Don't Even Go There...

 

To the food aisles, that is!

STICK TO THE PERIMETER of the GROCERY STORE, FOLKS!

Produce for your veggies and fruit.

Meat.

Eggs. 

You can quickly dash into the aisle with olive oil, coconut oil, and mac nut oil, but put your blinders on and race back out.  No distractions allowed.

:)

Instead-

 This little gem arrived in our box of PaleoKits (and Paleo Granola for Mr. Beacan Bear) yesterday.  An elaborated version of CrossFit's "Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, no sugar."

Super awesome.

(Except for the organ meats, of course.  That just makes me nauseous...)

BE PREPARED!  I'm having another quote prepared for the gym.

"IF MAN MADE IT, DON'T EAT  IT."  - Jack LaLanne

(Tied right in to the conversation, so I felt compelled to mention it.  :)

  Incorporated hang squat snatches into a workout this week.  A handful of reps caught on film for you to admire!  Check out Lauren from the last intro class!  She's looking GOOD, I tell you!  Getting the hang of the shrug and dropping under the bar! 

Blink once.

Now twice.

YOU ARE NOT HALLUCINATING!

And, NO!  I didn't photoshop him into the mix!

 EDDIE VEDDER IS BACK!

Yamma yamma shish boom bamma!

 


Took it upside down this week!

Lake Mill gave Hulka a run for his money and vice versa.

NINETY-FOUR HANDSTAND PUSH UPS for Lake Mill and 72 for Jeremy!

CAN YOU STAND IT?!

Did you hear about this?  Beyond Impressive...

Koins for Kenya

Post from Mark's Daily Apple on why the brownies and Doritos sometimes call your name even thought you know better:

8 Reasons Why You Act Against Your Own Better Judgment

Also read this post from Robb Wolf's site, which goes into depth and how we're wired and why we crave the things we do:

Cake is the New Crack

And, the more color the better!

MDA: Why You Should Eat Brightly Colored Fruits & Vegetables

Pistachio Pesto Chicken Pasta from PaleOMG

CHOLESTEROL 

Alrighty.  I've been wanting to chat about this topic for a couple of weeks for 2 reasons.  One, I recently had my blood re-tested and the results were interesting.  Two, I started reading "The Paleo Answer" by Loren Cordain, which is his newest book, clarifying the current research on SATURATED FAT, VEGETARIANISM, DAIRY, GRAINS, LEGUMES, POTATOES, AUTO-IMMUNE DISEASES, PROBLEMS WITH TAP WATER, SUNSHINE, and FISH OIL.  

*HIGHLY recommend reading it AFTER you read his first book, "The Paleo Diet."  

Back to the topic of cholesterol.  He makes several statements that rang true for me, and they're highlighted not only by Cordain but in recent medical journals and articles (just start Googling...)

1.  Dietary saturated fats have LITTLE OR NOTHING to do with atherosclerosis or heart disease.  (NOT what we're told by many doctors, the media or the FDA).

2.  NOT all saturated fats affect cholesterol in the same way.  Each type of saturated fat affects the blood differently.  

3.  Total cholesterol levels don't tell the whole story- you have to look at :

HDL- the good stuff that actually gets rid of the bad stuff

LDL- bad stuff; reasons for high LDL include lack of exercise, eating more saturated fat and foods high in cholesterol from foods like whole milk, ice cream, hydrogenated vegetable oils, egg yolks, organ meats, and ground beef.

Triglycerides- body uses these for energy, but TOO MANY raises your risk of heart disease

My doctor commented on how GREAT my cholesterol looked EVEN THOUGH IT WENT UP!  Yup, the overall level increased since my last blood test several months ago.

Well, I pulled out my blood test from November of 2009 (1 1/2 months before starting our first Paleo Challenge, from which I never returned to my old ways of eating).

I compared that to this test taken in January 2012. 

	Nov. 2009	RANGES:	Jan. 2012
Total Cholesterol	144	200-250 is generally accepted, but again, you have to look at the levels listed below!	186
Triglycerides	49	Less than 150= good 150-199= okay 200-499= HIGH	33	This level was low to start with, but eating Paleo brought it down even more!
LDL	80	As low as possible; aim for level below 130	100	Increased when I started eating meat for the 1st time in 25 years. Still not high.
HDL	54	More than 60= good More than 40= acceptable	72	The good cholesterol that “shuttles” out the bad went UP!

Interesting information.  Highly recommend having your blood tested a couple of times a year.  Not only for cholesterol but vitamin D, zinc, iron, calcium...  A plethora of info you can gain!

A couple more interesting tidbits from The Paleo Answer I've highlighted:

1.  The Harvard School of Public Health reported that red meat consumption was NOT associated with either heart disease or type 2 diabetes, whereas eating PROCESSED meats resulted in a 42% GREATER RISK for HEART DISEASE and 10% greater risk for type 2 diabetes.

2.  Lower values for the total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio reduce our risk for heart disease, and higher values increase it.  In a study, the addition of high-saturated-fat beef drippings to diet worsened total blood cholesterol values (which is what happened to me) but actually IMPROVED the total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio (which also happened to me).

Further reading for ya:

How to Interpret Cholesterol Test Results

The Definitive Guide to Saturated Fat 

Why Cholesterol is Not Bad 

OPEN GYM FRIDAY NIGHT AT 6:00 PM!