).  Avoid grains! Avoid sugar! Avoid pasta! Avoid potatoes!

Make sure you read Robb Wolf's book to understand *why* you need to avoid those things.

You'll find, if you do this 10 days juice, 10 days paleo that your food budget will actually drop.  And if you've been eating already prepared foods, you'll discover it will drop *a lot*.  Your fast food will drop to nothing.  Your soda and chips will drop to nothing. Your snacks will drop to nothing.

I allow myself one "prepared" item--V8.  It's a great thing to take with me in case I can't juice and I'm going to be in a place where I need something to eat.  I keep a six pack of V8 at the office.  Anytime I feel like I *need* something to eat, I drink a can of V8.  I prefer the spicy--it is more satisfying to me.

You can also take it slower--like Phil's brother.  And remember, Joe Cross did this to eliminate a very specific disease that was killing him and causing him huge amounts of pain.

Oh, and go for a walk!  Every day!  I'm still struggling to get enough exercise. 

If there is anything else I can do to help, please don't hesitate to ask.  :)

Oh!  Ginger root!  Gotta get some ginger root!  It spices the drink a little, but it also helps with digestion.  After a short time, you'll really appreciate the zing! :)

And lemon.  A lemon added to a juice can really make it so much tastier!

I drink lemon-water a lot.  2 lemons for 32oz of water.  I put in the seeds and pulp, too.  So much better than plain water. :)

Last bit of advice: If you've juiced and you're hungry -- make another juice!  Better to head off hunger at the pass and get more juice into you.  It's also a sign that your body is saying, "I need more nutrition!" You may not lose as much weight tomorrow--but better than getting completely frustrated with the hunger and going to McDonald's!

Back to Fasting...

Weight: 219.4

Ah, yes, summer eating has impacted me. Lots of salty foods. Gobs of fruit (because I'm trying to avoid the other sweets). Eating too much quantity ... *sigh*

I put away an *entire* salmon by myself yesterday.  Because it tasted so darn good! :)

I'll post pictures.  You'll agree with me.  :)

Not getting enough sleep or rest. Working a lot, playing a lot, staying up too late. Not getting to the gym.  There are many contributing factors.

Anyway, I'm back on my fasting -- and I already feel a lot better. I'd been feeling bloated and that's already disappearing.

So glad that I'm thinner, too--the office air-conditioning is not working right and it's already in the low 80s--and it's not that warm outside!

So, for my meals yesterday, I roasted a salmon in the oven.

I laid out the salmon on a cookie sheet with coconut oil and olive oil.  I spinkled spices over it:

Chili powder
Turmeric
Ginger root powder
Black pepper
Cayenne pepper
Basil
Organo
Garlic salt

I also chopped up onions, garlic and jalepeno and sprinkled that over the top.

Then I broiled/baked/roasted ("put it in the oven") at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. 

I cannot describe to you how absolutely delicious it was. 

For the roasted asparagus, I used the same spices and also chopped up some radishes on top. It was an amazing meal. Truly amazing! :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v420/BenjaminRogers/IMAG1263.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v420/BenjaminRogers/IMAG1261.jpg

Preparing for Another Juice-Fast

Weight: 216.8

I wrote this in an email to a friend today and thought it fit with a post for my health blog:

I managed to be "okay" over the weekend.  I did have corn-on-the-cob and managed a sip of sweetened lemonade (thought it was water).  However, the last two days, I've made a fruit smoothie that has upticked my weight by a couple pounds.  I know it'll come off over the next few days, but I was bad. ;)

Every day is a new day.  Every meal is a new choice.  I used to look at it and say, "Well, I was bad, so I might as well be worse today."  And I'd say, "I'll start on Monday, so I'll clean out the fridge all weekend long (into my belly)..."

I had to change my thinking.  I had to look at each and every meal as a new choice and a new step.  It helped me to think of it in that way.

Robb Wolf's book ("The Paleo Solution Diet") is very good in that it explains that it's your hormones that cause your body to crave, to signal hunger, to signal rest, etc.  When you're overweight and eating the wrong diet, your hormones get out of whack and mix up the signals.  It takes awhile to get the signals working right again--and then it takes awhile to clear up the traffic jam. ;)

I take more supplements than Robb recommends--and I also use other sources of information that I believe complement the paleo lifestyle.  I'm about to go back to juice-fasting for 10 days again.  I've been eating paleo for 19 days now.  It's time for me to switch over to juicing for 10 days.  :)  Then I'll be back to paleo again. 

My biggest difficulty is portion control.  Last night, for instance, I ate two hamburgers (about 6oz each) a big portion of stir-fried vegetables (with some hamburger in it), some steamed brussel sprouts, broccoli, onions and cabbage then followed it with a fruit-smoothie. Then I had *another* small bowl of stir-fry.  I wasn't hungry.  I just really liked the flavor. 

I ate more because it tasted good than anything else.  Truth be told, I probably could've been completely satisfied with half a burger, a smaller portion of stir fry and 1/4 of the fruit smoothie that I drank. 

*shrug* Today is a new day. :) Today I make different choices.

In the next week or so, I'll start a major walking regimen for an office competition, so I'll be getting more exercise.

And I'm going to work in my garden in the next few days (possibly tonight, possibly Friday--depends on rain) and that always makes me work my muscles, sweat and get closer to the foods that will sustain me through the fall and winter.  :)

After Memorial Day Weekend

Weight: 215.2

I had some stuff by accident on Memorial Day--some lemonade that I thought was water (I only had a sip, but got some sugar) and I had a whole cob of sweet-corn.  Aside from that, though, I was pretty good.  Beef and turkey burgers with mustard.  Fresh green salad.  Fruit and a fruit smoothey.  I didn't go "off" my diet (much).  It certainly could have been worse.  (I avoided the potato salad, beer brats, all the breads and the ice-cream.) :)

I've had a can of V8 and an orange for lunch so far.  I'm planning a paleo dinner this evening.  I'm tracking my weight carefully this week.  If I start ticking up I'm going back into juice fasting to drive it down again.  However, I'd really like to get myself "stabilized" on a normal eating plan so that I'm not in a "diet mode" anymore. 

My wife has said she has noticed that my portions are getting smaller.  I'm only eating when I feel hungry and only enough to eliminate hunger.  I've had a few times where I snacked on cashews while watching TV this weekend, but that's definitely not the norm. 

I'm really feeling a need to consume some veggies.  I think I'm a little light on veggies. I'm seriously tempted to run some through the juicer just to be sure I'm getting all my micronutrients. 

I'll go and check on the garden tonight, I think.

And I'm down to 24 chicks. We lost one over the weekend.  She had "crusty butt".  I was hoping we could nurse her through it, but she died.  :(  Oh, sure, we were planning to eat 10-12 of these chickens when they mature--but it's still a waste to lose one like this. 

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Weight: 213 (214.4 this morning, then took 5 hour "nap" and woke up at 213)

I was really short on sleep, apparently.  I woke up at 7am to help my brother-in-law with some compost and firewood.  Then I worked in the back yard for a bit, weeded the little garden plot and then took a shower and laid down to rest... woke up 5 hours later!

I've not changed my eating habits and even eaten out a few times.  I started the week at 217.  Now I'm at 213.  I know I have food and water in my system.  I haven't been fasting.

I've also noticed that my muscle-tone continues to improve, even though I'm not doing any kind of strength training.  My wife has commented that she has noticed an improvement in my muscle-tone, as well. I'm hoping that the rest I got today has made up for my sleep deficit...

Stress is light this weekend--it's Memorial Day Weekend! :)  Three days out away from work. :)

Summer Begins (Unofficially...)

Weight: 215.2

It is Memorial Day Weekend.  It will be in the high 90s all weekend.  Summer is here! LOL

I'm stretched pretty thin, but I wanted to share this article with with you. It's excellent! :)  After reading this, it completely makes sense why my juice-fasting and water-only fasting was so effective in the early stages of my health efforts--I was cleansing the junk out!  Now it's time to build--with paleo.  :)

http://www.doctor-natasha.com/feeding-versus-cleansing.php

Feeding Versus Cleansing
A 21 year old Helen was brought to my clinic by her worried aunt. Helen was dangerously underweight and getting thinner by the day. She was a tall girl - 185 cm in height (over 6 feet) with a weight of 51 kg (8 stone). She obviously used to be quite beautiful, but now she looked emaciated, pale, her eyes were dull and her voice feeble. Her menstruations have stopped 7 months ago.
Helen grew up abroad and came to England to study at a university. Back at home there were shortages of food and processed foods were not available. So, Helen was brought up on home-cooked wholesome meals made from fresh locally produced ingredients; fresh meat, fresh eggs and fresh milk constituted a large percent of her diet. She was always very healthy. When she came to England she soon developed a dislike for the processed junk diets her fellow students lived on and decided to eat a healthy diet. Short research in popular literature leads her to the idea that the 'healthiest diet' is a vegetarian one and a low-fat one. So, Helen started cooking her own meals out of whole grains, beans, lentils, nuts, lots of vegetables and fruit. She drank only water and fruit juices. The only fat she had was some olive oil and peanut butter. She consumed no animal foods at all and tried to eat everything organic. She became very involved with yoga and enjoyed it.
After a few months on this diet Helen's menstruations have stopped and she started loosing weight. But none of it seemed to worry her and she 'felt well'. When she went home for a visit her family were horrified by the way she looked and contacted her aunt in England asking for help. By the time of the consultation Helen has been on her 'healthy diet' for more than a year.
So, what happened to Helen? Didn't she follow the healthiest diet in the world and the one we should all strive for? That is what the authorities and all the mainstream media are telling us.¹ And what about all the research showing that following a vegan diet reduces high blood pressure, helps to recover from diabetes and many other chronic diseases?^2,3,4 What about Gerson treatment protocol for cancer and other chronic disease, which is purely vegan?⁵ What about other cancer-treatment protocols most of which are vegan?⁶ These protocols and approaches show a good record of success.
Let us try and understand the whole issue.
Helen is an intelligent girl and the first good thing she did was she stopped eating all processed foods. These man-made concoctions wrapped in colourful packaging have no right to be called with the noble name 'food'. They are at the root of all modern epidemics of degenerative disease. We will not devote any time to processed foods here; I would just sum them up with a great quote: "Man is the only species clever enough to make his own food and the only one stupid enough to eat it."^7,17 To have good health we need to eat foods created by Mother Nature. Mother Nature took billions of years to design our bodies while at the same time designing all the foods suitable for our bodies to use. How arrogant it is for humans to think that they can know better than Mother Nature, having tinkered in their laboratories just for a few decades, generally motivated by greed!
Mother Nature has provided us with two groups of food: plant foods and animal foods. These two groups work differently in the body and both are important to be consumed. Human beings are omnivores: we have evolved on this planet eating everything we could find in our immediate environment from both plants and animals. That is what researchers like Weston A Price have confirmed in their extensive study of traditional cultures around the world. Let us have a look at these two groups of natural foods in more detail.
Energy comes to our beautiful planet from the sun. We, humans, cannot live off that energy directly as far as we know at the moment. In order to capture the energy of the sun and convert it into solid matter Mother Nature has designed plants - they have photosynthesis. The next group of creatures on the planet to consume the energy of the sun in the form of plants are herbivorous animals - animals designed to eat plant matter. In order for herbivorous animals to digest plants and extract nutrients from them Mother Nature equipped them with very special digestive systems, called rumen: it is very long with several stomachs full of special plant-breaking bacteria (the word stomach here is used as an anatomical term for the organ between oesophagus and duodenum, it does not describe the whole abdomen). So, it is not the cow (or any other herbivorous animal) that digests the grass but the bacteria in her rumen. In order to consume the energy of the sun in the form of herbivorous animals Mother Nature has designed the next group of life - predators. Wolves, lions, tigers, foxes, etc. cannot digest plant matter because they are equipped with a very different digestive system. Human digestive system is similar to the gut of predatory animals: our digestive system is fairly short and we have only one stomach with virtually no bacteria in it. In fact our human stomach is designed to produce acid and pepsin, which are only able to break down meat, fish, milk and eggs. In short our digestive systems have been designed to best cope with animal foods.¹² People knew this fact for millennia. They knew that the best foods for them come from animals; they would only eat plants as a supplement to meat or when animal foods were in short supply.
But what about all those tables, which show that plants are full of nourishment, published in popular nutrition books, you would ask? All those B vitamins, proteins and oils? Yes, when we analyse different plant foods in a laboratory, they show good amounts of various nutrients. This information is then published in common nutritional literature. Unfortunately, these tables of nutrient content of plants are no use for the human body. Why? Because, in a laboratory we can use all sorts of methods and chemicals for extracting nutrients from plants: methods, which our human digestive system does not possess. Human gut has a very limited ability to digest plants and to extract anything useful from them.¹² People knew that plant foods are hard for humans to digest, that is why all traditional cultures have developed methods of food preparation to extract more nutrition from plants and to make them more digestible, such as fermentation, malting, sprouting and special ways of cooking. Unfortunately, in our modern world many of these methods have been forgotten and replaced with recipes which suite the food industry's commercial agenda.¹³
If we cook and prepare the plant foods properly, can't we live on them? That is exactly what Helen tried to do: she prepared all her food at home from natural plant ingredients. She cooked rice, oats, quinoa and buckwheat, she made her own bread, she cooked beans and lentils, she snacked on nuts and fruit and consumed lots of vegetables. Why did she get into trouble? Let us see.
Human body (without water) is largely made out of protein and fat, these are the 'bricks and mortar' from which your bones, muscles, brain, heart, lungs, liver and all other organs made.⁹ Laboratory analysis of plants and animal foods show that the best protein and fat for human physiology comes from animal foods.⁸ The amino acid profile of animal protein is correct for the human body, while amino acid profile of plant-derived proteins is incomplete and unsuitable for human physiology.⁹ The same with fat: animal fat has the right fatty acid composition for human body to thrive on, while plant oils are unsuitable.¹⁰ So, when it comes to FEEDING your body and BUILDING your bodily tissues and structures animal foods are the best and the only suitable ones. Human body has a wonderful process which goes on from the moment of conception till death, called Cell Regeneration.¹¹ Cells in your body (in all of your organs and tissues) constantly get old, die and get replaced by newly-born cells. This way the body maintains itself, rejuvenates itself and heals any damage. In order for your body to give birth to those baby cells to replace the old ones building materials are needed - proteins and fats. The best building materials to feed your cell regeneration process come from animal foods: meats, fish, eggs and dairy. Apart from feeding, animal products provide the body with energy, in fact the best source of energy for most cells in your body is fat.⁹
One of the hungriest organs in the human body is the brain: it 'sponges up' around 25 - 45 % of all nutrition floating in your blood. Your body spends a lot of effort on feeding the brain 24 hours a day, every day.⁹ Contrary to popular beliefs there is much more your brain needs than just energy in the form of glucose; it is a physical organ and it requires feeding its own cell regeneration processes with good quality protein and fat. The brain is a very fatty organ, so it requires a lot of good quality fat to be fed properly.¹⁵ On top of that your brain manufactures neurotransmitters, hormones and hundreds of other active molecules, which are largely proteins; the brain needs building materials to make them from. Again the best building materials to feed your brain come from animal foods. In the clinical practice we see the degeneration of the brain function in people on purely vegan diets and other poor diets: first the sense of humour goes, the person becomes 'black-and-white' in their thinking and behaviour, the sharpness of the mind goes, memory suffers, depression sets in and other mental problems follow. These are all the signs of a starving brain.
But what about all the plant-based diets shown to help with chronic disease? Why are cold-pressed good quality omega-3 and omega-6 plant oils shown to be beneficial for so many degenerative conditions? Supplementing these oils is promoted by both the mainstream and alternative medical community. What about all the antioxidants, enzymes, vitamins, minerals, bio-flavoniods and other substances in plants that are shown to be so beneficial for our bodies? Here we come to the real purpose of eating plants: they are CLEANSERS. While they are unable to feed us to any serious degree they are wonderful at keeping us clean on the inside.⁵ They can also provide some energy for the body to use and some co-factors in the form of vitamins and minerals. But their main purpose is to keep your body clean and free of toxins. Indeed plants are equipped with powerful detoxifying substances, which can remove various man-made chemicals, pollution and other toxins you have accumulated in your body. Plants are particularly powerful cleansers when consumed raw. Their juices absorb in the upper parts of the digestive system contributing a plethora of detoxifying substances and co-factors; indeed juicing of raw vegetables and fruit is a major part of cancer-healing protocols, such as Gerson programme. When the plant matter moves further down in the gut it feeds the gut flora in the bowel. Human bowel is an equivalent of the rumen of the herbivorous animals; it has a rich population of microbes which can convert plant fibre into some useful nutrients for the human body, such as short-chain fatty acids. Of course that depends on the composition of your bowel flora: if it is healthy the plant fibre will do you good, if it is unhealthy the plant fibre can do a lot of damage. When we cook plants we reduce their cleansing ability, but make them more digestible, so they provide some building materials for the body to use. Unfortunately, these materials cannot build the body to any degree: they are largely carbohydrates, which the body can only use for producing energy and store surplice of them as fat. When plants are severely processed (grains in particular) they provide the wrong building materials for the body causing weight gain and obesity.⁷
Let us summarise: there are two groups of natural foods on the planet and each of them has its own role to play in human physiology.

ANIMAL FOODS BUILDING / FEEDING	PLANT FOODS CLEANSING / DETOXIFYING
Meat, fish, eggs, dairy	Grains, beans, fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds

Of course, this division is not black-and-white, there is a small overlap: animal products, particularly raw, have some cleansing ability while plants have some feeding ability, particularly when cooked.
A cleaner body always feels better than a toxic one. That is why so many people feel well on the plant-based diet in the first few weeks. But when the body finished cleansing you need to start feeding it with animal foods. If that point is missed the body starts starving and deteriorating. What happened to Helen? With her vegan diet she was cleansing herself, and cleansing herself, and cleansing herself until she literally got 'washed out'. She has missed the point when her body has finished cleansing and needed to start feeding. That is why she lost so much weight and her menstruations stopped: her body was starving and conserving whatever precious resources it had left; it could not afford to waste them on monthly menstruations.
We need to feed our bodies with animal foods. But it is also important to keep your body clean on the inside. What methods of cleansing do we know?
We live in a polluted world and a lot of this pollution gets stored in our bodies. On top of that we add toxic substances to our bodies in the form of processed foods, personal care products, various chemicals, radiation and other man-made things. This man-made toxicity leads to development of many chronic diseases and ultimately cancer. So it is a good idea for us to have periods of cleansing, which can take several forms.
1. Fasting is one of the oldest and very effective ways to cleanse and rejuvenate your body. Our bodies spend huge amounts of energy on digesting and metabolising food on a daily basis. When we stop eating, the body re-directs its energy to other jobs, such as removing toxins and parasites, and healing itself. Fasting has an excellent record of curing all sorts of 'incurable' conditions - from rheumatoid arthritis to cancer. One can fast at home one day a week or a few days at a time every month (or even just miss an evening meal a few times per week). But if you want to attempt a longer fast (some people fast as long as 45 days) it is essential to do it under professional supervision. There are many nuances to a long fast and it is easy to get into trouble if you are not experienced. Coming out of a long fast is also quite a special procedure and needs professional supervision. There are many well-established fasting clinics around the word. I have fasted at Dr Buchinger clinic in Germany for 10 days and would highly recommend it.¹⁴ Obviously one cannot fast forever and you do have to start eating at some point. If your fast has achieved what you aimed for, when you came out of it you can start feeding your body with animal foods and plants straight away. But if you feel that you have to continue cleansing for a while, you can move to the next step - the vegan diet.
2. Vegan diets (plant only diets) can be seen as a form of fasting. They do not feed the body properly but provide it with a lot of cleansing. While your digestive system is busy processing plant matter (so you don't feel hungry), the diet will provide your body with large amounts of cleansing substances. The ultimately toxic people are cancer victims; they require a lot of cleansing. That is why most nutritional cancer protocols are vegan. Remember that vegan diets are only suitable for a period of cleansing. They must never be chosen as a permanent life-style. When your body has finished cleansing it will need feeding, and that is when you have to introduce animal foods. If that is not done the body starves, starts cannibalising itself and problems start developing.¹⁵ What happened to Helen is a good example of that.
Vegetarian diets, which include animal foods, can be adopted as a long-term strategy. It is possible to be a healthy vegetarian as long as you continue eating some animal foods to provide feeding/building substances for your body, such as eggs and dairy. Obviously all processed foods should be removed and the diet needs to be natural. Such vegetarian cultures exist in India. People there understand just how valuable animal foods are for them. That is why the cow is considered a sacred animal in India (you can be prosecuted for harming a cow), because she provides milk, butter, cheese and ghee. These people also keep chickens and consume plenty of fresh eggs on a daily basis. There are many forms of vegetarianism: some eat fish, some eat eggs and dairy, some allow occasional consumption of meat. People who get into trouble are those who decide to stop eating meat and live largely on processed foods. They put weight on very quickly and get ill. This group of people is particularly prone to mental illness and immune system abnormalities.
What about those of us who are not particularly toxic and are fairly healthy? Do we need to have periods of cleansing?
Human body is equipped with a wonderful system, called Detoxification System.¹² This system is the cleaner in the body with its headquarters in the liver and departments in every cell. It is staggeringly complex and extremely efficient: anything toxic that comes into your body or produced as a by-product of your own metabolism gets neutralised and removed in minutes. But there are two conditions: this system needs to be fed properly and not overloaded with work. What food does it require? Animal foods - fresh good quality meats, fish, eggs and dairy on a daily basis. Combine these foods with some vegetables, fruit and nuts (which are cleansers and will give your detoxification system a hand) and you will have a powerful combination to keep your body clean. If you do not feed your detoxification system properly (and that is what the majority of the Western population is doing), it cannot function well and you start accumulating toxins. The second condition is not to overload your detoxification system with work. What are the most commons sources of this overload? Unhealthy gut is the most important: if your gut flora is abnormal, your gut will provide a river of toxicity, which can overwhelm and break down your detoxification system. Other sources of toxicity can be large exposure to man-made chemicals, radiation, vaccinations and other toxic influences; this is what happens to Gulf War veterans and other military personnel, to people who work with toxic substances and people involved in industrial accidents. When your detoxification system is overwhelmed and breaks down, you start accumulating various toxins in your body very quickly, which manifests with disease: your energy production drops and you develop various health problems. One of the most common causes of break-down of detoxification system in our modern world is eating a lot of processed foods. If you live on breakfast cereals, soft drinks, standard bread, sugar, vegetable oils and processed meals you are not feeding your detoxification system well and you are overloading it with work.
But even the healthiest of us, with well-functioning detoxification systems, need to have periods of cleansing occasionally. How often and when? Your body will tell you, all you have to do is listen. These are the days when your body does not feel like feeding, so you don't have a big appetite; you may just feel like grazing on some fruit, berries or vegetables, or may not feel like eating anything at all. Respect your body in the times like that and give it a rest from food. When your body has finished cleansing it will give you a signal: you will become hungry for a piece of meat or some other feeding/building food. Children go through these periods as well, and it is important for the parents to respect that and not force the child to eat. Just be on the alert for addictions to sugar and processed carbohydrates: if your child wants those at the expense of eating real food there is a problem, and you must deal with it as quickly as possible (you may need to look into GAPS). Some adults have that problem too. It is essential to feed our bodies well and to keep them clean and toxin-free on the inside. That is why we need to eat foods from both the animal and the plant kingdoms.
In what proportions should we eat plants and animal foods? Here is the answer: One man's meat is another man's poison!
We are all different; every one of us is a unique individual. So, 'one size fits all' never works. That is why we have such a bewildering number of various diets being proposed: high carbohydrate / low carbohydrate, high fat / low fat, high protein / low protein, all raw / all cooked, etc. etc.; and the interesting thing is that every diet suits some people and does not suit others. Why is that? Because 'it takes two to tango', which means that there is no such thing as a bad food per se or good food per se without taking into account a very important factor, who is eating it! Not only who is eating it, but what state that person is in.
Let's try and understand this in more detail.
We all have different heredity and constitution. If your predecessors were Vikings or Eskimos, then chances are that you will generally need to eat lots of fish, meat and fat. But if your predecessors came from a Mediterranean culture or some tropical area of the world, then you will probably need more carbohydrates in your diet. Ancient Chinese and Ayurvedic medicines try to classify different constitutional types of people, and would not dream of applying diet or herbs without this knowledge, as different constitutional types need very different approaches.
Constitution is just one factor. There are many more.
Throughout our lives our bodies go through anabolic / catabolic cycles, in other words cycles of building itself up and cleansing itself ^11,12. There is a daily building / cleansing cycle, a seasonal one and 'as-it-is-necessary' ones which can happen any time. For building itself your body needs very different nutrients from those it uses for cleansing itself (animal foods are generally building, while plant foods are generally cleansing). Only your body knows what it needs at every moment of your life.

Depending on what your body is doing at the time, depending on the season of the year, on the weather and the level of stress you are under, your body can switch between different ways of energy production: using glucose for example or using fats^11,12. Only your body knows what is appropriate at any particular moment of your existence, and it requires very different nutrients for different patterns of energy production.
We all have an autonomic nervous system, which is responsible for all the 'autopilot' functions of the body: for your heart beating, for your blood circulating, for your digestive system feeding you, etc. The autonomic nervous system is made out of two branches: a sympathetic nervous system and a parasympathetic nervous system. These two systems generally work in opposition to each other providing a very complex balance in every function of the body¹². Again, depending on an infinite number of factors (daily cycle of activity and sleep, season, weather, stress, infection, feeding / cleansing, your occupation at the time, etc.) you will shift from being 'sympathetic dominant' to 'parasympathetic dominant'. This shift can happen several times every day, every few days, every season and it is different in different age-groups. The important thing is that these two branches of our nervous system require very different sets of nutrients to be fed: one likes meat and fat, while the other needs more plant foods. Only your body knows what proportions of protein/fat/carbohydrate it needs at any given moment of your life; no laboratory or scientist will be able to calculate this for you.
Then there is the acid / alkaline balance in the body, which again changes all the time every day depending on many factors. There is a myth in nutritional circles that 'being acid is bad' and that all of us have to strive to be alkaline all the time. Different foods have been classified to be 'alkalising' (such as fruit and vegetables) or 'acidifying' (such as grains and meats). This simply is not true. Your body shifts from alkaline to acid states all the time depending on many factors: activity of your autonomic nervous system, the type of energy production at the time, your hormonal profile at the time, respiration, kidney function, many of which in turn change according to daily cycle, season, weather and your activity¹¹. Depending on all those factors an apple, for example, which is considered to be an 'alkalising' food, can make your body acid, and vice versa, a piece of meat, which is considered to be 'acidifying' can make your body alkaline. Only your body knows how to use foods at any given moment of your life; only your body has the inner intelligence to make these impossibly complex calculations.
As if that is not enough, then there is the water and electrolyte balance in the body, which also shifts all the time depending on many factors^11,12. Our mainstream medicine pronounced salt to be 'evil' and recommends reducing its consumption. Processed salt should not be consumed just as all processed foods should not be consumed (as these things are unnatural for human physiology and should not be called 'food'). However, natural unprocessed salt (such as Himalayan crystal salt or Celtic salt) contains more than 90 minerals and not only is good for us, it is essential for our bodies to maintain the right water/electrolyte balance. Then there is the myth that we need to drink lots of water every day, even different amounts in litres-per-day are prescribed in nutritional literature. Following that advice blindly can get you into a lot of trouble, if your body is low on electrolytes and needs salt instead of water. No matter how clever we think we are, we cannot calculate how much salt or water we should consume at any given time: only your body knows that, and it has excellent ways of telling you what it needs - thirst for water, desire for salt or any particular food, which may have the right mineral composition. Make no mistake: your body knows the nutrient composition of foods on this planet!
These are just a few factors to demonstrate to you that no laboratory, no clever doctor or scientist and no clever book can calculate for you what you should be eating at 8am, or 1pm, or 6pm or in between. Only your body has the unsurpassed intelligence to figure out what it needs at any given moment of your life, as your nutritional needs change all the time: every minute, every hour and every day.
So, what do we do? How do we feed ourselves properly? The answer is: get back in touch with your body's inner intelligence. Just think: if your body needs so much protein right now + so much fat + so much carbohydrate + so much of vitamin B12 and so much of vitamin C, how would it let you know that it needs this particular composition of nutrients? And even if your body had a way of letting you know all this information, how would you go about providing this mix of nutrients? How are you to calculate all those factors and provide the right amounts? Well, Mother Nature is kind and it is not asking us to do anything so complicated. Instead it gave us senses of SMELL, TASTE, DESIRE for a particular food and a sense of SATISFACTION after eating it. So, when your body needs a particular mix of nutrients, it will give you a desire for a particular food, which contains just that right mix; this particular food will smell divine to you and taste wonderful, and you will feel satisfied after eating it. But in an hour or two the needs of your body will change, and that particular food will not be appealing anymore for you; instead you will have a desire for another food, which nutritionally will serve you correctly for that particular moment of your life.
So, the only way for us to serve our bodies properly with the right food is to be in touch with our senses!
Let us think about it a little more.
The DESIRE for a particular food
The word 'desire' has somewhat a negative feel for many people thanks to centuries of religious and political conditioning, desire is considered to be something we 'have to resist' and must not 'succumb to'. Yet, desire for a particular food is the main way your body tells you what it needs at any particular moment nutritionally. So, when you get hungry stop and think: "What would I desire to eat right now? What is the most appealing food for me right now?" Forget about all the books you have read, forget about all the nutritional mantras of what you have to eat at a particular time of day, and just ask the question. The answer will come immediately, and just the thought of that particular food will fill your mouth with saliva. Respect your desire! Desire is your inner body intelligence talking to you, letting you know what it needs to keep you healthy, energetic and happy. If you listen to your desire every time you eat, you will be able to digest that food well and it will do you only good, because you have eaten it at the right time, just when your body asked for it.
Trouble is that in our modern commercial world people's desires for food have been manipulated through the use of addictive and taste-altering chemicals in processed foods. Yes, many processed so-called 'foods' contain chemicals specifically designed to make them addictive. Listening to your desire only applies to natural foods - foods that Mother Nature has designed. Stop eating processed foods and your normal sense of desire for food will return.
The sense of SMELL
Have you ever observed animals? They will never put anything in their mouths without smelling it first. Why? Because wild animals are fully in touch with their instincts - their inner body intelligence. Sense of smell gives your body a lot of information about the food: is it safe to eat, has it been contaminated by chemicals or microbes, is it fresh, and most importantly, is it appropriate for your bodily needs at the moment? So, before putting anything into your mouth smell it: if it is the right food for you at the moment, it will smell very appealing. If it is not the right food, it will smell repulsive. Respect your sense of smell and listen to it.
Trouble is, that many people in our modern world have a damaged sense of smell due to use of synthetic perfumes¹⁷. All smelly man-made chemicals, such as laundry detergents, domestic cleaning chemicals, so-called air fresheners and perfumes block the olfactory receptors (the smell receptors) in your nose. Your nose has a limited number of olfactory receptors, and once they are blocked by a chemical, new molecules of that chemical coming in have nothing to attach to, so you cannot smell it anymore. We all have met people who smell like a perfume factory, but they do not realise just how excessively they apply their perfume onto themselves, because they cannot smell it anymore, their smell receptors in the nose are blocked with that chemical. The same happens with common laundry detergents, which use very powerful perfumes in order to disguise the unpleasant smell of the detergent itself. People who use them regularly are unable to smell them anymore, because these people are exposed to this smell all the time from their clothes, towels and bedding. These people cannot smell their food properly either, as their smell receptors in the nose are permanently occupied by their laundry detergent. To restore you sense of smell, remove all smelly/perfumed chemicals from your environment: replace your laundry detergent with a non-scented natural one and do not use any perfumes, scented personal care products or air fresheners. In a few weeks time your olfactory receptors will clean themselves up and your sense of smell will return.
The sense of TASTE
Food is one of the greatest pleasures of life, and so it must be! If the food is not pleasurable, then it is the wrong food for you at the moment (no matter how 'healthy' it is supposed to be)! So, listen to your sense of taste and respect it! It is your friend as it is one of the channels of communication between your body's inner intelligence and your conscious mind. How else would your body tell you that it needs a particular mix of nutrients, but by giving you great pleasure from consuming them in the form of food?
The trouble is that many people have an altered or dulled sense of taste due to regular consumption of processed foods. Many processed foods contain taste-altering chemicals, which are deliberately added to the 'food'¹⁷. These chemicals are not only toxic, but can alter your perception of taste for a long time, so it is essential to stop consuming processed foods in order to restore your normal sense of taste. Many nutritional deficiencies can alter the perception of taste (zinc deficiency is particularly known for this). As you start consuming a natural wholesome diet your nutritional deficiencies will diminish and your sense of taste will return. Toxins in your mouth can also alter your perception of taste. Try to brush your teeth with cold-pressed olive oil (or any other cold-pressed oil) instead of toothpaste: this Ayurvedic procedure has a good record in detoxifying the mouth. Working with a holistic dentist is very important, as many dental materials in the mouth can make it toxic and alter your sense of taste.
The sense of SATISFACTION after eating
If you have eaten a meal appropriate for your body's nutritional needs at the time, you will feel fully satisfied. There will be no cravings for something else, only a nice comfortable feeling of satisfaction, which will allow you to focus on other things in your life and forget about food for a while.
It is important not to overeat, so you don't feel 'stuffed'. However, if you listen to your sense of pleasure from food, then you will not overeat because you would stop eating as soon as the food stops being pleasurable. Pleasure on / pleasure off are the signals your body gives you to let you know about its needs. Your sense of pleasure will keep you eating as long as your body still needs the nutrients from that particular food; as soon as your body had enough of those nutrients, the food will stop giving you pleasure.
In conclusion: Human beings are omnivores; we have evolved on this planet to eat everything we can find in our environment from both plant and animal kingdoms. Animal foods are largely feeding / building while plant foods are largely cleansing. Purely plant-based diets (vegan diets) are inappropriate for human physiology long-term; they can only be used as a temporary cleansing procedure. Mother Nature took billions of years to design the human body; it is an incredibly intelligent creation! As the natural foods on this planet have been designed during the same time, your inner body intelligence knows their composition, and knows what foods to choose for particular needs. All we have to do is treat this intelligence with respect. Use your senses of smell, taste, desire for food and satisfaction from eating it to guide you in your decisions: when to eat, what foods to eat and in what combinations. And remember: you are unique, so what suits your neighbour may not suite you at all.
References
1. American Dietetic Association. Position of the American Dietetic Association and dieticians of Canada: vegetarian diets. J Am Dietetic Assoc, 103 (2003): 748-65.
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