Dear Readers
I’m getting dozens of emails from readers every day. Though I try to give personalized advice to each and every one of them, I’ve got to say, it can be a little overwhelming. What is one to do? Lucky for me, many Mark’s Daily Apple readers are highly educated or otherwise informed about all health and fitness matters, and all readers at least have anecdotal evidence to share on a vast range of topics. So this week I’m leaving it up to you!
Below you’ll find 10 random questions I’ve recently received. I (and they too I’m sure) would love for you to share your thoughts, personal stories, and know-how in the comment board. (I’ll be chiming in, too!) It’s your chance to help a fellow member of the MDA community. Thanks, everyone!
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Question 1
Hello Mark!
I’d be interested to know how common it is for Primal Blueprinters to eat dairy, and cheese in particular. I know cheese is a sensible vice, but I find myself relying on it for a good deal of my total calories. Is incorporating cheese into an otherwise totally Primal diet a regular occurrence?
Thank you.
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Question 2
I saw your post on spinach bread. That recipe and the others listed in the comment board were a godsend for a Primal newbie. My question is: are there any good Primal-approved corn/potato-free chip recipes floating around the net? Maybe MDA readers know of some…
Thanks, Mark!
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Question 3
What do you think of food combining? Acid-alkaline balance?
Laura
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Question 4
Dear Mark,
I have a family history of kidney stones (Dad, Aunt, Grandmother) and was wondering what impact a high protein diet would have on me? I read that a high protein diet contributes to kidney stone formation, as well as high-Calcium Oxalate (CaC2O4) foods such as spinach, greens, rhubarb, tea (no!), nuts (double no!) and berries (triple no!). Vitamin C is also theorized to play a role in stone formation. Calcium supplementation, drinking lots of water and taking cranberry extract is thought to reduce the risk of CaC2O4 stone formation. I have found conflicting data on ALL of these points online and in PubMed. Once and for all… whats the deal here? How can I protect myself from this?
Tara
P.S. Cant wait for the book! Signed copy raffle…?
P.P.S. As always, thank you for your amazing site and the advice you give.
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Question 5
Mark,
I’ve taken an interest in CrossFit. The workouts seem pretty Primal to me. But I’ve read some things about CrossFit being dangerous; that if not done with perfect form and training you are setting yourself up for injury. Thoughts?
Greg
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Question 6
Hi Mark!
We know exercise for the body is good. Do you recommend facial exercises? Would that cause more fine lines and wrinkles or should that be toned like the rest of our body?
Thank you!
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Question 7
Hi Mark- I enjoy your website. Lot’s of good info! I was curious your thoughts on using olive oil, flax oil, and fish oil daily? Currently, I use flax oil and olive oil. Do i get enough Omega from those or should I add the fish oil also? Best, Bob.
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Question 8
HI Mark,
I am writing to you from Sydney, Australia. I absolutely love your work on this site. You provide a wealth of helpful information. I have a burning question that I have not been able to answer.
What are your thoughts on Diet soft drinks. In particular I refer to Diet Coke, Pepsi Max and Coke Zero?
I understand that they do not have an immediate effect on blood sugar (or do they?) but surely they can’t be good for you.
Your thoughts on this topic will be appreciated.
Great job on the website and thanks for all the top quality information!
Kind Regards
Nick
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Question 9
I was a “bodybuilder” and fell out of it due to family and home remodeling. I’m starting to get back to it.
I used to squat 405 for sets, bench 315 and curl 65 pd dumbells (weighing 180 at 5’8″). I feel I was fairly strong and was doing very well.
I’m 40 now and have no intention on that path again but to pose a question from my training days.
Is it still applicable to exercise in the am opposed to pm due to fasting? I know this was popular and wanted to know if this still helps regardless of diet regimen.
I’m glad I ran across your site as this is the path I am now choosing to diet.
You look great, keep it up!!
Thanks in advance,
Ron from Illinois
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Question 10
Hi Mark,
Thanks again for maintaing such a great and resourceful blog. I now follow your Twitter Account and look forward to purchasing your book soon.
I am a coffee and tea drinker, usually 1-2 cups of coffee a day and 2-3 cups of tea a day (green and herbal). I stick to black coffee with a pinch of sugar and my teas are unsweetened and forgo the mocha choca sugar bomb lattes and other concoctions. I know Grok didn’t have the convenience of starbucks but what is the role of coffee and tea in the Primal diet. Is this something that’s “accepted” as a supplement to the primal lifestyle.
Keep up the great work and I wish you luck with your book.
Best regards,
Nick
Note from Mark: How many PBers drink coffee/tea? I have a cup of coffee with a little cream and sugar on most days.
Further Reading:
Body Composition Through the Years
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Posted By: Mark Sisson
1. I use to eat quite a bit of cheese but now I will have mainly Fetta cheese cubed up in a salad or sometimes grated Parmesan over a red sauce dish. I occasionally will use a little grated hard cheese and perhaps only about once or twice a week. On weekends I tend to not be so diligent and enjoy some smoked cheese. I tolerate cheese very well but do limit my intake to mainly white cheeses which are far less processed.
8. Like anything that is Diet or low in sugar I personally prefer to avoid these and go for the actual sugar variety if I have to – but strictly limiting these choices. Water is my main drink most of the time. I read somewhere awhile back that artificial sweeteners may be linked to Multiple Sclerosis, this was enough for me to never ever buy it.
9. I work out with kettle bells at around 6.30am and feel this works best for me. I use to always feel hungry about an hour or so after exercising but since cutting breakfast out due to no longer feeling the need to eat then, I seem to be fasting from after my evening meal right through till about 11am or so in the morning. Then I might just have some almonds and a piece of fruit.
10. I drink a cup of very light tea with quarter teaspoon raw sugar in the morning. About 9am a cup of coffee with same amount raw sugar and a dash of full cream milk. (in my low fat days I use to always use skim milk). At night a cup of green tea.
I would argue that everyone IS evolved to drink milk. Human milk and any other milk have the same components, if in different ratios. For most Northern Europeans, some parts of Africa, and Northern Asia (Mongols) milk is a important part of their heritage and their bodies are well suited to drink it. However, for large portions of the population, the human body stops producing the right enzymes to process milk correctly as it matures. Most importantly, lactose is not processes well. If your body handles it well, I would say go for it. If it doesn’t I would steer clear. Also, traditionally made cheeses, especially aged cheese, have almost no lactose and should be alright for everyone. Most cheeses made in the US don’t use the lactic acid creating bacteria (which eat the lactose) and therefore will most likely bother you if you are lactose intolerant. Finally, check out the traditional Swiss, some of the tribes in Africa, and the Mongols. They all ate/are eating almost exclusively milk products, and are/were in incredible physical condition.
I have mixed feeling about Cross-Fit. Cross-Fit is good for people who aren’t familiar with a wide variety of training and good for promoting general fitness. For people who go to the gym without a plan and end up doing the same thing every time, it’s great. I have done a lot of their workouts and enjoy them. However, if you are training towards something specific, Cross-Fit may be too general. Also, I don’t really agree with (and I know this is going to upset some people) the concept of “slop” in lifts to insure higher repetitions. I HAVE seen people get hurt doing Cross-Fit because of horrible form when tired, failing on some of the more advanced movements, and over repetition of the same movements. (This is not likely to be a problem with beginners.) I guess what I am saying is if you are an advanced athlete with specific goals, Cross-Fit may help, but shouldn’t be your only source of training information. Despite this, for beginners it is a great way to get exposed to a lot of good information and promote general fitness. The main thing I don’t like Cross-Fit is a lot of the people who do Cross-Fit are kind of cultish about it. Most of the people, who do Cross-Fit in my gym, get extremely aggressive and upset if anyone says ANYTHING critical about Cross-Fit.
To most questions asked;
Take easy steps into your new life style.
See how it effects you, keep what works for you, leave behind what doesn’t.
Keep at it and be gentle on yourself.
Marc
I’ve been convinced to take fish oil now! My next question is, which is more effective, straight oil or capsules?
On question #7: I currently supplement with cod liver oil and fish capsules. About 4g total. I’ve always wondered if all fish oils are created equal and after reading this article
http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=104
am even a bit less sure about exactly what type of fish oil is best. Salmon vs. other deep water fish; one kind of salmon vs. another. So much choice!
I just happened to see an ad in the Coscto magazine for 100% natural wild Alsakan salmon oil fish capsules, 1000mg.Their products are usually high quality and prices are reasonable They also sell Iceland health max. strength Omega 3 fish oil softgels I’m going there this week, so i’ll check them out.
Hey bob and everyone…
Mark makes a fish oil himself. I trust him as a source and have been taking them on auto delivery for probably about 4 months now. Here’s the link I got em from:
http://www.primalnutrition.com/vital-omegas-i-1.html
6. I don’t know why you’d want to fool with separate “facial exercises,” but I’ve derived a number of benefits from oil swishing / pulling / whatever the current trendy name is every morning. You’re not eating these oils, so you don’t have to worry about getting the wrong fats. Use an oil like sunflower or safflower, preferably cold pressed and not rancid or deodorized (meaning it was rancid but they’re trying to fool you). Keep it in the refrigerator. Swish oil on an empty stomach, preferably before you do anything else when you wake in the morning, all around your mouth. If you gag, spit it out and start over (just use a small spoonful). Do it for 15 minutes or as long as you can. This will work your face, work out some of the snot in your nose and throat, and I believe that over enough time (maybe weeks or months), it helped that double chin we all have in my family (I am not overweight). It may temporarily enlarge your sublingual glands. It’s supposed to “remove toxins” from your saliva and/or blood stream. I just like how much cleaner my mouth feels after doing it. Different from simply brushing teeth and tongue or gargling with water or a solution made with water.
# 7 – Mark, in regards to your fish oil – do you have it tested for purity by an independent lab (like the IFOS link I gave above)? If so, you should put a link to the results on the vital omegas page. Like check out your competitor: http://www.zonediet.com/Default.aspx?TabID=155&CategoryID=3
Yours is cheaper, but with ZoneDiet fish oil, I know for sure that the quality and purity are there…
1 dairy: there is no natural limit to the amount of goat’s cheese I can consume, but most of the time I eat only an ounce of two of mature cheddar per week. However I do get through a lot of fermented double cream (perhaps half a litre per week). That contains very little lactose or casein by the time the bacteria are done with it. I actually have no problem with lactose digestion, but avoid milk because I don’t want the carbs.
8 diet soda: I dislike the taste of artificial sweeteners and avoid them. I never had much of a sweet tooth, so I feel no need to consume pseudo-sugary drinks (with the exception of a very occasional gin and diet tonic).
10 caffeine: I love filter coffee and drink several large cups daily -black, no sugar, not too strong. I did try giving it up, but since I don’t get the jitters or stay awake at night after drinking coffee all day, I decided there was no point in avoiding it.
Valda, can you tell me how you ferment your cream? I haven’t had success with fermenting cream so I have to avoid it for now. Would love to know more!!
I like my alternative to sugar in coffee…it’s still sugar, but I feel better about Green & Black’s Organic Hot Chocolate Drink. The first ingredient is raw cane sugar, and then it goes on to various fair trade dark chocolate ingredients – SO GOOD in coffee – and organic.
Speaking of which – why is EVERYTHING organic now? I don’t believe any of it. Hopefully it doesn’t become one of those overused words that will soon mean nothing.
Sadly, I’m not primal, but I’m so happy reading this site – it’s one of my favorites and pretty much the only one I’ve found where people aren’t vicious, mean, deragotory and generally cowards hiding behind their anonymous internet handles.
I bet Grok had lots of buddies and they all needed each other to get through the hard times and he’s clearly a great role model.
Rock on primal people! And thanks to Mark for a truly positive and inspiring place to visit.
#5 CrossFit
…Be careful driving your car because I heard there are a lot of injuries with that LOL
I’m a crossfitter (for 2 yrs) and a trainer and helped to open a gym. I chose to do crossfit because it’s the closest thing I’ve found that combines all levels of using my BODY to it’s fullest ability & capability. I have had 3 knee-surgeries, no probs since learning how to squat correctly — I appreciate that even if the movement involves a barbell, it’s still teaching me the most efficient FUNCTIONAL way to lift — which translates to me being able to heft that 50lb bag of dogfood up on the shelf, or lift a small child, properly.
I am very proud to say I have taken totally NON-ATLETIC sedentary people, and helped them become crossfitters… helped them to feel empowered.
I am extremely PROUD that we have videos of good form AND bad form for people to learn from. Most other sports never show you the WHOLE PICTURE. We are only human and our community SHARES the good/bad/&ugly. We learn from our mistakes, and don’t keep ‘em in the closet. So I think it’s pretty funny that everyone picks on that, instead of understanding that we have one of the higest DATA SETS of scientific information & results — and the percentage of injury and terrible form, can be accounted for and is LOW.
’nuff said.
I disagree. I think the CF community keeps a lot in the closet. I think “coach” needs to be a lot more open with the methods to the madness. Sometimes I get the sense that CF’ers feel they are getting a beneficial punishment. As if coach is their benevolent dictatory. Also, who’s gonna take advice from a guy who looks like that? Totally creepy in my opinion.
Charlespoliquin.com – he’s the real deal. No cultish nonsense. Just jacked-out and successful athletes.
4. I have only given it a quick glance, but it seems vitamin A could protect against kidney stones. That would mean a lot of carrots, I guess
Anyways, you can dig deeper at The Daily Lipid, where I ran across the article.
http://blog.cholesterol-and-health.com/2009/04/tufts-university-confirms-that-vitamin.html
Also, here’s a link to a study confirming(?) this (I have not read the study)(There’s a link to it in the fourth paragraph of the article as well)
Good Luck!
Forgot to write the link for the study, so here it is: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17205520?
#9 – Thanks for the responses. Though I prefer lifting in the late afternoon (5-ish, more focused) I still try to get the cardio done in the AM. Makes me feel energized for the day too.
Just wanted others opinions.
Thanks again!
Ron from IL
Re: food combining… There is absolutely no scientific basis behind the food combining theory. Most foods are a combination of protein and carbs to begin with and to imply that one needs to separate “carb” foods from “protein” foods, or to separate proteins of different origin, or to not eat fruit with anything else is pure shenanigan.
Now, with that said, most people have, at most, and in my humble opinion, pretty fair digestive capacities to begin with (following the cumulative effects of less-than-optimal nutrition) and probably eat too much of the wrong foods at any one meal. Hence, what food combining does allow for is reduction in the quantity of food that is taken in during a meal through simplification of those said meals (fewer options at each meal). Hence the accompanying “better digestion” and loss of weight observed in many instances…
RE: Question 5 (Crossfit)
As the great late Dr. Mel C. Siff would have said, there is no such thing as a dangerous exercise, only faulty techniques (and programming) in performing the said exercise. Hence the myth that full squats are bad for the knees, that it is bad to do lunges with the knees going forward pass the foot (ever try to run like that!!), that machines are safer than freeweights or that endless crunches will make your core “stronger” and help protect your back…
Crossfit is nothing more than what it claims to be: a means of increasing work capacity across broad time and modal domain. The methodology behind the programming requires the use of “functional” multi-joint exercises and changing everything up constantly so as to always be “surprising” the body.
Now, the founder, Greg Glassman, has insisted on numerous occasions that the WOD (workout of the day) is in no way meant to be done “as is” by any one person walking into a gym for the first time. That would be ridiculous, and certainly no more “brighter” than looking up Charles Poliquin, or Alwyn Cosgrove or Eric Cressey’s latest training program and giving that a try if your highest level of intensity over the last five years has included getting up and walking to the fridge to get a beer at halftime. First, movements have to be learned and PROPER motor patterns have to be engrained; the proper mechanics, if you will, have to be laid down. This is where proper coaching comes in very handy, especially with the more technically demanding Olympic lifts and their variations. Then, these movements have to be repeated over and over, PROPERLY and then and only then, (faster or heavier) should intensity become part of the equation.
Of course then, Crossfit is no more dangerous than any other program but again, one must use some common sense. I’ve been discussing and debating the benefits and disadvantages of Crossfit with people for years now, including on the Crossfit forum and T-Nation; the bottom line is, there is much to be gained by following Crossfit and the general iron game world could benefit from paying attention. For the most part, acerbic comments that have been written about Crossfit stem from ignorance and simply looking at the WOD posted on the website and deeming this whole thing cultish, stupid and dangerous.
No one knowledgeable enough in the Crossfit world ever claimed that Crossfit could create the world’s next best sprinter, or the next world-record-breaking Olympic weightlifter, or the best marathoner. Those are events and sports that require specialized training. And Crossfit is quite exactly at the opposite end of the specialist-generalist spectrum: their specialty is “not specializing”!!! In more scientific terms, Crossfit could be called an ongoing and eternal form of general physical preparedness (or GPP), and should be seen as that. The fact that some people have turned Crossfit into a sport simply means that GPP is now being taken to a different level. And what could be wrong with that…
You will have to pry my Java out of my cold dead hands!
ADD may have been advantageous to Grok as he switched from generalised awareness of his total surroundings to hyperfocussing on one specific task, but this is not so useful in the modern world. Caffeine helps me concentrate (and also helps me sleep)
I take it with a dash of milk, about the only thing I have carried over from my low fat diet is a preference for skim milk. I don’t have much on account of the carbs, but I confess to finding cheese a useful food, protein and nice healthy sat fats, ideal for snacking often along with *small* quantities of carbs for prolonged energy. Try creamed goat cheese with blueberries stuffed into it on an oatcake (the oatcake is to keep the sticky stuff off your hands, you may prefer alternatives)
What’s certain, though, is the mountain of epidemiological evidence behind PM’s powers, in the form of centuries of use by Thai men and women. Dr. Sandy detailed many stories to me: In one particularly memorable account he described an 82-year-old woman whose daily consumption of PM kept her hair naturally jet black, and her body as spry as a woman decades her junior. Amazingly, she still had the energy she needed to chase after her grandchildren.
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Re: #1
I eat a lot of organic raw (white) cheddar… about 1/4 to a whole block a day (one block being 200 grams.) It’s delicious and I haven’t had any problems with allergies even though I always did growing up when I ate the processed stuff… I think raw cheese is worlds apart from pasteurized.
Tara
#1 Fermented Cream
I happen already to have a yoghurt maker, so all I do is fill the canister with heavy cream, mix in about a tablespoonful of live yoghurt, and leave for ten hours or so. I think the yoghurt maker maintains a temperature of 40C. The longer you leave the cream at this temperature, the more sour it gets. When it’s done it has a consistency like set yoghurt, though not as firm. My partner makes his own yoghurt, but I think buttermilk or live yoghurt from the supermarket would work just as well to start off the fermentation. If your oven has a convection cooking setting as low as 40C, that would be a good alternative.
If you can’t use either of these heating methods, try searching Stephan’s blog at http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/ for a lower-tech way.
I also use my yoghurt maker for soaking quinoa and lentils – Stephan has good advice on that too, if you’re interested.
I know lots of people will “cut out dairy”. I have so many problems with that. The Mayo Clinic Raw Milk Cure would be one for starters. People were given just raw milk and recovered from all sorts of incurable illnesses. This is how the Clinic was founded.
Maybe its more about the “type” of milk. Its source and whether its pasteurized, homogenized, full of hormones and anti-biotics. I personally try to choose milk that is non-homogenized, best scenario, grass-fed and raw.
I also make my own kefir. This is not the stuff you buy in stores. This is the real kefir grains from the Caucasus Mountain Region. It has both yeasts and bacterias up to 70 different strains. Compare that with maybe 5 on your typical label of yogurt. It also has trillions in bacteria count. So do I cut dairy? No way, this is a very healing food and is reputed to heal IBS. I know this for a fact and suffered from this terribly. Poor digestion, poor nutrient absorption, it was a mess. The whey from this kefir is particularly powerful. It is absolutely devastating to candida in the gut. For recipes and more information and sources see my site.
Milk when it is pure, raw or cultured is a very valuable food for healing and improving the terrain of the gut and is a key essential to good health. It is also being shown to improve weight-loss and I see that too, in a diabetic, no less.
Question 8
All artificial sweeteners stall weight loss. What an irony.
My suggestion is a little raw, unfiltered honey, maple syrup, sucanat, stevia and a little agave. People are divided on agave syrup. I would also replace sodas and so-called vitamin waters by having water with real squeezed lemon or lime and adding unrefined salt to it for the trace minerals. If you sweeten this it tastes rather like a non-alcoholic margherita (natural sweetener, of course.)
Acid/Alkaline Balance
Calcium is key to this balance in the blood. Good sources are dairy and bone broths.
Eating too many grains with phytic acid, will bind with calcium and causes it not to be absorbed properly.
Even small amounts of grains eaten should be fermented or sprouted to neutralize the phytic acid and other anti-nutrients which also inhibit the B-vitamins from being utilized.
Stress and sugar also cause problems.
Question 4 Oxalic Acid
Steaming spinach lightly will ensure that there is no oxalic acid and will also make the nutrients easier to assimilate.
Take it easy on kale, cabbage, broccoli and brussel sprouts eaten raw for the same reason.
Soaking nuts in water will get rid of the problem there. I am not aware of these acids with berries.
I love spinach salads but take it easy on this now. But steamed spinach is delicious whipped into a beautiful cream soup. With a dollop of creme fraiche on top is a nice finish.
Does that work for spinach and broccoli cooked in, say, a wok? Or does it have to be steaming specifically?
You can certainly cook them in the wok. The reason I mention steaming is because it is the most delicate and will be the closest to eating raw.
My favorite way to eat spinach is now dumping it into egg drop soup. YUM! I buy it frozen so it’s always ready to use.
Question 7 Omegas
First of all I think you mean are you getting enough omega- 3. Olive oil has mostly omega-9. Flax oil has omega-3 but the best is fish oil for omega-3. My preferred source is cod liver oil that has all the vitamins intact.
I also like Valda soak all my beans, grains and nuts. In whey for beans and grains to destroy all the phtyic acid and other anti-nutrients which inhibit mineral absorbtion and my nuts in a mixture of aalt and water for about 7 hours. All beans should be soaked 24 hours and lentils around 7.
Question 4
Preventing Kidney Stones.
Yes, berries DO have oxalic acid which can be neutralized by cooking them. I have also now learned that the best thing to prevent stones is stay hydrated. This is number 1. Drinking plenty of water throughout the day between meals can get rid of stones as well. High protein intake is associated with stones but if you eat adequate (not high) protein with healthy fats this is probably the healthiest solution along with plenty of water betweeen meals.
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