Mark’s Daily Apple

Washboard Abs on a High-Fat Diet, No Ab Workouts and No Cardio?43

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Me (54) in my backyard this morning

Apologies in advance for the self-serving nature of this post, but I felt that it was time to answer more specifically many of your questions about my own program and to use myself as an example of how the Primal Blueprint works if you integrate all the elements.

As many of you know, I am coming off a three month rehab from knee surgery. I’m about 95% healed now and can even do my “Indigenous Peoples Stretch” (a full unloaded squat) – a sure sign that all is well. Throughout this time, I have maintained my usual diet and have done whatever upper-body lifting I could manage that didn’t also require substantial leg involvement (pushups, pull-ups, dips, cable-work, etc). Despite my (or should I say “because of my”) high-fat diet and doing pretty much zero cardio over the past four months (including a fair amount of down time before the knee surgery) my weight, my lean mass and my body fat have all remained steady.

I went on FitDay.com a few days ago (great site to reveal the truth about what you eat) and entered what was a typical full day of eating for me. The results were pretty much as I expected: 2,458 calories, 58% of which was from fat; 165 grams of protein (1 gram per pound of body weight) and 114 grams of carbs. Now some might say that eating less than 2500 calories is too low for a moderately active man, but there are two points to make here. First, I am never really hungry. On this Primal Blueprint eating style, I eat when I want to and stop when I no longer feel hungry. Pretty simple. If I skip meals, I don’t get light-headed or famished. I don’t ever feel like I need more calories or that I am missing out on anything or “sacrificing” some guilty pleasure. I get plenty of protein to spare muscle and add to protein turnover. I get plenty of fat for fuel – sometimes 65% of daily calories. Second - and this goes to the heart of the Primal concept – when you eat fewer carbs, your body readily accesses dietary and stored fat for fuel. Even at 8% body fat, I still have 46,000 calories of stored fat, at least 25,000 of which is available to use as fuel at any time. Theoretically, you could walk 250 miles on that. It’s a beautiful thing when you direct gene expression to “want” to burn fat instead of always storing it. You certainly don’t need cardio to produce the full effect (you can if you want, within guidelines). As we often say here “80% of your results come from how you eat.” Conversely, eating more carbs drives up insulin, drives carbs towards fat storage, decreases fat-burning by prompting fat cells to hold on to stored fat and makes you hungrier for more carbs. I could burn some or most of all that off again by doing tons of cardio, but that only makes me hungrier for more carbs and perpetuates the cycle. It’s like digging a hole to put the ladder in to wash the basement windows.

The other point I want to make is that I don’t do abs. By that I mean I don’t specifically do an ab routine or ab classes as any part of my workouts. On the other hand, I pretty much work my abs all day long without specifically focusing on them. And that’s an important distinction. Grok probably had a wicked set of abs. He had to. Abs are the center of the human movement universe. They are part of today’s “core”, the fulcrum, the key in Chi. But you don’t necessarily need to do endless crunches, sit-ups, roman chairs, leg raises or other isolation moves to strengthen them. Sure, you can if you want, but I think the best way to work your abs is involve them in almost every other movement you do. Every time you do it. When you do pushups, you should tighten your abs hard, likewise when you do pull-ups, squats, lunges, curls - you name it. And working your abs doesn’t stop in the gym. When you sit at your desk, you should take that opportunity to tighten your abs (and by abs, we mean the whole complex: rectis and transverse abdominus, internal and external obliques, and pyrimidalis).

Tighten that belly as if you are going to be punched in the gut while blowing out the candles on your birthday cake. Hold it for 10, 20 or more seconds a few times every hour. Now do it while slightly tilted to one side. Now the other. For even better results and a stronger core, you would simultaneously contract your buttock muscles like you are trying to hold in the bean dinner you had at Barry’s last night. Do these short exercise bursts while you are driving to pick up the kids or when stuck in traffic. Hell, I do some of my best ab work bent over doing sprint work on the stationary bike. It’s really all about squeezing, tightening and trying to shorten the distance between your sternum and you pubic bone. This is all considered isometric work, but the abs respond extremely well to it. Eat right and those well-worked abs will show!

High-fat diet, no cardio, no ab workouts. Talk about thumbing your nose at Conventional Wisdom!

Further Reading:

What is the Primal Blueprint?

My Knee is Killing Me… No, Really.

My Daily Salad

Are There Any Good Carbs?

What I Eat in a Day

My Weekly Workout Routine

My Sprint Routine Video

Chronic Cardio

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Posted: Carbs, Diet, Fitness, Health, How To, Nutrition, Personal Improvement, Pictures, Primal Health, Sisson Said What?

Top 10 Junk Foods in Disguise25

Mr. Potatohead? Is that you?

Organic; low-carb; reduced sugar; preservative and chemical free; made from all natural ingredients; and now with special bacterial cultures designed to help you poop! Seriously, is there anything that “health” food can’t do (or fix, or correct, or modify, or prevent…)?

Uhh…yeah. Especially if it’s junk food masquerading as health food.

In recent years, food manufacturers have grown increasingly privy to the American public’s dietary whims. In the early 90s, they fell over themselves to cut the fat, replaced sugar with sugar alcohols to keep up with the low-carb dieters of the new millennium and are now plying us with promises of eco-chic or otherwise “green” food.

The bottom line is that selling health is a huge trend, and manufacturers will do just about anything to make sure their products fit into our definition – albeit fleeting – of what health food is. In fact, for many of these reformed foods, the only real changes that have been made are to the label to play up the positives (“now with whole grains”) and bury the negatives (“but we had to add 20 tbsp of sugar to make it even close to edible!”), leaving you, dear reader, with a product that is only nominally healthier than the original at best.

The following are a selection of ten food items that may be incrementally more healthy than their non-organic, fried-instead-of-baked, full-sugar vs. reduced-sugar peers. But, to us, they all still beg the question, What’s the point?

Nature’s Path Organic Strawberry Toaster Pastries

If the folks over at Nature’s Path didn’t have such a great PR team, chances are the tag line for this product would have been “Nature’s Path Organic Strawberry Toaster Pastries: So you can feel good about serving your kids junk food.” Harsh? Yes. True? Absolutely. In a side comparison between the “healthy” Organic pastries and Kellogg’s Pop Tarts (which we all know “good” parents don’t serve their kids), the pastries were about the same in terms of calories (210 vs. 205) and fat (3.5 grams vs. 4.5 grams) but the Kellogg brand actually had fewer carbohydrates (37.5 grams vs. 40 grams) and less sugar (17.5 grams vs. 19 grams). Although certain foodies suggest that the organic variety taste more “wholesome,” at the end of the day, a toaster pastry is a toaster pastry and it’s definitely not something that you (or your kids) should be eating to kick-start the day!

Dr. Oetker Organic Vanilla Cake

You attend farmers’ markets, you only buy organic, and, where possible, you do your best to eat healthy. But a birthday is a birthday and, as Homer from The Simpsons would say, “mmm…cake.” Unfortunately, however, Dr. Oetker’s Organic spin on vanilla cake is just plain laughable. Besides the fact that cake, in any shape or form, just isn’t healthy, this particular all-natural product contains gum acerbic arabic, the same food stabilizer (as in chemical) used in soda, M&M chocolate candies, gum drops, marshmallows, and many other candies. Still not convinced it’s bad for you? This same ingredient is also used in watercolor paints, shoe polish and other items that you wouldn’t normally consider ingesting. Gum arabic may not kill you, but it doesn’t scream organic either. And you call yourself a doctor, Dr. Oetker!

Annie’s Homegrown Certified Organic Canned Pasta Meals

Although, Annie, you seem so genuine with your homegrown canned pasta meals, we know that the product lurking beneath that metal can is nothing but low-grade slop. Let’s look at Annie’s Certified Organic All Stars pasta dinner (which, by the way, Annie is recommending for your toddler). The first four ingredients (by weight) are water, organic tomato puree, organic macaroni stars and organic evaporated cane juice. Uhh…Annie, sweetheart, stop being fancy and call a spade a spade: it’s sugar…and lots of it. So much so that the sugar is listed way before any mention of cheese (even though this particular “dish” is touted as pasta in a tomato and cheese sauce.) Sounds to us like Annie needs to spend a little more time in the kitchen (or possibly on some reputable nutrition sites) before she tries shilling this stuff as anything resembling healthy!

O Organics (Safeway Brand) Organic Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips

There’s simply no other way to put this: A chip is a chip is a chip. And what could make it worse? This chip (is a chip, is a chip…) is made of corn. Corn people. Need further proof to stay away? Uhh…they’re a chip…and they’re made of corn. Nuff said, we think!

Nabisco 100 Calorie Packs - Oreo Candy Bites

The whole 100 calorie serving size has become somewhat of an obsession in our culture as of late, with food manufacturers scrambling to get their newly downsized products stocked on supermarket shelves. On the plus side (see, where not all Debbie Downer here at Mark’s Daily Apple!), the products are all 100 calories, and yes, exercising portion control is always admirable, but at the end of the day, they’re still (pretty much) the same garbage in recycled packaging. Also, if we’re being honest here, have you seen how small those “sensible” serving sizes really are? Realistically, the only person that benefits from the smaller serving sizes is manufacturers, who are able to continue distributing the same food (using the same recipe, same manufacturing equipment, same factory, same workers, etc) while charging at least double the price.

Gatorade Tiger

You’ve just exercised, you’re worn out, you’re thirsty, you need to replenish, and what could be more refreshing than sucking down 25 grams of sugar. That’s right folks: Gatorade, the very drink developed by athletes for athletes is nothing more than sugar water. And other so-called health beverages aren’t really that healthy either: Odwalla, which touts itself as “nourishing the body whole,” contains about 30 grams per serving (which, it should be noted, is only half of the bottle) and we’d love to tell the folks over at Vitamin Water where they can stick their vitamins!

Activia

If you made your food purchasing decisions based on the quality of a product’s web site, one look at the Activia portal and you’d be convinced this is quite the super food! While the yogurt is by no means the worst thing in the world, it should be noted that those special little cultures are literally swimming in sugar… in fact, Activia contains 17 g of sugar per 4 oz. serving. Plus… did you see that Saturday Night Live skit? It’ll put you off for life!

Morningstar Farms Chik Patties

If you had to look on the menu, chances are you wouldn’t select a hunk of soy protein isolate, soy protein concentrate and wheat gluten, or, in other words, one of Morningstar Farms’ Chik Patties. And it only gets worse with the addition of wheat flour, corn oil, yellow corn flour and corn starch. One question: is it possible they could squeeze any more corn into this single chicken patty? And also, the package touts 58% less fat, which would be important if this was uhh… 1984 and we still thought that fat was the devil incarnate.

Lean Pockets - Supreme Pizza

Look! It’s got whole grains! It’s lean! It’s got a whole lot of exclamation points and not much else going on, nutritionally speaking that is. Yes, we get it. A Lean Pocket is convenient. You can literally throw it in your pocket and go and, to be honest, they’ve come a long way from the early Hot Pockets. However, at the end of the day, they’re still a pastry, stuffed with mystery meat and plenty of chemical preservatives and they’re absolutely not something that should be considered even remotely healthy.

Healthy Choice Sweet and Sour Chicken

Frozen peach crisp, tempura battered chicken, sweet and sour sauce, what’s not to love about Healthy Choice’s Sweet and Sour Chicken? Yes, the packaging is green, and yes, there are little silhouettes of men running which suggests both that people who eat these exercise and that this meal would satisfy a grown adult (not likely!). However, it should be noted that this meal, in addition to a bunch of decidedly un-healthy chemicals, contains 69 grams of carbohydrates and a whopping 600 mg of sodium. Furthermore, this particular dish was almost universally panned among foodies, with one rather scathing critic noting that it was virtually impossible to mess up sweet and sour chicken but that healthy choice had “achieved the impossible.”

These marketing tricks are sly, but they aren’t fooling the MDA crowd. When you see the words organic, or lean, or whatever claim-du-jour is posted on the packaging approach it with skepticism and a critical eye! To make life even easier, why not just avoid processed and packaged foods altogether? And if you are going to eat a cake, fudge brownies, or toaster pastries, sure, pick the organic version, but at the end of the day you’ve got to remember you’re still eating a cake, fudge brownies or toaster pastries.

TWM tm Flickr Photo (CC)

Further Reading:

More Tuesday 10 Posts

The Sisson Spoof

The Fuming Fuji Fumes On

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Posted: Carbs, Diet, Health, Humor, Hype, Marketing, Pictures, The Tuesday 10

Dear Mark: Nuts15

Nutty

Dear Mark,

Can you give me more explanation about nuts and seeds? I eat a ton of them and am always confused about which ones are actually nuts and which are seeds and which are legumes. Does it make any difference if you eat them whole, roasted, raw or as nut butter?

Thanks to reader Charlotte for these questions in response to last week’s “Get Primal” post. The classification question does get tricky.

Nuts themselves are actually a kind of fruit, specifically “dried fruit.” But not everything we consider nuts are really nuts. Some are actually seeds, often within fruits or even legumes. A hazelnut is, indeed, a nut. An acorn is also a variety of “true” nut, as are pecans, walnuts and chestnuts. But an almond, for example, is a seed inside a fleshy fruit’s (a.k.a. drupe’s) pit. A pistachio is a seed within a fleshy fruit. Pine nuts are seeds. Cashews are seeds. Peanuts are the seeds of a legume. Technically speaking, all nuts are fruits, and a “true” nut is indehiscent (they don’t – by themselves – open to spread seeds), hard-shelled and generally one-seeded.

But let’s look at all this from a practical perspective: what’s good to eat? “Nuts” in the broad culinary classification contain protein. Big plus. They tend to be high in certain B-vitamins, vitamin E, and many minerals. Another plus. Low carb. Yet another plus. But not all “nuts” are created equal. Some, like peanuts, have high levels of omega-6. As we’ve said a lot lately, we moderns seem to get way more than enough of omega-6 in our diets. Walnuts, for example, offer a nice dose of omega-3. Almonds are a great source of phytochemicals, contain calcium, and are even lower in carbs than most.

And then there’s the issue of aflatoxins, dangerous metabolites produced by certain mold varieties. Aflatoxins are common in what we usually refer to as “tree” and “ground” nuts, including almonds, walnuts and pecans as well as peanuts and cashews. The toxin has been shown to have carcinogenic, mutagenic and immunosuppressive properties. While certain farming practices can reduce the problem, the aflatoxin related molds are considered at least somewhat inevitable. Peanuts are often said to have the highest concentration of aflatoxins, and they are among the most heavily (pesticide) sprayed food grown.

In terms of roasted versus raw, I’d recommend raw to avoid the oxidation that happens during heating. However, there are increasing challenges to the sale of truly raw (untreated) nuts. The Cornucopia Institute offers a great deal of information on the recent raw almond controversy, but all California grown almonds now have either chemical or high heat treatments. The change came after raw almonds were believed to be connected with two salmonella cases, although farming practices vary considerably and may have contributed to the problem. Regarding nut butter versus nuts themselves, it’s your choice. However, be sure to select nut butter (I recommend almond butter) without added ingredients, especially added sugars. And, again, I’d favor raw and organic over conventional and roasted.

Thanks for the questions, everyone!

steffenz, Marcio Cabral de Moura, sproutgrrl Flickr Photos (CC)

Further Reading:

Dear Mark: Beans/Legumes

Smart Fuel: Walnut Oil

Modern Forager: Ten Staples of a Well-Stocked Kitchen

Posted: Carbs, Dear Mark, Diet, Health, Nutrition

Top 10 Ingredients that Will Make Your Meals Pop8

Want to add more pizzazz to your meal but don’t want to compromise on nutrition? Not a problem, when you select any of the following ingredients to spice up your next meal.

Fresh Herbs:

Ditch the dried, bottled spices and get thee to your local produce aisle (or, even better, farmers market) and pick out the real deal: fresh, all-natural spices. Select fresh basil for an Italian-inspired salad of mozzarella and heirloom tomatoes or in a marinade for meat or grilled vegetables using 6 tbsp olive oil, 3 tbsp minced basil, 2 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 clove of garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Other popular fresh spices include dill, which is particularly tasty when added to sour cream as a vegetable dip or sauce for poultry and fish. A few sprigs of fresh rosemary, meanwhile, can be combined with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 4 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar, 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice and a pinch of onion powder as a sauce for oven baked chicken or combined with salt, pepper and 1/3 teaspoon of nutmeg to add an interesting flavor to oranges.

Fresh Garlic:

Although it’s not likely to win you any friends, adding fresh garlic to…well, just about everything, makes it taste just that little bit better. For a delicious salad dressing (or a meat marinade) that will satisfy even the most discerning of tastebuds, combine 1/3 cup oil, 1/4 cup of cider vinegar, 1 crushed clove of garlic, 1 tablespoon of A1 steak sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Use garlic to add zip to steamed or sautéed vegetables (asparagus, spinach, kale, broccoli and cauliflower particularly come alive with a touch of garlic) or add to a simple marinara sauce or pesto sauce to top off your next baked spaghetti squash. Alternatively, try roasting the garlic and then slathering it under the skin of poultry before roasting to add a unique flavor.

Indian Spices:

Love Indian food but hate all those heavy rice and bread dishes? Not to worry – there’s plenty of things that you can do with the spices that won’t compromise your nutrition goals. Consider combining curry powder, for example, with natural Greek yogurt and a touch of lime juice to create an East Indian marinade ideal for chicken (for best results, add in last 5 minutes of cooking) or as a dipping sauce for vegetables (of the hot or cold variety). Curry powder can also be used to add spice (literally!) to devilled eggs, egg salad or chicken salad or to liven up soups. Popular Indian spice garam masala (a combination of cardamom, cloves, cumin and cinnamon), meanwhile, can be added to creamed spinach or to add flavor to lamb or shrimp dishes.

Wasabi:

Once relegated to sushi and the odd slab of tuna, wasabi is stepping out as one of the hottest (both literally and figuratively) spices in the kitchen! In powder form, wasabi can be added to cashews and walnuts to spice up snack time, or combine 1 tbsp dry wasabi with 1 tbsp soy sauce, 3 tbsp rice vinegar and a drop of oil to make a seriously delicious salad dressing. Another great recipe, meanwhile, is a meat or cooked vegetable wasabi aioli dip. To make, blend 2 egg yolks, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp wasabi and 1 clove of garlic in a mixer. Slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup olive oil and blend until mixture thickens.

Fresh Ginger:

Another sushi staple, fresh ginger can add flavor way beyond a run-of-the-mill California roll. For a tasty, Asian-inspired salad dressing, combine 2 cloves garlic, 1 inch fresh peeled ginger root, the juice of one lemon, a drop of oil, 1/2 tsp soy sauce and pepper in a food processor until blended thoroughly. Allow to stand for 30 minutes before serving. For a quick and simple stir fry, lightly steam 1 bunch of broccoli florets and then stir-fry for 1-2 minutes until tender. Add 2 tsps grated fresh ginger and 1 clove of garlic and sauté for 60 seconds. Then add 2 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tbsp dry sherry, top with 3 tbsp slivered almonds and serve. To add Asian-flare to fall-themed soups, try this recipe for creamy carrot and ginger soup: Trim 1 1/2 pounds carrots and cut into 1” pieces, transfer to pot and add 4 cups of water and 1/2 tsp salt. Bring to a boil, reduce and cook uncovered for about 35 minutes or until carrots are very soft. Meanwhile, peel one 5” piece of fresh ginger and grate coarsely. Wrap grated ginger in a paper towel, squeeze to extract juice and discard grated ginger. Transfer cooked carrots to food processor and puree until smooth. Slowly add cooked water, ginger juice and 5 tbsp of heavy cream as you process. Pour mixture back into pot, add salt and pepper to taste and heat thoroughly.

Chili Peppers:

On the most obvious level, chili peppers are a great ingredient in carb-friendly chili dishes, but there culinary uses are far more extensive. Dice up jalapenos to spice up your next omelet or salad or as a topping for oven backed chicken or cooked cabbage dishes. For a decidedly more spicy take on warm nut mixes, combine 3 cups pecan halves, 2 tbsp melted margarine, and 1/2 tsp each of ground cumin, cayenne pepper, ground thyme, ground nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste and heat in 350 oven for 15 minutes stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Another great pepper-based recipe is a lima bean (which although high in carbs, contain a hefty dose of fiber to offset their glycemic index) and peppers, recipe that combines 10 oz cooked baby lima beans, sautéed green and red pepper strips (about ½ cup each) and one finely chopped cayenne pepper. It’s a recipe even your kids will enjoy!

Salsa:

A discussion of chili peppers wouldn’t be complete without giving salsa an honorable mention. And, while, there’s always tomato salsa, what fun is that? Instead take a walk on the wild side with some of these unusual salsa mixes. For a fruity – yet low sugar – salsa, zest 4 tbsp of orange and then peel and cut (removing any white pith) the remainder. Then coarsely chop 2 cups of fresh cranberries and throw in a bowl with orange. To this mixture, add 1/4 cup of minced onion, 2 tbsp minced cilantro, 1 tbsp minced ginger root and minced chilies (jalapeno or Serrano work best) and mix until blended. Let sit 3-4 hours before serving. Another innovative salsa recipe that is sure to become a summer-time favorite is cucumber salsa that tastes amazing when paired with grilled chicken or fish or as an accompaniment to Greek-inspired salads with crumbled feta. To make, remove seeds of 1 large cucumber, chop and place in mixing bowls. To that, add 1 clove of minced garlic, 2 tbsp diced poblano chili pepper, 1 tbsp diced onion and 1 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro. Then, stir in 2 tbsp lime juice, a splash of oil, 1 tbsp grated lime zest and salt and pepper to taste.

Vinegar:

If the Brits got one thing right, it’s that vinegar can go with just about anything! A foundation for many a salad dressing (just look at how many times it got a mention in the above posts!) vinegar also serves as a great dressing for warm vegetables. For roasted vegetables, combine 1 quart of red wine vinegar with 1 handful or dried, crushed rosemary sprigs. Bring to boil in non-reactive pan, simmer 8-10 minutes, and then pour into mason jar. For best results, let sit for two weeks so that flavors mingle. Balsamic vinegar, meanwhile, can be used, as is, to add flavor to asparagus, broccoli, even raspberries or strawberries.

Citrus Juice:

Much like vinegar, citrus is another popular ingredient in salad dressings, roasted vegetables, meat marinades, salsas and more. Some of our favorites here at MDA? A chili lime sauce perfect for poultry and fish made by combining 7 medium minced garlic cloves, 2 tbsp salt, ¼ cup fresh lime juice, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp sugar, 1 1/2 tsp ground chipotle chili. Another popular sauce perfect for summer veggies? A lemon caper sauce made with 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 2 tbsp minced red onion, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp chopped drained capers, 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme and 1/2 tsp grated lemon peel.

Butter:

A little dab of butter never hurt anyone, so don’t be afraid to use it to add flavor to just about any dish! What to avoid? Using so much butter that your vegetables are literally awash in oil and lose all signs of freshness!

Now, what was that you were saying about another boring dinner??

(nz)dave, Muffet, Frenkieb, Hello Serjiy, y x l, nicodeemus1, Zeetz Jones, Felicea, ccsdteacher, tiny banquet committee Flickr Photos (CC)

Further Reading:

More Tuesday Top Ten Lists

SlashFood: Spice Gun

Modern Forager: How to Buy Herbs and Spices

Posted: Carbs, Diet, Health, How To, Nutrition, Recipes, The Tuesday 10

Dear Mark: Alcohol24

Nightcap?

Dear Mark,

I keep hearing news stories about how alcohol is good for you, but I wonder how that figures in with the Primal Blueprint. What’s your take? Can I have that beer when I come home from a long hard day at work and not feel guilty?

It’s true that we tend to hear a lot about a given piece of advice publicized again and again with a slightly different spin from varied studies. While researchers will often pursue subjects that are “timely,” I sense the media (popular and even medical journals to some extent) is more the influence in this case.

I think this is a great question, and I’d even call it a tough one. You see, I don’t really support alcohol consumption, but I condone it (and practice it) as a personal “indulgence” within the context of the Primal Blueprint just as I do dark chocolate or cheese.

I’ve read a lot of the studies supporting moderate alcohol consumption. Overall, the presented evidence seems to suggest that 2 ounces a day might reduce the risk of heart disease in the study populations. But we come up against a wall here. What I would love to see but haven’t are reliable studies that compare those who eat healthy, low carb diets and no alcohol with those who eat healthy, low carb diets and include moderate alcohol.

Alcohol thins the blood, which can be of help to those at risk for atherosclerosis. It can partially compensate for other less healthy practices, as evident in the French Paradox, or it can supplement the benefits of relatively healthy (though not ideal) diets like the Mediterranean diet. However, if you’re already eating a healthy, low-carb diet, exercising, and taking fish oil for the blood-thinning benefits, I’m doubtful alcohol would offer as much health advantage, especially when you take into account the drawbacks of alcohol’s carb content.

There’s also evidence that alcohol consumption can raise the risk of certain cancers, particularly breast cancer in women and cancer of the head, neck and esophagus in both genders. And then there’s the more basic consideration that people react differently to alcohol. Some of you have shared in past comments that even the smallest amount of alcohol leaves you feeling lousy. Which is why (among other reasons) I’m not going to strongly suggest one way or the other how you handle this complicated question. Additionally, I’m not going to recommend daily or weekly consumption figures for men or women to you or my readers. Though these guidelines can be used for rough approximations they vary considerably from country to country and, by their very nature, aren’t personalized. There are legitimate, physiological and genetic differences in people’s capacity for alcohol oxidation. Rest assured that you’re not missing out on something you can’t get from an otherwise healthy diet and lifestyle.

Your question involves having a drink at the end of a “long hard day.” Stress is an often overlooked aspect of health. This is especially troublesome considering how rampant stress and anxiety is in modern society. With regards to alcohol, I wouldn’t be surprised if the stress reducing benefits, imagined or real, of a single drink at the end of the day outweigh the negative health effects. Please don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting that everyone starts drinking up when things get tough. There are many other ways to deal with stress, and using alcohol as a primary coping mechanism can lead to dependence. But, in my opinion, it may not be so bad if moderate and controlled alcohol consumption is part of your way to relax.

All this said, I’d suggest skipping the beer (which is liquid grain after all) or in the very least not making it your regular drink of choice. Red wine, with its polyphenols and resveratrol, offers more health bang for your carb allotment. Though Grok didn’t belly up to the bar at the end of the day and strict adherence to the Primal Blueprint would suggest abstaining, life is short. As with any indulgence, it’s best to see it as an occasional rather than regular part of your diet. And keep in mind that some forms of alcohol have less ill effect than going from, say 150 to 250 grams of carbs in a day.

How many drinks do you have each week and/or what is your take on alcohol. Hit me up with a comment and keep the questions coming. Thanks, everyone!

williac, gdoolittle, Fred Armitage Flickr Photos (CC)

Further Reading:

Sensible Vices

Resveratrol and Aging

Posted: Carbs, Diet, Health, Nutrition