The evolutionary approach to weight loss and good health

(From Coach David:  Do you want an easy way to start the Paleo Diet?  Try DavidsDiet.com)

The evolutionary approach to weight loss and good health

Monday, July 30, 2012 by: Eric Hunter

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/036619_weight_loss_good_health_natural_approach.html#ixzz225JWWk8a

(NaturalNews) Studies show that people eating “ancestral diets” maintain excellent health and low body fat. Some of these healthy societies have a high carbohydrate intake while others get the majority of their calories from fat. Typically, people living closer to equator have usually gotten more of their energy from carbohydrates, while fat is the major source of calories closer to the poles.
The majority of studies show that low-carbohydrate diets lead to increased weight-loss compared to low-fat diets, but looking at the available literature suggests that food choices might be the most important factor, not necessarily the macronutrient ratio.

No obesity in “non-westernized” populations

Ancestral/paleolithic diets consist of meat, fish, fowl, eggs, vegetables, fruits, mushrooms and other foods available before the agricultural revolution. Sugar, flours and processed foods are absent, and the consumption of grains, legumes and dairy is limited. Differences in food availability among populations are huge, but obesity and disease are pretty much absent in all of the societies that have been studied.

Primitive cultures getting the majority of their calories from carbohydrates usually eat plenty of fruits, nuts and root tubers and other vegetables. The Kitavan Islanders of Melanesia have access to an “abundance” of food, with 60-70 percent of their energy from carbohydrates. Saturated fat from coconut is also a big part of their diet. This macronutrient ratio strongly resembles that of a westernized diet, but obesity and disease are absent in this and other cultures with the same lifestyle.

However, people in other regions have been known to thrive on a high fat and/or high protein diet. Animal products are common food staples in these populations, and the fattest part of the animal is always eaten.

Physical activity, sun exposure and other environmental factors can further promote good health, but have been shown to only offer a degree of protection against obesity and disease. Some non-westernized populations engage in a minimal amount of physical activity and still maintain excellent health.

People living on ancestral diets quickly become obese and diseased when they begin to eat western foods, even if they maintain regular physical activity and sun exposure.

Ancestral diets in the modern world

Studies on western people switching to a paleolithic diet show very promising results. When test subjects are allowed to eat as much as they want from either a Paleo diet or other “healthy” diets like the Mediterranean diet, subjects on a Paleo diet experience significantly greater weight loss and other health benefits. People eating a paleolithic/ancestral diet usually experience better satiety, and therefore their energy intake is unconsciously reduced.

Individual needs will be important in determining food choices, and some people might benefit from a diet with increased consumption of fruits, nuts and vegetables. High fat and/or protein diets can be a better fit for others. In general, non-westernized diets are lower in carbohydrates than modern diets, and obese individuals will benefit from reducing carbohydrates when trying to improve insulin resistance, leptin resistance and lose weight. Choosing organic and wild produce is the preferred option when possible.

Another characteristic about non-westernized populations is their contact with microorganisms from food, water, hands, dirt etc. Incorporating this into the modern lifestyle is a vital part of maintaining a healthy gut flora, proper weight and a strong immune system.

In general, both studies and observations suggest that reducing calorie intake and promoting weight loss is much easier when choosing the right types of food in the diet. Inflammation, satiety, energy homeostasis, hormone levels and gut flora are all affected by what types of foods we eat.

Sources for this article include

Spreadbury I., Comparison with ancestral diets suggests dense acellular carbohydrates promote an inflammatory microbiota, and may be the primary dietary cause of leptin resistance and obesity. Dovepress Journal: Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity: Targets and Therapy
July 2012, Pages 175 – 189

Price, Dr Weston, A., Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. 6th edition, 14th printing. La Mesa, CA, USA. Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation, 2000.

Cordain L. Cereal Grains: Humanity’s Double-Edged Sword
World Rev Nutr Diet. 1999;84:19-73.

http://www.staffanlindeberg.com/TheKitavaStudy.html

Brand-Miller J, Mann N, Cordain L. Paleolithic nutrition: what did our ancestors eat? In: ISS 2009 Genes to Galaxies. Eds: Selinger A, Green A. The Science Foundation for Physics, University of Sydney. University Publishing Service, University of Sydney, Sydney, 2009; 28-42.

Ho KJ, Mikkelson B, Lewis LA, et al. Alaskan Arctic Eskimo: responses to a customary high fat diet.
Am J Clin Nutr. 1972 Aug;25(8):737-45.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/036619_weight_loss_good_health_natural_approach.html#ixzz225I3Kobv

MAN TRAINING FAST TRACK!

MAN TRAINING FAST TRACK!
REVERSING THE WUSSIFICATION OF THE AMERICAN MALE
By Coach David Alexander
CoachZTraining.com

Learn to Fight, Eat Meat and Lift Heavy $h!t!

Have you noticed that the American Male is being Wussified?  He has been told from birth; not to hit back, not to curse, don’t eat meat, eat whole grains and soy instead, don’t lift weights because it’s bad for your knees, you need to manscape and what’s with metro’s and hipsters?  What can you add to the list?

I’m going to tell you about three things that you can do to reclaim your manhood.  This is Man Training 101 or the Man Training Fast Track!

Forget “Goals”, I’m sick of hearing about making goals setting goals, writing down goals to make goals “my goal is to make a new goal, and write it down”.  How many of us have actually written down a goal and achieved it?  Most people might have written down a bunch of goals, but that is as far as they got.  GOALS WITHOUT ACTION ARE MEANINGLESS!  We are going to skip the goals, and pick just 3 things (Learn to Fight, Eat Meat and Lift Heavy $h!t) and take action.  That’s it.  End of lesson…

I have just written your goals for you.  Learn to Fight, Eat Meat and Lift Heavy $h!t!  That’s it.  If you want to build self confidence, empower yourself and re-claim your manhood, then do those three things:

Learn to Fight:  When you know how to “Kick Ass” and can defend yourself, your friends and your family, you will have built confidence and started down the road to de-wussification.  I’m not talking how to shoot a gun better, but actually learning how to fight with your brains and hands.  Obviously avoiding a fight would be best, but you need to know what to do when the SHTF and you have no other choice than to take action.  I cannot think of anything else in life that has given me more confidence than learning how to fight and to defend myself and others.  This is the #1 lesson of the Man Training Fast Track.  How to do this?  Find a local Krav Maga, Combatives, MMA, BJJ or Self Defense Class (not typical martial arts) in your area or book me to come and give you a private lesson or seminar.  Learn more at StreetFightBootcamp.com, 1LessonSelfDefense.com, FreeMMASchool.com or RapeProof.com.

Eat Meat:  In order to build muscle and lose weight, you need to eat a lot of red meat and saturated fat.  Forget about all the lies being told about read meat and cancer or high cholesterol.  We would not have been able to evolve for hundreds of thousands of years if it weren’t for eating read meat.  So cut nearly all the sissy garbage food such as whole grains, pasta, sugar, sugary drinks, soda’s, cakes & cookies and eat Meat, vegetables, nuts, seeds & a little fruit just like our ancestors before us.  If they could survive and eventually thrive on this diet, so can we.  Do not De-volve!  Learn more at DavidsDiet.com

Lift Heavy $h!t:  In order to lean out and build slabs of functional muscle, you need to “Lift Heavy $h!t”!  And I’m not talking about bicep curls, tricep kickbacks or joint destroying machines.  The best way to build strong, functional muscle is in the lifts that men (and women) have used for centuries to get stronger.  What I’m talking about is the big three lifts; Squats, Deadlifts and Presses (all with a barbell, not a machine or dumbbells).  Start light and increase the weight every session for three days a week.  Read this to learn more:  http://1lessonselfdefense.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/starting-over-strength-program-for-clients.pdf

That is it!  These are the three ways to Fast Track your Man Training.  Commit to this new goal for 90 days and do not let anything get in your way.  I challenge you to stick to it for 90 days!

“Make a clear and unequivocal promise to yourself that you are absolutely committed to your new goal, and that you will do all in your power to achieve it.”

“Some people believe that self-confidence can be built with affirmations and positive thinking.  I say that you have to DO SOMETHING, to achieve confidence!”

Feel free to distribute however you want.

Coach David Alexander
CoachZTraining.com

Show Up and Keep on Going!

The Desk Jockey Workout: 8 Ways to Stay in Shape at the Office

by BRETT & KATE MCKAY on JULY 24, 2012 · 57 COMMENTS

in HEALTH & SPORTS, WELLNESS

For most of human history, work has been a physically demanding activity.  Our cavemen ancestors chased down mastodons and hurled spears into their tough, but tasty flesh, American homesteaders tamed the wilderness into productive farms with nothing but grit and sweat, and just 60 years ago, the majority of men in America flexed their muscles on factory floors or construction sites.

Fast-forward to today.

Instead of feeding ourselves by the sweat of our brows, most of us just slouch in a chair all day in a climate-controlled building while we push buttons and send documents through the ether. And the sitting doesn’t end after work. When we get home, we plop down in front of the TV to watch reality shows of men performing the kind of virile, physical, and often dirty work we fantasize about doing while answering emails in our cubicle.

Man’s transition from callused-handed, blue-collared laborer to soft-handed, white-collared desk jockey has done a number on us physically and mentally. Not only have our desk jobs made us weak, flabby, and stiff, sedentary work is sapping the very hormone that makes a man a man: testosterone.

What’s more, all this sitting is slowly eating away at our life meters. One study showed that men who sit for more than six hours of their leisure time each day had a 20% higher death rate than those who sat for three hours or less. For the desk jockey, death comes wrapped in a Successories Poster and waving a USB drive.

“Ah-ha!” you say. “I work out out like a beast in the gym every day and have a physique that rivals Eugen Sandow’s. My hour-long, herculean effort counteracts all the sitting and slouching I do at work!”

Sorry to break it to you Mac, but your visits to the gym aren’t doing much to mitigate the damage that accumulates from all that desk jockeying.

Studies have shown that consistent, vigorous workouts don’t do much to offset the damage we do to our bodies by sitting down all day at our cushy Dilbert-esque jobs.

So what’s a modern man to do?

If you want to live to see your future grandkids and maintain your manly physique and sense of well-being, you’re going to need to stay active throughout the day.

That can be tough when you’re chained to a desk filling out TPS reports or attending unproductive brainstorming sessions on how to build more “synergy.” But with a little creativity, and a bit of gusto (along with a thick skin about what other people think of you), you can easily find ways to sneak some exercise into your work routine and flip the Physicality Switch of Manliness. Below we offer a few simple suggestions on how to stay active all day even if you’re a white-collared desk jockey. Incorporate them into your schedule and you’ll find yourself with hips as limber as an Olympic powerlifter and more energy than you had as a teenager.

1. Make Getting to Your Office a Challenge

Look for ways to make getting to work and into the corporate cave a challenge. Biking to work is of course ideal. If you have to drive, park at the far end of the lot so you have to walk further to the building, carry a giant Saddleback Briefcase (those suckers are heavy) filled with your laptop and small boulders, and hurdle over small hedges as you make your way to the door.  For extra challenge, throw in some parkour and scale the walls like AoM reader Jeremiah Jacques:

2. Take the Stairs. While You’re At It, Run Up Them

Instead of using the elevator to move between floors, take the stairs. Start off walking, but work your way up to a full out sprint. Don’t worry about looking like a crazy person. Most stairs in office buildings are hidden away as fire escapes and hardly anyone uses them. Once you reach your floor, pause outside the door to catch your breath, straighten your tie, and mop your forehead with a handkerchief. You just literally leveled up on your high intensity training!

3. Get a Standing Desk

One of the best things you can do to mitigate the health-sapping effects of your desk jockey job is to get a standing desk. The drain on your weight and health, including hip and back stiffness and pain, that comes from sitting down all day will disappear. While you might not be able to convince your boss to spring for an expensive hydraulic-powered standing desk (though I’d at least try lobbying him for it), you can jerry-rig your own standing desk in various ways (search Flickr.com for “standing desk” for ideas).

To learn more about the benefits of standing to work (and its manly history), check out this article from the archives on standing desks.

4. Maintain Good Posture Throughout the Day

If you want to avoid the Quasimodo shoulder slump that seems prevalent among desk jockeys, make the effort to practice good posture throughout the day. Yes, it’s hard and tiring at first, but the struggle is well worth it. Practicing good posture while sitting and standing can reduce tension in your neck, shoulders, and back, improve organ function, and strengthen your all-important core.

Check out this classic article for instructions on how to improve your posture.

5. Do 10 Push-Ups and 10 Squats Every Time You Take a Bathroom/Coffee Break

When I clerked at a law firm here in town, my office sat adjacent to that of the firm’s sole surviving founding partner. He was one of the coolest old guys I’ve ever met. He was sort of like Teddy Roosevelt in a lot of ways. The walls of his office were covered with stuffed and mounted wildlife from his many hunts; dropping memos off in his office was like stepping into the Museum of Natural History. Despite being nearly 80 years old, this old partner was spry as a young buck. I asked him his secret to his youthful vigor at lunch one day, and this is what he said:

“Maintain a sense of humor. You need it in the legal business. And do lots of push-ups while you’re at work. I always do ten anytime I get up from my chair.”

And he did.

Every now and then, when I walked by his office, I’d see a short, bald old man on the floor, cranking out push-ups in his waistcoat.

That little old man inspired me. I started a similar routine that summer at the law firm. Anytime I got up from my chair, I’d do 10 push-ups. I also added 10 bodyweight squats for good measure. The result? I felt more energized and less stiff. More importantly, I started losing some of the summer intern lunch chub that I had gained over the summer.

Stay active throughout the day by incorporating a similar routine.

6. Get Up and Walk Outside for 15 Minutes Every 45 Minutes

I’ve noticed that I’m more productive when I work in shorter increments and take frequent, small breaks throughout the day than if I slog through a project in a single sitting. Taking frequent breaks isn’t only good for your brain, it can also be good for your body, too.  To keep your brain and body running on all six cylinders, use the Pomodoro Technique when you’re working.

Set a timer for 45 minutes and work non-stop. When the 45 minutes are up, take a break for 15. Instead of surfing the web or chatting with Mark in HR, go outside and take a leisurely 15 minute stroll (unless of course you have a job where your boss expects you to be at your desk every minute). Plain old walking provides a surprising amount of health and mind benefits such aslowering our resting blood pressure, reducing obesity, and improving our working memory.

Doing your walk outside will also help you activate the Nature Switch of Manliness, which will reduce stress, keep you mentally sharp, and even boost your testosterone.

You can even make your walks productive by holding meetings with co-workers as you stroll. There’s something about walking and talking that gets the creative juices flowing. Steve Jobs was famous for his walking meetings. Instead of sitting at a table in a stuffy conference room, he’d ask the person he wanted to meet with to take a walk with him outside. Co-workers would go on to say that those “walking meetings” were some of the most productive meetings they ever experienced. Jobs was likely inspired by Aristotle’s peripatetic teaching. Instead of standing in front of a large group of students to lecture, Aristotle preferred to walk and talk to his students.

If it worked for Jobs and Aristotle, maybe it will work for you. Even if you don’t come up with a breakthrough business idea during your walking meeting, you’re at least staying active.

7. Perform 15 Dips When Leaving for and Returning from Lunch

Work those tri’s before and after lunch by cranking out a quick set of 15 dips when you leave for and return from lunch. Just place your hands on your chair and walk your feet out in front of you. I like to keep my legs stretched straight out while I perform the dips. Lower yourself until your arms form a 90 degree angle and then press up. Repeat 14 more times.

8. Perform 30-Second Grok Squats Throughout the Day

Mark Sisson from Mark’s Daily Apple introduced me to one of the best exercises to help alleviate the back, groin, and hip tightness that comes from sitting in a chair all day: the Grok Squat.

Also known as the Asian Squat or Indigenous Person Squat, the Grok Squat is a sitting position that you find in cultures that don’t have sofas or chairs like we do in the West. It’s something you did as a tot, and have forgotten; our almost two-year-old son, Gus, gets down into some really amazing Grok Squats all the time.

The Grok Squat is very similar to a catcher’s stance in baseball. Simply squat down until your butt touches your ankles. Keep your heels firmly on the ground and back straight. Hold that position for 30 seconds to a minute. You should feel your hamstrings, quads, Achilles tendons, lower back, and groin gently stretching. If you’re super stiff, it may take a few days of practice to sink into a full-on Grok Squat. Keep at it. Your back and hips will thank you.

To avoid the stiffness that comes from sitting and standing all day, incorporate several short Grok squats into your daily routine. A great time to do them is right after your 15 minute long walks. Before you resume working, simply crouch into a Grok squat and hold it for 30 seconds to a minute. For added effect, do the Grok Squat on top of your desk while holding a stapler above your head like that monkey hoisting the bone at the beginning of 2001: A Space Odyssey. 

What do you do throughout the day to stay active? Share your desk jockey fitness tips with us in the comments.

Illustrations by Ted Slampyak

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More athletes choose real food and reject synthetic ‘high-tech’ sports drinks and supplements

Tuesday, July 24, 2012 by: J. D. Heyes

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/036569_sports_drinks_athletes_electrolytes.html#ixzz21YCuMRbY

(NaturalNews) Not all of today’s high-tech, ultra-talented athletes are hooked on today’s high-tech supplements. In fact, more than a few of them are beginning to do the right thing for their bodies by rejecting synthetic sports drinks and supplements, in favor of real food.

The natural food phenomenon is being highlighted as the start of the 2012 Olympic Games in London is set for later this month, when viewers of the games will no doubt be bombarded with ads for so-called “sports” drinks, nutritional supplements and energy gels – the latter of which comes in small foil packages and which so many runners and cyclists use during their events.

In fact, top-selling Powerade is the “official” sports drink of the 2012 Olympics, National Public Radio reported recently, implying that “processed sports foods and neon-colored drinks are the stuff that gold medalists are made of.

Increasingly; however, sports nutritionists and professional athletes are not in agreement. Physician and nutrition expert David Katz, of the Yale University School of Medicine, told NPR that sports drinks on average are about as bad as soda.

“[Sports drink companies’] marketing is based on the gimmick that somehow this extra load of sugar and calories will turn you into an athlete,” he said.

We need electrolytes, true, but…

One of the most prevalent of these drinks is Gatorade, which sells itself as an end-all, be-all supplement for athletic prowess. One of its most effective pitches is that the drink can rehydrate a body more efficiently than simple water.

Leslie Bonci, a dietary advisor to a number of Major League Baseball teams and a Gatorade consultant says the body can absorb the drink more quickly than water alone, and that the sugar contained in Gatorade provides necessary calories that water can’t.

“Gatorade is a source of fluid, it’s a source of energy, and it’s a source of electrolytes,” she said.

Indeed, electrolytes are essential minerals that help the body retain water. It’s also true that humans can’t live without electrolytes.

But those contained in Gatorade and Powerade have to be added; they occur naturally in several foods, including fruits, vegetables, grains, milk and even coconut water, NPR reported.

Dr. Katz of Yale said the sugar content of sports drinks is more likely to create unwanted side effects than help you become a better competitor and finish a race or game stronger.

Such side effects include tooth decay and extra layers of fat that won’t go away, no matter how vigorously you exercise. Part of that, he notes, is because makers of sports drinks and nutritional supplements don’t just encourage their use during sporting events, but before and after as well.

One such brand is GU Energy, a popular foil-wrapped gel that contains 100 calories in each pouch. The manufacturer advises sucking one of them down before a workout, then every 45 minutes during the workout. And, for the workout-recovery meal, there is GU Recovery Brew.

“The sports nutrition industry just tells us to eat, eat, eat,” Stanford University nutrition coach Stacy Sims said. “They don’t care how big you are or whether you’re a man or a woman or if you’re trying to lose weight.”

(NPR went onto to say that Sims co-founded her own sports nutrition company called Osmo, “which makes powdered sports drinks for hydration and recovery, and are purportedly easier on the body than syrupy energy gels.”)

Stay natural, not flabby

And even though pediatricians and many health care professionals advise drinking lots of water during hot days on practice fields, you’ll see most kids slurping on the faddish sports and energy drinks.

More and more professional sports figures; however, are coming out against them. Among them is mountain biker Gary Fisher, who said all the “engineered nutrition” products keep many an amateur athlete on the hefty side.

“I see guys who really put in the miles, and they have a gut that never goes away,” he said, adding that he prefers to eat roast beef sandwiches, burritos, nuts and bananas during bike rides. Afterward, he said, he often eats a large chicken or fish helping with a salad dressed in olive oil.

Stanford’s Sims says flat out – keep away from the goos and gels unless you just don’t have anything else to consume.

“The fact is, every time you take a gel, you’re doing the exact opposite of what you want to do,” she said.

Sources:

http://www.npr.org

www.naturalnews.com/sports_drinks.html

http://www.naturalnews.com

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/036569_sports_drinks_athletes_electrolytes.html#ixzz21YCYly15

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The silent killer: Modern lifestyle promotes Leaky Gut and low-level chronic inflammation

Monday, July 16, 2012 by: Eric Hunter

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/036478_chronic_inflammation_Leaky_Gut_digestion.html#ixzz20ntNPLsn

(NaturalNews) Chronic low-level inflammation is often considered the foundation of disease. The big debate is where this inflammation stems from and how we can reduce it. Research the last 10 years has increased our knowledge on leaky gut and how it affects our health. Today we find a growing number of experts who believe that increased intestinal permeability might be the most important source of inflammation in modern societies.

The world’s leading expert on Paleolithic diets, Dr. Loren Cordain, has studied the subject in depth. When Dr. Cordain and his team published their seminal paper on Leaky Gut and autoimmunity a decade ago, there was little information on the subject available. Since then, the amount of research on Leaky Gut has skyrocketed thanks to people such as Cordain, Dr. Alessio Fasano, Dr. Leo Galland and other scientists around the world.

What’s happening with our digestive systems?

Most of our immune system is located in the gut, and the gut wall is the main interface between us and the external environment. When the intestinal lining is working correctly it only allows properly digested proteins, carbohydrates etc. to pass through.

Anti-nutrients and other components in common food staples increase intestinal permeability and damage the gut wall. Lectins, saponins, gliadin, certain hormones and bio-active peptides seem to cause the biggest problems. These nutrients can be found in milk, wheat and other grains, potatoes, hot spices, legumes and alcoholic beverages. Sugar and other refined carbohydrates can also increase intestinal permeability by changing the gut flora. Birth-control pills, anti-acids and other pharmaceuticals have also been linked to increased intestinal permeability.

A disrupted intestinal barrier allows increased passage of unwanted food components, bacteria and viruses. Certain bad bacteria contain a substance in their cell wall called Lipopolysaccharide (LPS). LPS binds to cells lining the gut and increases synthesis of pro-inflammatory substances. This interaction immediately causes the immune system to become inflamed.

Chronic low level inflammation drives heart disease, cancer, type 2-diabetes and autoimmunity. Leaky Gut has also been connected to a variety of skin conditions, gastrointestinal problems, mental disorders and other ailments.

Gut Flora is vital in development of both the suppressive and aggressive part of the immune system. It provides energy for out gut epithelial cells, and the bacterial layer supports a healthy intestinal lining. A diverse Gut Flora is also needed for proper digestion. Antibiotics, a western diet and other factors can damage Gut Flora and therefore, promote Leaky Gut.

Prevention and treatment

Avoiding foods introduced with the agricultural revolution will be your best prevention and treatment against Leaky Gut. Foods that have to be processed or heated in some way to be edible usually cause issues. Some people will be more sensitive to certain foods while others can eat them in moderation.

Avoiding pharmaceuticals will also be important in preventing Leaky Gut. Probiotics from fresh plants and plant products, fermented foods and supplements will promote healthy Gut Flora and intestinal lining. Prebiotics, soluble fiber that feeds beneficial flora, can be found in onions, leeks and apples. Changing your diet will, in most cases, cause rapid healing of the gut wall. More severe gut dysbiosis and Leaky Gut will often need more comprehensive methods.

 

Sources for this article include

The Paleo Diet Explained
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52A3ayfxfTs&feature=player_embedded

Cordain L, Toohey L, Smith MJ, Hickey MS. Modulation of immune function by dietary lectins in rheumatoid arthritis. The British journal of nutrition 2000;83(3):207-17.

Fasano A. Leaky gut and autoimmune diseases.
Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. 2012 Feb;42(1):71-8. doi: 10.1007/s12016-011-8291-x.

Fasano A, Shea-Donohue T. Mechanisms of disease: the role of intestinal barrier function in the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal autoimmune diseases.
Nat Clin Pract Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2005 Sep;2(9):416-22.

Gut. 2003 Feb;52(2):218-23. Early effects of gliadin on enterocyte intracellular signalling involved in intestinal barrier function.Clemente MG, De Virgiliis S, Kang JS, et al.

Type 2 Diabetes and Endotoxemia
http://thepaleodiet.blogspot.no

About the author:
Eric is the editor of OrganicFitness.com and GutFlora.com. He’s an independent writer with a strong interest in personal health and the power of nature to help us heal.
His entire adult life he’s been studying the underlying causes of disease and how to accomplish optimal health. He’s mostly writing about the human microbiome, inflammation, gut permeability and other health subjects.
Eric works as a personal trainer and currently coaches a few dedicated clients on their way to a better physique. He specializes on barbell- , kettlebell- and sprint- training. Subjects like mass building and weight loss are some of his favorites.
Eric believes that lifestyle choices have to be made on an evolutionary basis!

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/036478_chronic_inflammation_Leaky_Gut_digestion.html#ixzz20ntCulaH

Have You Reverted to Being a Sheeple When You Vacation?

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( From Coach David at 1LessonSelfDefense.com:  Do you know how to use your hands to defend yourself?  What happens when you go on vacation and cannot take your gun or knife?  Can you protect your family with just your bare hands?  Does your wife and kids know how to survive if they get lost or go site seeing without you?  What are you willing to do to keep your family safe?  Why don’t you set up a private lesson with me?  I can be anywhere in the US within a couple of weeks to give you and your family a private lesson.  I can also travel international with a little more notice.  Depending on where you live, your life saving investment should not exceed $2,000 (more for international) and includes an Official B.E.T. Self Defense Training System Certificate of Completion.  Is that too much to ask to learn the best way to protect yourself and your family?  In just 4 short hours you will know more about real self defense than most martial arts black belts have learned in their entire lives?  I know that this investment is not too much to ask, because I have spent at least 5 times as much attending seminars for myself.  It’s up to you now.  What is your life worth?  Don’t forget that If you’re not convinced that what I teach can save you and your family in a worst case scenario, I will give you your money back!  Contact me at coachalexander @ gmail.com to set up your life saving private lesson or group seminar.)

Have You Reverted to Being a Sheeple When You Vacation?
By millenniumfly at reThinkSurvival.com

We, as preppers, tend to pride ourselves on being aware and prepared individuals. We don’t like to be as herd animals are and given the answer without question. The thing is that this is basically what happens to you when you go on vacation. Think about it for a moment… were you really in charge the last time you were on vacation, or was the hotel, the amusement park, the locals? You’re in their world buddy, not yours.

Obviously, it’s just natural that I’m more prepared for emergencies at home; I would suspect that you are as well. After all, this is where most of our supplies, gear, food, and plans are. It follows, therefore, that you will be less prepared for an emergency when you are away from home, such as at the office, in the car, when travelling for business, and especially on vacation.

Vacations, in my humble opinion, are a very specific concern for three primary reasons: (1) you’re likely to have a bare minimum of emergency supplies with you–if any at all, (2) your fire safety and personal security may be sub-par (or even non-existent), and (3) your situation-awareness radar is probably turned off because when you’re on vacation you’re there to relax.

Concern #1

The first concern, that you’re likely to have a bare minimum of emergency supplies with you, can be somewhat difficult to deal with, in particular when you’re travelling by plane. In a car, for example, you should be able to include your vehicle emergency kit, you’ll have your car-specific supplies (e.g., fluids, tire sealant, tools, etc), and whatever you have on your person. You’ll obviously have the clothes you packed in suitcases and so on.

Of course, this assumes that you will have room to include your vehicle emergency supplies along with a lot of luggage; I have been know in the past to remove said emergency supplies because I simply had no room for them and luggage too. I have since become more stern and determined to keep the emergency supplies in the care no matter what, and suggest you do as well.

In addition to the typical emergency supplies you keep in your car, I would also encourage you to pack a few other supplies that you may tend to have handy at home, such as a flashlight, weather radio, etc.

Concern #2

The second concern, that your fire safety and personal security may be sub-par (or even non-existent), is actually a much larger concern than the first. Think for a moment about the fire safety actions and gear you may have at home. This may include additional smoke alarms, fire extinguishers in strategic places, emergency power out lights, fire escape ladders, smoke masks, and a practiced plan for you and your family to escape a fire.

Now, think about what might be missing when you stay at a hotel room or even a friend or relatives house. Sure, they probably have at least one smoke alarm and probably one fire extinguisher, but is that enough to trust your life to? Do you know where these devices are? How will you escape if you need to? You could very well be on the 10th floor of a hotel when you need to escape. Should you include smoke masks, flashlights, and so on in your luggage?

The other concern mentioned here is that of your personal security. Perhaps you take your family’s security to heart and have upgraded your doors and windows properly, you use door security bars religiously, have installed window laminate, and even have a CCW on you at all times; the list can go on and on. How does all this translate to staying at a hotel or other resort? Chances are pretty good that a vast majority of these security measures do not travel well.

Concern #3

The third concern, that your situation-awareness radar is turned off, can be the biggest danger of all. We’ve all heard the horror stories that befall hapless tourists, sometimes by doings of their own and sometimes not… just remember that this could be your family! Chances are pretty good that you’re fairly alert to problems or when “things just don’t seem right” in your everyday life. Strangely, a switch seem to flip when people go on vacation: the radar just turns off. I’ve surely done this and I’ll be you have to.

The obvious question then is: what should you do about a lack of situation-awareness on your part? I would say it starts with knowing where you will be vacationing–including friends and relatives houses–but especially when travelling to popular tourist resorts. The scum bags will be there looking for easy targets. As such, avoid looking like the easy target. Be careful with how you dress; the Hawaiian tropic shirts are dead giveaways.

Be vigilant with whom you share your vacation plans, even in passing. They may just the person looking do you harm. The same can be said for not discussing any personal details to anyone. Ensure your kids really understand this as well.

There are plenty of other ideas that are readily available via a Google search on “vacation safety”. Spend a few minutes and look it up. The point here is to re-raise your awareness level to a point akin to being at home because it is precisely those times when your guard is down that bad things can happen.

Gluten – The hidden killer

DavidsDiet.com

(NaturalNews) In the 1920s, the US government found that animals fed a diet of white flour developed serious neurological diseases and died. Instead of banning this deadly product like they should have, the FDA declared that most white flour products must be “enriched” with iron and a few vitamins to “correct” the problem. Unfortunately, this decision has helped create an even more insidious situation that results in diabetes, heart disease and cancer for millions of people.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/036455_gluten_sensitivity_flour.html#ixzz20WEKsHNF

Gluten sensitivity

Gluten sensitivity is becoming a raging epidemic today. Gluten sensitivity is not a disease and therefore has no cure. Gluten sensitivity is triggered by eating products containing gluten. The only way to avoid its complications is to stay away from food products containing gluten.

There are 35 diseases that can be caused by eating gluten listed in a review in the New England Journal of Medicine. Some of these symptoms are: arthritis, ADHD, depression, anxiety, IBS, lupus, frequent headaches, fatigue, eczema, loss of muscle coordination, osteoporosis, a weakened immune system, fungal overgrowth, organ inflammation, weight loss/weight gain, and malnutrition.

Gluten sensitivity increases your risk for type 1 diabetes, obesity, gastrointestinal cancers, brain disorders, autism and thyroid disease.

Gluten evils and woes

Gluten is purposefully put in some products because it increases hunger signals to make you eat more of a product by increasing the ghrelin in the digestive tract to enhance feelings of hunger – leaving you hungry for more of that product. Gluten also interferes with leptin which tells your brain you’re full and signals fat to break down. Leptin also normalizes pain sensations in the spinal cord.

• Gluten sensitivity causes inflammation that harms the body tissues by causing an autoimmune response where the immune system ends up attacking the body
• C-reactive proteins rise in response to inflammation; causing cholesterol levels to shoot up and calcium deposits to harden the arteries and blood pressure rise
• Sugar cannot fuel cancer cells by itself. Gluten and the amino acid glutamine have been studied and found to play a critical role in the cancer process.
• Gluten is an excitotoxin; which agitates and kills neuronal cells which like glutamate (think MSG), accelerates, activates, irritates and damages brain cells. A 2006 study took 131 children with ADHD and removed gluten from their diets and all 131 children were reported to have significant improvements.
• Gluten can be broken down into strange proteins that are a lot like psychedelic drugs. These are opium-like proteins are called gluteomorophins (think Autism and Manic Depressive Disorder).
• With gluten, the N Methyl D Aspartate receptors cause spinal cord neurons to become hyper to touch. Leptin in the spinal cord normalizes pain perception and gluten interferes with that process (think fibromyalgia).
• University of California put people on a “Paleolithic” diet, their blood pressure dropped along with blood insulin levels. Good cholesterol went up and bad cholesterol went down – in just 10 days!
• Gluten sensitivity causes you to miss out on your fat soluble vitamins like vitamin D and K
• Eating gluten has now been related to bone density problems (think osteoporosis)

Solution: STOP EATING GLUTEN!

Gluten affects everyone negatively, some effects are very evident now but most of them are sub-clinical and will not show up for years. When disease does finally manifest, the connection to gluten will be overlooked or denied. Gluten-free is a lifestyle choice for health of body and mind. If we choose a gluten-free lifestyle for obvious health reasons, we are intentionally avoiding trouble both now and in the future.

Sources for this article

http://www.celiac.com/
CHRONIC ACQUIRED IRON OVERLOAD-A DISEASE OF CIVILIZATION. Lawrence Wilson, MD. s.l. : The Center for Development, 2011.
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/celiac/

About the author:
Craig Stellpflug is a Cancer Nutrition Specialist, Lifestyle Coach and Neuro Development Consultant at Healing Pathways Medical Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ. http://www.healingpathwayscancerclinic.com/ With 17 years of clinical experience working with both brain disorders and cancer, Craig has seen first-hand the devastating effects of vaccines and pharmaceuticals on the human body and has come to the conclusion that a natural lifestyle and natural remedies are the true answers to health and vibrant living. You can find his daily health blog at www.blog.realhealthtalk.com and his articles and radio show archives at www.realhealthtalk.com

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/036455_gluten_sensitivity_flour.html#ixzz20WEEqS2D

Is white sugar the gateway drug to alcoholism and obesity?

(NaturalNews) As a species, we consume almost 2,204 pounds of white sugar each year, this equates to an average of approximately 81.4 pounds per person. Many health professionals have noted the negative health effects of sugar, from excessive weight gain to diabetes. It has also been reported that children who have a tendency towards eating large amounts of sugar, are more likely to have alcohol dependency issues later in life.

Gateway drugs are substances that create an initial dependency, and are usually commonly found, legal or socially accepted. These types of drugs often give the user a boost in levels of serotonin, this makes the user feel good. Sugar boosts levels of energy and serotonin, and so enhances mood, but it wears off quickly as the body regulates the blood sugar level with insulin.

Sugar begins the addictive cycle

The user then seeks more sugar as cravings take hold, and as the levels of serotonin drop so does the mood which can lead to depression. The user becomes less sensitive to the effects of sugar over time, due to increased insulin levels. When a sugar addict drinks alcohol, it similarly boosts their serotonin levels and gives a “high.” Sugar and alcohol are interchangeable, calorific addictive substances. They are also similar in that they both cause liver damage, diabetes, dependency, tooth decay and depression.

It has been discussed that it is not marijuana, but alcohol that is the first gateway drug to get people into an addictive cycle. With the consumption of sugar being at such high levels, and considering the effects of sugar on the levels of serotonin, it must be argued that it is sugar that is the gateway drug. Once the cycle of artificially boosting mood, feeling low and needing a boost is established, it is easy for a potential addict to find chemicals to lift their mood.

Sugar is a highly processed substance, not a “natural” food as packaging suggests

Although it can be said that addiction is normally routed within emotional weakness, it can also be said that without sugar training the young into addictive behavior, the addict would not have the experience to lead them in the direction of seeking mood enhancing substances to feel better. Sometimes the addict stays addicted to the sugar, overeats and becomes obese. In other circumstances the addict moves on to bigger “highs.” Either way, the cycle begins with eating enough sugar to cause a high and a low. The use of aspartame in diet drinks does not help those addicted to sugar, as the effect of aspartame is to lower serotonin levels, making the addict feel low, whilst also increasing appetite.

The addictive effects of sugar can last for up to four weeks, coupled with its inclusion in so many products from breads to canned vegetables, it is a difficult substance to get out of your system. It is not natural to take a substance from a plant, process it to such an extent that it is unrecognizable, and then consume it. To label sugar as natural and therefore healthy, is just the same as processing poppies into heroine and saying it is good for you because it comes from a plant. Because we are so used to sugar as an everyday substance, we assume it is safe, when it could be responsible for the ill health of millions of people.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.suedzucker.de/en/Zucker/Zahlen-zum-Zucker/Welt/
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-symptoms-of-sugar-withdrawal.htm

About the author:
D Holt is currently involved in research in the UK into the mechanisms involved in healing due to meditation, hypnosis and other ”spiritual” healers and techniques. Previous work has included investigations into effects of meditation on addiction, the effects of sulfites on the digestive system and the use of tartrazine and other additives in the restaurant industry. new blog is now available at http://tinyurl.com/sacredmeditation or follow on twitter @sacredmeditate

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/036444_white_sugar_gateway_drug_alcoholism.html#ixzz20QfP0cf8

Strong or in diapers at a nursing home?

Watch 82 year old Joe Stockinger squatting the equivalent of 3 Kenyan marathoners!

http://youtu.be/oE2BX0ghres

Do you want to be strong and “harder to kill and more useful in general”?   Or in diapers at a nursing home?

Educate yourself with these great articles:

STRENGTH TRAINING FOR SENIORS
“I have found a fountain of youth, and it flows out of a barbell” Dr. Jonathon Sullivan MD, PhD

Barbell Medicine:  http://startingstrength.com/articles/barbell_medicine_sullivan.pdf

Is strength training bad for your heart?  http://stronglifts.com/strength-training-cardiovascular-fitness-blood-pressure/

How to build muscle:  http://stronglifts.com/how-to-build-muscle-mass-guide/

Squats and Knee/Back Pain Myths:
http://www.charlespoliquin.com/ArticlesMultimedia/Articles/Article/388/8_Stupid_Myths_about_Squatting.aspx

Appropriate Conditioning for athletes (if you don’t need endurance, then don’t train for it!  And most sports do not require endurance.)
http://startingstrength.com/articles/appropriate_conditioning_sheaffer.pdf

Is holding your breath dangerous?  The Valsalva Maneuver.
http://www.projectdeliverance.com/breathing.htm

-A landmark 2008 study of nearly 9000 men followed for an average of nearly nearly 20 years showed that muscular strength is inversely associated with death from all causes, even when adjusting for fitness and cardiovascular health 34. Ruiz JR, Sui X, Lobelo F, et al.  Association between muscular strength and mortality in men: prospective cohort study. BMJ 337:a439, 2008

Eat a gluten-free diet for type 2 diabetes and celiac disease

Eat a gluten-free diet for type 2 diabetes and celiac disease
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/036038_gluten-free_diet_celiac_disease.html#ixzz203SbFm5s

The comments after the article are also good.

Check out my new kindle book DAVIDS DIET!  I refer to it as Paleo Plus.