Paleo Quick Tip of the Day #41- Don't eat like a RAT!

Paleo Quick Tip of the Day #41  Don’t eat like a RAT!

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I know, that sounds crazy-  you’re thinking 

 

“I don’t eat like a rat!  I eat human food, like sandwiches, pasta, candy... you know, the SAD Standard american diet perhaps, but not food for a rat!”

 

Well, if you eat those things, especially all forms of grain products, you are eating like a rat.  Rats are actually well suited little grain burners, and can digest grains safely without damage- humans are not grain or sugar burners.  We think we can eat foods unsuited for us just because we have done so for about 10,000 years at the most, and for most of that time in quite small quantities, and from grains that were not genetically altered  to increase production and also incidentally to increase the gluten levels.  Gluten is actually an intestinal irritant to humans, and opens the pathways within our gut linings to autoimmune diseases- those diseases where the body begins fighting itself.  Things like arthritis, diverticulitis, rosacea, eczema, multiple scerosis, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes... the list goes on and on!

 

Rats, on the other hand, along with most birds, have a unique ability to eat grains, and to thrive on them.  We do NOT. We can pretend to be a rat or a bird, but we are much more like a cow or a pig- they, like us, can also not properly digest grains without harm coming to their gut lining from the grain irritation.  They are fed these grains (and other things like candy wrappers) to stimulate fast fat gain.  This is another result of eating like a rat- you will gain lots of fat, fast when you eat lots of grains like wheat and corn!

 

To illustrate what grains, in particular GMO grains are doing to our intestines, we have only to look at US livestock- pig intestines nowadays in the U.S. are so damaged by the time of slaughter that they cannot even be used as casings to contain meat!  They rupture because they are so fragile and damaged, and so America is now forced to import our sausage and brat casings from Europe, where GMO’s are outlawed.  This used to be a billion dollar business in the US, and now it’s gone.

 

And this effect is from the short lifetime of a pig or cow in a CAFO or confined animal feeding operation- what kind of effect do you think it has on us humans, who are exposed to this toxic stuff for decades and decades and decades of life??

 

If you are one of the 60-70 million in the US that are reported to have severe digestive and/or other autoimmune problems, including autism which is running rampant among our youngsters these days, I would strongly recommend eliminating these grains from your diet!  

 

And it is not only your body that is damaged by GMO grains-GMO grain fed  pigs that were introduced into running a maze (a kind of pig IQ test) did significantly worse that pigs fed a gmo grain free diet.  I think the damage potential from these grains is at LEAST as great upon the mind, as it is upon the body.  

 

So come on back to the “land of milk and honey”- grass fed cattle and dairy, wild local honey, vegetables and fruits- real God made food!

 

Leave GMO RAT foodland and come to the Paleo Real Food Promised land!

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Paleo Quick Tip of the Day #40 Spice up your Smoothie!

PQTD #40  Spice up your Smoothie!

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One of the foundation stones of my version of eating Paleo here at Paleo Quick Tip of the Day and at PaleoJay’s Smoothie Cafe is a daily, paleo smoothie whipped up in a Vitamix blender, ideally.  Why is this so important?  Because, even more important than eliminating toxic and processed foods like wheat, sugars, high fructose corn syrup and highly processed foods like orange juice and skimmed milk is to add in all of the nutrient dense foods that you can!

 

The most efficient, easy, and palatable ways to do this is by making your own Paleo Smoothie- one canister usually lasts my wife and myself for several days, and it supplies more nutrition in those few glasses we consume than all of the other God made, ancestral foods we eat- a paleo smoothie is that nutrient dense!

 

With that in mind, I am constantly trying to increase that density of superfoods to the maximum- and one of the best ways I’ve found to do that is by adding spices to the smoothie- specifically ginger & turmeric.

 

These are both super spices, that add in nutritional benefits in exceedingly huge proportions, especially considering the small amount that is needed!

I have ginger and turmeric powders that I buy in larger amounts, and then add into small spice jars above my counter- then, when I make my smoothie, I simply reach up and shake about a teaspoon or so of each into my Vitamix... I also have my kelp, maca, and spirulina powders handy in spice jars for easy access!  It makes smoothie making pretty effortless.

 

Ginger is not only high in nutrient density, it has anti-inflammatory properties that make is a potent protector against cancer, heart disease, and many lesser ailments like colds, flu, and skin conditions.  Turmeric and maca have much the same properties- all are made from ancient plant roots, and can be ground into a powder that can be easily added to your smoothie and are thus easily assimilated into your diet.

 

In addition, all of these spicy powders are very helpful in the healing of leaky gut, which is endemic in the modern Western world, and the foundation of most of our modern, degenerative diseases.  This includes obesity, all skin diseases, diabetes, heart problems and cancer, not to mention the many lesser ones like gerd, heartburn, diverticulitis, ulcers, migraines- I mean the list goes on and on of the many curses of living in the modern world!

 

And, if just by adding in some nutrient dense spices into an already veggie loaded smoothie containing just about all that is needed for healthy human life support and enhancement...

 

My gosh!  Just spice up your life- get a Vitamix with free shipping, any model you choose, at www.paleojay.com, pick up some spices and the other ingredients for the Paleo Smoothie, and get going NOW!

 

It’s not complicated, it’s not hard, and just this one simple step will improve your life, mindset and overall health more than anything.  

 

 

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Paleo Quick Tip of the Day #39 Cure your headache or migraine- the paleo way, naturally!

PQTD #39  Cure yourself of Headaches and Migraines forvever!

 

 

 

 

Even if you have suffered from chronic headaches and even migraines for years, it is quite possible to eliminate them, or at the very least minimize them in a completely natural manner.  The key point is to adopt a paleo or ancestral type of diet, eliminating gluten entirely, and sugar as much as possible.  This is the perfect first step, and hopefully you have already done it... if not, this is, as I said the first step. 

 

Primary suspect in this case- GLUTEN!  Bread, pasta, wraps, pizza, donuts, in other words primarily wheat products- your body really doesn’t need them at all, and ever since wheat was genetically altered in the 1960’s and it’s gluten content, particularly certain harmful elements were magnified exponentially. These components of modern wheat gluten are harmful in many ways, including destroying the intestinal vili, and harming the microbes in the gut biome.  Just think of it this way: eating modern wheat products is like pouring acid into your gut lining!

 

Ironically, ancient versions of wheat, such as Einkorn wheat which is wheat from biblical times, seems to be relatively harmless to the gut, and to our health.  But, given what we’ve just learned, that makes perfect sense, doesn’t it?

 

So, let’s say we’ve eliminated gluten- we have sandwiches made with lettuce wraps instead of modern wheat bread, and otherwise just eat meat, vegetables, a few starches like white rice or ancient grains, and maybe a sweet potato or baked white potato on occasion, along with lots and lots of green vegetables!  

 

The BEST way to incorporate these veggies is by incorporating them in a  paleo type of smoothie as I describe at PaleoJay’s smoothie cafe as the paleo smoothie.  Have one of these smoothies on a daily or near daily basis, and virtually ALL of your nutrient, and micronutrient needs are being met.

 

And that is another point about headaches- micronutrients are key in preventing deficiencies that supply our brains with what they need.  Good FATS are very, very key, and coconut oil and pastured butter should be included in your daily Paleo smoothie as well.

 

The last point about headaches and their prevention is stress relief.  The components of this matter include adequate sleep- 8 hours should be the minimum sleep you get per night.  And this should be quality sleep, with total darkness, no TV watching or iPhone viewing in bed before sleep- nothing allowed in the bedroom after bedtime except sleep! 

 

The other matter of stress relief, however, is stress from something otherwise very beneficial- exercise!  

 

Exercise is very crucial in a paleo type of lifestyle, but it should be done within reason; within paleolithic lifestyle principles!  Paleolithic peoples never worked themselves to exhaustion, or to their ultimate limits.  Neither do animals; because if they do, they become PREY.  They are momentarily helpless, and ready for the slaughter.

 

Same for you- exercise up to 80% or so- well and good.  90% if your life is in danger... NEVER 100%!  Although we live in the modern world, and you won’t be eaten- you will be subject to physical damage, like headaches, muscle strain and damage, and damage to your structure, like spine and tendons.  

 

So there you go: eat well, with high nutrient density, eliminate toxins like modern wheat and soy (another GMO nightmare for your body), nurture your gut health with probiotics like kefir and other fermented foods, sleep long and well, and exercise with intensity, but without insanity...

 

Enjoy peace, tranquility, long life, and a pain free existence!

 

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Paleo Quick Tip of the Day #38- Sleep is more important than exercise AND nutrition!

PQTD #38  Sleep is MORE important than exercise AND nutrition!

 

Can this really be true?  How can a little thing like sleep be so important, even more important than real, paleo type nutrition and actual perfectly paleo exercise??  What’s such a big deal about sleeping, which to most modern folks seems kind of like not being a hard-charging, drive-ahead sort of man or woman, and instead being a kind of... laid back loser, a hippie without a cause!

 

Au contraire my frenchophile friend!  Here is what a lack of sleep can, and will do to you:

 

Hamper your memory and learning ability

Cause you to gain fat weight

Makes you more accident prone

Affects your mood, and makes you depressed

Increases hypertension, stress hormone, and heart problems

Hampers your immune function, making you more prone to all diseases, including cancer and diabetes

 

Kind of a scary list, isn’t it?  And most people today in the modern world are not just mildly sleep deprived- MOST people are severely sleep deprived, and are really destroying their health, just as they would by eating processed, and fast food meals, twinkies, and washing it all down with soda pop!  At least that won’t KILL them in a few days- did you know that just a few days without sleep can result in DEATH?  And chronic sleep deprivation kills brain cells, and recent animal research suggests that these particular brain cells are never regained- we are just permanently made dumber.

 

All of this from just trying to prove what hard charging, dynamic, run rings around our competitors types we really are, by forcing ourselves to study, or work, or party hard all night, or stay up on the computer, or watching television, or all of the above...

 

Instead of getting ahead, we are merely making ourselves fatter, sicker, and dumber than our competition!  

 

Think about it- we can live a really, really long time without food, or good ancestral style nutrition even, particularly if we are keto adapted, i.e. have become fat burners rather than sugar burners!  Even the leanest of us has weeks and weeks worth of fat on our bodies.  Even water can be lived without for a few days.  Without exercise we can live for many, many years- go to Wal-Mart and look at all of the living non-exercisers...

 

But Sleep is a different story. It is absolutely critical for not only our health, but our very survival!  And if you are striving for peak health, as I hope you are as a Paleo Quick Tip of the Dayer, it is absolutely crucial.

 

It is also simple, very enjoyable, completely free, and can’t be overdone, like exercise easily can be, as well as eating food can be.  It doesn’t sound that sexy as adding a chinup, or learning a handstand, but it is not only every bit as important as those goals would be, it is MORE important! 

 

And so, look closely at my picture on your smartphone as I’m talking to you... gaze into my eyes... you are getting sle-e-e-e-e-py....

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Paleo Quick Tip of the Day 37 Save your teeth and skin naturally- with coconut oil!

pqtd 37 Save your Teeth and Skin Naturally- with Coconut Oil

 

Coconut oil is so good for you, internally, that to go for even a day without ingesting at least some coconut oil seems terrible to me- kind of like the old “a day without sunshine” quote! I mean, talk about a good, God made type of fat- one that nourishes every cell in your body by supplying them with lauric acid, for instance.  Lauric acid can help lower your cholesterol and blood pressure, keeps your arteries flexible and atherosclerosis free. Coconut oil is also a metabolism booster- I know when I first started adding coconut milk and oil to my Paleo smoothie, I immediately lost over 5 pounds I didn’t even know I had to lose- really!  It was all visceral fat, meaning around my internal organs, so it really didn’t show, but that is the most dangerous kind of fat for your health.  Thanks, coconut oil!

 

But, did you know that the external benefits of coconut oil are just as profound?

 

I always recommend having a jar of good, expeller pressed coconut oil in both the kitchen- and the bathroom. The one in the bathroom is a skin lotion par exellance!  If you whip it with a blender, and maybe put in a few drops of an herbal oil like peppermint or lavender, it will be airy,light and creamy- just put some on your hands when you get out of the shower, and coat your skin from face down to your toes!  NOTHING is better for your skin than this natural, coconut oil cream...AND the lauric acid and many other beneficial components of the oil will absorb into your bloodstream, right through your skin! (Makes you kind of leery of petroleum, chemical based skin lotions, doesn’t it?  It should- THEY are absorbed through your skin in the same way.)

 

Also, to shave with coconut oil is the best lubricant you can find- healthy and moisturizing, without feeling greasy in the slightest.  And, you can and should just leave the remainder on after shaving- men and women both! Coconut oil is both antifungal, and antibacterial...

 

It’s also great as a hair conditioner- just rub it into your hair and scalp, and leave in for a few hours, then shampoo.  Your hair will be soft, moisturized, and revitalized!

 

What about the TEETH?  Well, the antibacterial effect of a mouthful of coconut oil is amazing, not to mention that it de-acidifies your mouth, teeth and gums- this acidity is what really harms our teeth, encouraging the growth of harmful bacteria that erode our teeth and gums.  You can even brush your teeth with coconut oil... but, the very best thing you can do for your oral health period- I believe this even is more important than brushing or flossing- is coconut oil pulling!

 

Just take about a tablespoonful before you shower, and put it in your mouth.  Swish it around, or “pull” it through your teeth and around your mouth for the length of your shower, and shaving, and the rest of your morning routine- then, last thing before you leave the bathroom to get dressed- spit out the oil into the toilet.

 

That oil you just spit out is holding all of the bacteria, acidity, and just plain pollution that has accumulated inside your mouth. So now, you mouth, teeth, gums and entire oral cavity are rejuvenated, pristine, and on the way to perfect health.  

 

And if you then take some more coconut oil in by way of your daily Paleo Smoothie, so is the rest of you on that same journey!

 

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Paleo Quick Tip of the Day 36 The PUSHUP is the ULTIMATE exercise!

We all know about the pushup- a simple, boring means of exercise from grade school gym class- we all want to do spinning classes, Olympic lifts, Powerlifting and Pilates!!

 

Well, I’m here to tell you that, unfortunately for marketing, (the same marketing that tells you that saturated fat is bad, high cholesterol needs lots of drugs to “solve” it, and that whole grains are wonderful)- that the same marketing has been done to pervert EXERCISE!

 

Real Food is perfect food- God made foods are ideal for us and our health!  Duh!!

 

Grass fed meat, butter, free range eggs and pork, wild caught seafood, organic local veggies- ALL are vastly better for us than CAFO animals and eggs, pesticide riddled produce, and dairy that has been “processed” under extreme heat and deprived of its nutrients and enzymes...

 

BUT, REAL EXERCISE is in the same category!

 

The PUSHUP is the ULTIMATE EXERCISE!  

 

Let me say that again: the pushup is the ULTIMATE EXERCISE!!

 

Better than p90X, better than Olympic, Power, or bodybuilding- better than spin classes, rock climbing, or Pilates- nothing is better for your health, physique, or your overall sound mind in a sound body than the simple PUSHUP!

 

Glad I got that out of my system.

 

Just like real food, the message has been lost because... there is nothing to sell!

 

Here is the real deal: just do pushups, twice per week!

 

This is like sprinting, with your upper body (your WHOLE upper body!)   And the benefits are legion.  Your rib cage and ALL of the muscles of your upper body, abs, and lower back all benefit.  Your cardio and “wind” improve as much as if you were on some stupid cardio machine.  AND your musculature develops in a totally natural and symetrical way, unlike weight lifting, which really does stimulate unnatural bulk and blockiness of the physique...

 

 

And so, for your fitness foundation, I, PaleoJay recommend:  

 

Twice per week, do a pushup workout!  Men AND women.

 

I do mine in front of the television... this is optional!  

 

First, I do a set of virtual, dynamic, or self resisted exercises, which are basically a set of flexing my muscles, much as a bodybuilder would do, for repetitions...  I cover all the muscles in the body, deliberately and completely focused.  It feels great, and is the same thing that the ancient Greeks and Romans did to develop the physiques of the statues we still admire today.

 

THEN, on either Wednesday or Thursday, I do pushups:

 

I do have a set of Perfect Pushups, which I think are wonderful since you can both go deeper into the movement, and also since they rotate to make it safe for the elbows and shoulders.  But, you can do it without just fine!

 

Do one set of pushups with your arms at shoulder, or medium width.  If you can do 5; do 5- then next time, do 6...

 

Next, do one set at a wider grip- whatever you can do, but do NOT go to failure- just whatever you can manage to do that leaves a little effort “still in the tank”.

 

then, do a set with a NARROW grip- about 12 inches from palm to palm...  this set will be less reps!

 

Repeat

I like to do my pushups with my legs raised on the back of a couch, or other support, but whatever works for you at your current level is wonderful!  It’s just gradual progression...

 

One note: for women especially, but anyone deconditioned:

 

If you can’t do pushups, (as many can’t nowadays)- just do negative pushups!

 

If you need to, leave your knees on the floor... 

 

But, you can also do negative pushups, which are the BOMB!

 

For a negative pushup, you just get into the top position of the pushup, and then just slowly lower yourself into the bottom position!  Repeat...

 

This simple strategy duplicates all of the results of a standard pushup- really!  

 

I like to do this 2X per week- this gives ample recovery, and will quite simply do more for your body than hours and hours of the commonly marketed exercise systems (like crossfit, P90X, Olympic and Powerlifting) and all the other marketed and over-hyped exercise protocols I’ve heard about and seen advertised on informercials and misinformation on the internet; unfortunately even on Paleo Exercise podcasts...

 

I’m sorry this podcast is longer than I wanted, but I thought this information was incredibly important.  EXERCISE is being made WAY overcomplicated!

 

The ancient Greeks, or Hellenes as they called themselves, were the start of so many things! The founders of modern medicine, the ideal of a sound mind in a sound body, the very notion of an ideal human form!!

 

AND WHAT THEY DID WAS PUSHUPS!

 

So go ahead- be an exercise Hippocrates!  Do pushups!

 

Twice per week!!

 

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Paleo Quick Tip of the Day 34- Fat is Our Friend

PQTD #34  The One Paleo Food You Don’t Eat Nearly Enough of... FAT

 

The one thing that almost no one, including paleo lifestyle folks eats enough of is indeed FAT! Good, satisfying, God made fat, as in kill and eat the fatted calf, and cook it in cream and coconut oil!

 

I have just finished Jimmy Moore’s latest book Keto Clarity, and I must say that, although I am quite paleolithic in my diet, even I do not eat enough fat!  I eat a lot by normal standards, but not up to 80% of my diet by any means...  And, to get to a ketogenic (or fat burning) state where the body and brain is running on ketones, which are the human bodies perfect fuel- fat needs to make up at least 50% or so of the diet!

 

I mean real fat, as I said above: NOT crisco, margarine, vegetable oils, cool whip, or any other MAN made fake fat or food.  I mean heavy whipping cream, pastured butter, coconut oil, avocados, eggs (especially the yolks) full fat cream cheese, sour cream, bacon and cream cheese!  These foods, along with green leafy and cruciferous veggies and a small amount of protein from your grass fed beef, seafood, pork and chicken become the ketones that your body needs to run best on.  AND, once you get the process underway by eating enough fats to kick start your switch over to a fat burning ancestral human instead of a SAD sugar burning modern American, why then your body can supplement the process by easily accessing and burning your OWN fat stores!  Now this is a big win win.

 

Of course, we are also talking about limiting carbs here dramatically- but it is quite easy to do so, once you are getting enough fat, because you are never hungry - fat is that satiating.

 

The health benefits of a ketogenic diet are amazing- for brain health, depression, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, headaches- it’s almost as if you name it, burning ketones from fat is the cure!  Not to mention the obvious, that the more fat you eat, the more fat your body loses...counterintuitive, but completely true nonetheless.

 

So, make yourself a big meal of , oh, 4 pastured eggs scrambled with sour cream, a few bacon strips, paleo coffee with a teaspoon or so of coconut oil dissolved in it and topped with whipped cream...still hungry?  Oh, I forgot your daily Paleo smoothie- along with all the veggies, kefir, eggs, berries and all the rest you are also going to add in a big slab of Kerrygold butter and an avocado...

 

Sip that along with your little breakfast, and I absolutely guarantee you won’t be hungry for a long, long time- you won’t want of need a snack, and your body will start to get the idea that hey- Fat is our friend!  We don’t need it on our bellies and thighs because we can get it from our food anytime we want!  

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