Category Archives: Primal Lifestyle

How to wash pesticides from fruit and vegetables

Posted on 2 October, 2016 by | Leave a comment

how to wash pesticides chemicals from fruit vegetables

 

In a perfect world, you’d only be eating organic produce. Heck, in a perfect world, there’d be no such thing as “non-organic” produce, period. I’ve always found the term “non-organic” a little hard to wrap my head around anyway, seeing as produce is, by definition, organic in nature.

Literary conundrums aside, there’s a bigger dilemma at play here: you can’t always buy organic. It could be the crippling price of organic fruit or vegetables which has you passing them by at high speed, headed for the considerably cheaper chemical-enriched produce aisles. It could also be that your local supermarket simply doesn’t have the incentive or resources to source a good range of organic produce.

Whatever the reason, there’s a good chance that you’ll be munching on a non-organic apple one afternoon, or steaming up some non-organic broccoli for the family dinner one evening. And while you’d be commended for at least eating whole foods in the first place, you’re still ingesting a heady concoction of toxins. These toxins are largely due to pesticides sprayed onto the surface of those fruits and vegetables to protect them from insect and animal attack, and keep them looking blemish-free.

While the reasoning behind such an action is perhaps understandable, the result is not: the chemicals in these pesticides remain in the skin and flesh of the produce, and when ingested they pass into our digestive system and pollute our bodies. The result is a higher risk of developing a wide range of diseases and health conditions, from hormonal imbalance, to neurological disorders and even cancer.

As we recommended in our article on buying the healthiest fruit and vegetables, the logical first step is to turn to the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen lists. These are an excellent starting point for paleo, primal and simply health-conscious shoppers, as they give an indication of which produce is ok to buy non-organic, and which fruit and veggies you should be prepared to fork out the big bucks for and buy organic. I also just stumbled across this consumer reports guideline, which lists 48 conventional fruits and vegetables available in the US and guides you through which varieties to go for, and which countries have the lowest-risk produce.

But despite all these efforts, you’re probably still going to end up with some non-organic bits and bobs. This is when a good DIY pesticide wash comes in handy. And it doesn’t have to be a super fancy-schmancy thing you buy from some online health food stores for a million bucks. All it takes is some water, vinegar, and a little bit of patience. Doesn’t seem so bad, considering your health is at stake, right?

So, without further ado…

DIY Recipe: Fruit and Vegetable Pesticide Wash

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Easy pesticide and chemical wash

Easy pesticide and chemical wash

Ingredients

  • Filtered water (it's ok to substitute tap water if necessary)
  • Distilled white vinegar

Instructions

  1. Fill a large stainless steel, ceramic or glass bowl with 4 parts water to 1 part white vinegar.
  2. Submerge any fruit, vegetables or other produce that you'd like to clean within the solution. Use a plate or something heavy to keep the items below the water, and leave for 20 minutes.
  3. Take out your fruit or vege, rinse well with tap water, and you're good to go! Simple as that. Make sure you discard your cleaning solution each time.
https://www.thriveprimal.com/how-to-easy-wash-pesticides-fruit-vegetables/

You’d think that after dunking your fresh produce in vinegar for 20 minutes, it’d taste pretty strong. But surprisingly, there’s very little hint of vinegar on the food afterwards, and often what vinegary aftertaste does make it through actually complements the native taste of the produce quite nicely.

While you aren’t going to rid your fruit and vegetables of every molecule of pesticide with this vinegar wash, you’ll banish most of it. And in my opinion, less chemicals, no matter how much less, is definitely a good thing.

 

 

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Posted in Ancestral Nutrition, Holistic Health & Personal Development, Primal Lifestyle, Safe Natural Remedies, Uncategorized

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Why your shower is making you dirty

Posted on 23 August, 2016 by | Leave a comment

Thrive-Primal---showerhead-dirty-solution-FB

It may sound a little ridiculous, but it’s highly likely that your shower is making you dirty. Even dirtier than before you stepped in, that is.

That’s because most showerheads are overlooked during routine household cleans (even the obligatory “Spring clean”), and are in fact an excellent place for the growth and proliferation of harmful microbes. Even if you have a filter on your shower, most are only designed to remove chlorine and inorganic compounds from your water, not nasty microscopic pathogenic invaders.

Research shows that the most common harmful microbes which inhabit your shower heads are “atypical mycobacteria” otherwise known as nontuberculosis mycobacteria. These little gremlins are naturally found in low concentrations all around us, in the water and soil (keep it cool, if you start looking around wildly people will think you’re a bit wacky), but can be suspended in the air by the process of evaporation or mist. Once in the air, these nasty little numbers can enter your lungs and start creating trouble.

Under normal conditions, our exposure to atypical mycobacteria is minimal, with their low concentrations in water and soil presenting little risk of infection. The conditions created in that innocent-seeming showerhead, however, are ideal for the colonization and rapid spread of this bacterial strain, meaning exposure levels are sharply increased and putting you at risk every single time you step into the shower. While various things around the house can harbor these pathogens, shower heads have been shown to have by far the highest concentration of these troublesome critters.

Atypical bacteria belong to the same family as those which cause tuberculosis (hence the name “nontuberculosis mycobacteria”, to differentiate them from their more dangerous cousins), and while they aren’t life-threatening, they can cause all manner of health problems. These include skin infections, lung infections, sinus problems, lymph node infection, and other negative interactions on your skin and in your bloodstream. People with a weakened or compromised immune system are particularly at risk, or those with open wounds or pre-existing skin conditions (such as dandruff or eczema).

And just because you’re healthy doesn’t mean you’re not at risk. All it takes is a bad sleep, a stressful day, a pre-existing cold or flu or too much exercise to put you in the danger zone. At this point, your immune system lacks the strength to fight these bacterial strains from entering your body through the water vapor you breathe in while showering, and you can quickly begin to show symptoms like coughing, difficulty breathing, fever, or general weakness and lethargy.

How to clean your shower head

Luckily, the solution is a simple one. Make cleaning your shower heads part of your regular cleaning routine, at least once a month but preferably every 2 weeks. You can remove the showerhead completely, sit it in a large bowl, then pour white vinegar into the bowl until the showerhead is fully submerged. Leave it there for a couple of hours, get rid of the vinegar, and reattach the showerhead. It’s that simple!

But if that wasn’t simple enough, there’s an even easier way. If you’ve got some large ziplock bags lying around, half fill one with white vinegar, secure the bag to your shower head with a sturdy rubber band, and leave in place for 2-3 hours, making sure the vinegar completely immerses the shower head. As with before, throw away the vinegar and repeat at least once a month to keep those nasty mycobacteria at bay!

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Posted in Holistic Health & Personal Development, Natural Self Care, Primal Lifestyle

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How to shop for the healthiest eggs

Posted on 12 August, 2016 by | Leave a comment

Thrive-Primal---how-to-buy-healthy-eggs

Eggs. They’re small, roundish, and surprisingly mysterious. You might navigate your way swiftly and surely through all the isles of the supermarket, only to be stumped by the dilemma that these nutritional powerhouses present.

Eggs can be an amazing source of essential fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals and beneficial compounds when they come from quality sources. The problem is, it’s not always obvious what those sources are, and how to pick out the healthiest eggs from an extensive selection which, to all outward appearances, look almost identical. In this post, I’ll explore why you really need to prioritize “good” eggs over “bad” ones, and then how to go about digging out those good ones from amongst the masses.

Why you need to invest in high-quality eggs

In the paleo, primal, bulletproof, and wider health communities, eggs have developed into something of a cult following in recent years. There’s a good reason for this – they’re an inexpensive, readily available, easy-to-prepare source of healthy fats, protein, and nutrients. Few foods rival the humble egg’s nutritional capacity, but only when those eggs come from healthy, happy hens. And while this may seem a simple enough solution, the agricultural industry is slowly but surely turning egg production into the stuff of nightmares.

When it comes to buying eggs, most people make the mistake of prioritizing price over quality. I myself used to be one of those people, heading straight for the lowest-priced eggs and feeling like I just scored a financial victory as I strolled towards the checkout. After doing some research, however, I later discovered that those decisions made absolutely no sense, due to the fact that I was paying far more in health problems from eating things like inferior eggs than I could ever save by tightening my budget in the store.

While for some foods the difference in price is simply due to branding, eggs are an excellent example of how price can be an excellent indicator of quality. In general, cheaper eggs are cheaper for a reason:

  • cheaper eggs come from hens that are jammed wing-to-wing into tiny battery cages inside vast, reeking warehouses. These cages offer little to no movement, certainly not the movement required for a hen to be healthy, but this allows farmers to squeeze in far more chickens into a small space – effectively increasing their productivity per square foot of warehouse space.
  • cheaper eggs come from hens which are given the lowest-cost feed available, feed which is designed to fatten the chickens up as fast as possible (and therefore get them laying faster) but not to support the development of healthy bones and organs
  • cheaper eggs come from hens which have their wings and beaks clipped to prevent harm or cannibalism in such as tight space, are injected with growth hormones to ensure they reach their egg-laying age faster, and regularly fed antibiotics to ensure they don’t get sick or die due to the cramped conditions.

The result is warehouses which can literally pump out thousands of eggs, increasing productivity and lowering the cost of these eggs. Unfortunately, the benefits stop there. Many of the toxins and health problems of the hens are passed into their eggs, meaning they contain antibiotic and growth hormone residues, a very poor omega-3 to omega-6 ratio (making them pro-inflammatory), and high levels of environmental toxins.

Eggs which come from healthy chickens, on the other hand, are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, have bucketloads of nutrients, keep you feeling fuller for longer, and are much less likely to contain harmful environmental toxins. For this reason, a 3 or 4 dollar difference in price could mean the difference between something which can harm your health and increase your risk of disease, or something which can nurture your body and actually work to heal any ailments you might be suffering from. Anyone who is aware of this difference and still goes for the cheaper eggs clearly doesn’t value their health at all.

Finding the healthiest eggs

While price is a good starting point for sorting the quality eggs from the bad, it unfortunately isn’t a hard and fast rule. Many companies market their pricey eggs as a higher-quality product, with fancy packaging and fancier words, when really their eggs are just as bad as the cheap ones. Here’s how to know to look out for the best eggs:

  • Pasture-raised: these are the best eggs you’ll ever find. Chickens which produce these eggs live on farms that allow them to roam freely outside, eating foods of their choice (like tasty worms and bugs!) and getting plenty of sunlight. These hens are free from hormones, antibiotics, and the hardship of a life spent inside a tiny cage.
  • Free-range: not as good as pasture-raised, but still a healthy choice. Hens that produce these eggs are permitted limited access to the outdoors, and don’t get kept in cages. They can move around, but for most of their lives it’ll be inside a large open-plan warehouse rather than outside.
  • Free-run: a slightly lower quality version of free-range, and often synonymous with “cage-free”. These hens don’t have access to the outdoors, but can move around freely and are much healthier than caged hens.
  • Cage-free: pretty self explanatory really! Cage-free can include all three of the above egg-types, however if you can’t see any other labels then chances are these hens are confined to the indoors.
  • Organic: The organic label assures you that those eggs come from hens which were raised on feed without additives, animal by-products, growth hormones and antibiotics. In certain places, this also means that such hens must be given access to the outdoors, perches, dust-bathing areas and stipulated minimum space requirements. Don’t be sucked in by “organic vegetarian fed” labels – chickens need to eat worms and bugs in order to thrive, meaning “vegetarian” is not necessarily a good thing.

At the end of the day, all of the above types of eggs are better than caged eggs. Generally, the price of eggs will go up according to how the hens were raised (pasture-raised being most expensive, cage-free being least expensive). Where possible, try to find eggs which tick more than one box – i.e. free-range eggs which are also organic. Also keep in mind that “omega-3” eggs are a bit of a gimmick, and you’re far better off getting high levels of omega-3s from eggs lain by healthy chickens than by chickens who have had artificial sources of omega-3 slipped into their feed.

If you’d like to find out more, this article provides a really good analysis of the various eggs available on the market and how to determine whether they’re good or bad.

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Posted in Ancestral Nutrition, Healthy Weight, Primal Lifestyle, Uncategorized

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Easy natural non-toxic laundry detergent recipe

Posted on 10 August, 2016 by | Leave a comment

Thrive-Primal---DIY-laundry-detergent

Ok, so you’ve got your paleo/primal/Bulletproof eating down to a fine art, you’ve thrown out all your chemical-based household cleaners and replaced them with a simple spray bottle of white vinegar, you’ve thinned out the ranks of your cosmetics and personal care products, and you’re on the home stretch to becoming the healthiest human in a 10 mile radius. Nicely done.

But, and I hate to go picking holes in your otherwise impressive suit of health, do you have your laundry detergent sorted? Are you still using store-bought detergents? You know, the one’s filled with artificial fragrances, toxic cleaning agents, chemical stabilizers, ammonia, brighteners and phosphates? The one’s which are dousing your clothes (and therefore your skin) in a poisonous concoction of illness-inducing, disease-causing chemicals?

If the answer was “yes”, that’s a pretty big hole I just picked at, sorry to say. And don’t think that because you’re buying a purportedly “natural” or “plant-based” detergent from your local supermarket that you’ve somehow skipped the chemicals and found the real deal. Even the “healthy” store-bought detergents have their share of nasty ingredients, meaning you’re infinitely better off making your own.

This recipe is a slightly modified version of that provided by our friends over at mommypotamus.com. I know you’ve got places to go and people to see, so I’ve also fast-tracked it so you get that hole in your health suit patched up quick-smart and start living your life and being awesome again. You’re welcome.

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Easy natural non-toxic laundry detergent recipe

Easy natural non-toxic laundry detergent recipe

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Cut the bars of coconut oil soap into rough chunks, then add to a kitchen food processor along with the washing soda.
  2. Blend on high until the mixture forms a fine powder. Consider placing a towel or cloth over your food processor during blending to prevent any powder from escaping.
  3. Allow the powder inside the processor to settle, around 2-3 minutes.
  4. Slowly pour the powder into a clean glass jar with lid.
  5. In a top load washing machine, add 2 tablespoons of the detergent for a medium load and 3 tablespoons for a large load. If running a cold wash, consider dissolving the powder in a cup of hot water before pouring into the washing machine.
  6. Add half a cup of white vinegar to the fabric softener receptacle, and 3-5 drops lemon essential oil in with the laundry detergent as a degreaser and natural fragrance.
https://www.thriveprimal.com/easy-natural-non-toxic-laundry-detergent/

Thoughts? Comments?

If you tried this recipe out, let us know how it went! Did you have to modify some of the ingredient amounts, or the ingredients themselves? If you’d like to mix things up a little, the folks over at morningchores.com have very conveniently gathered up 28 more DIY laundry recipes!

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Posted in Holistic Health & Personal Development, Natural Self Care, Primal Lifestyle, Uncategorized

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How to avoid sickness on the plane

Posted on 10 August, 2016 by | Leave a comment

Thrive-Primal---staying-healthy-while-flying

An article I came across in the Huffington Post a while back brought to the forefront something which had been bothering me for a while: the health risks of flying. According to the post, passengers on a flight from Beijing to Vancouver may have been exposed to a case of the measles, when it was revealed that someone on the flight was carrying the highly infectious virus.

While the implications of coming down with something nasty like the measles is bad enough (inflammation of the brain, convulsions, deafness and even brain damage in worst case scenarios), the virus scare on that flight merely highlights the vast array of health risks involved with air travel. As someone who is flying long-distance on a regular basis, this is a big deal for me, and I seized the opportunity to look into what could be done to safeguard myself from a whole lot of potentially sick people bottled up inside a tiny tin can with wings for multiple hours.

Based on my research, here’s a few handy tips for protecting yourself while in transit and stepping off a plane no worse for wear than when you first got on.

1. Avoid contaminated surfaces

Before I did the research, I was under the impression that one of the most common ways people got sick from being in planes was via the recycled air that blasts out into your face throughout the flight. According to Dr. Mark Gendreau, a specialist in aviation medicine at Lahey Medical Centre in Massachusetts (who knew “avian medicine” was even a thing?!), this is far from the case. Yes, someone who sneezes can project infectious pathogens into the air which can then get sucked up by the air recycling system, but Gendreau points out that most planes have high-tech air filters that remove over 99 percent of airborne microbes. Those are some pretty slim odds of catching a cold from your air vent.

Now that I’ve alleviated your fears of airborne sickness, it’s time to turn your attention to physically touching contaminated surfaces. These present your greatest likelihood of getting ill – someone who has a cold or flu (and lets not forget about those measles!) touches the handle to the toilet, you then touch that handle as you exit the toilet later on, then transfer the virus into your body by rubbing your eyes, licking your hands or just eating that nasty airplane food.

While washing your hands will help to minimize this risk somewhat, you’re still at risk of touching contaminated surfaces – the classic case being when you have to exit the toilet, touching the little latch to release the door catch or pushing the door open with your hand. Plus, apparently tap water on aircrafts has its own contamination issues to work through. For this reason, probably the safest way to lower your risk is to carry a toxin-free, natural hand sanitizer and use it after touching any suspect surfaces or prior to eating.

Your other best option is to straight-out avoid touching contaminated surfaces – you can do this by wearing gloves, only using restrooms whose entryways don’t have doors (so you don’t have to touch a door to exit the restroom after washing your hands – works in airports, not so much in planes!), or use your elbow or back of the hand to operate handles and locks (takes some skill, but it can be done!).

2. Support your immune system before & after flying

You might be super careful with touching surfaces and still be at risk of infection if someone nearby sneezes and you’re unfortunate enough to be sitting within the “blast radius”. This means you are now at a higher risk of inhaling the infectious pathogen, but it’s also the point where your immune system steps in. How healthy you are before (and immediately after) the flight will determine whether your immune function is strong enough to fight the infection, or whether it will easily take over. Here’s a few simple things you can do to ensure your immune system is in tip top condition:

  • Minimize stress before your flight. If you find yourself getting anxious or frustrated with preparations for your trip, take some time to just chill and work on consciously eradicating that stress. Things like meditation, walking in natural settings (i.e. parks), watching your favorite comedy tv show, or doing some light stretches can help.
  • Get plenty of sleep in the nights leading up to your flight. No all-nighters packing your stuff for the trip! I’ve definitely been guilty of this on many occasions, and it’s never ended well.
  • Exercise regularly, and be sure to move about constantly. This means changing your position (be it sitting, standing, or lying down) as much as possible…with the exception of when you sleep, of course!
  • Get plenty of sun to keep your vitamin D levels high. Vitamin D is critical to a properly functioning immune system, plus sunlight during the day will help you sleep better at night.
  • Eat lots of healthy, whole foods. Plenty of veggies, a smattering of fresh fruit, lots of high quality meat, and avoid grains and sugars where possible.
  • Eat plenty of fermented foods (such as this delicious home-made sauerkraut!), or get your hands on a good probiotic supplement.

3. Bring your own food on the plane

I always find myself getting strangely excited by the prospect of getting served food on a plane, there’s just something infinitely satisfying about eating a meal at 40,000 feet. But virtually every time, I’m disappointed. Airplane food is almost universally atrocious – it’s sloppy, composed of ingredients you don’t even want think about, and generally lacking in nutrition. Even more importantly, there’s always the risk that you could get sick from it, as it is handled by who knows how many people before it gets to your “tray table”, and is reheated at least twice, amplifying the risk of contamination.

The best strategy is always to source your own healthy food before the flight and bring it on-board. Just make sure to bring enough so that you’re not still tempted by the airline food, bring utensils (just in case the snooty air hostess doesn’t want to give you theirs), and, for the sake of the other passengers and your own dignity, stay away from overly pungent food…it’ll stink the cabin out quicker than you can say “pee-yew!”.

4. Drink plenty of water

Water is essential to the healthy function of your body, including your immune system. The recycled air on planes really dries you out, and many people get tempted by the various sugary or alcoholic drinks on offer and therefore become even more dehydrated. If you’re going to give your body a fighting chance against infection, skip the soda or wine and opt for water instead. I always make sure I fill up my glass water bottle before getting on the plane, and when they come around offering cups of water I ask them to fill my drink bottle instead. Smart for my health, and smart for the environment!

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Posted in Ancestral Nutrition, Food on the Go, Holistic Health & Personal Development, Primal Lifestyle, Stress

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All You Need to Know About Cooking Oils

Posted on 15 July, 2016 by | Leave a comment

thrive primal guide to paleo cooking oils

I chose the topic for this post because I have a genuine interest in what ACTUALLY constitutes a good cooking oil. There’s a lot of hearsay around the topic, with many people swearing by this or that oil, but no actual idea why it’s better than the rest. Certain people will tell me that they’ve heard a particular oil is best for high heat cooking, but when I pose questions relating to smoke point and oxidation, the response is a sort of panicked confusion and a rapid change of topic.

And let’s face it, if you’ve gone paleo, primal, or just about any diet which realizes that saturated fat is a GOOD thing, oils are your best friend in the kitchen (and elsewhere, of course!). It’s time to know their strengths and weaknesses so you can enjoy all their benefits without denaturing their nutrients or pouring carcinogenic compounds into your body.

Let’s start with the basic questions that you need to ask when choosing the right cooking oil.

What type of fat is it?

There are two types of oil you can buy on supermarket shelves: saturated and unsaturated. Saturated fats are the simplest of these two groups, and the most stable. A good way to tell whether you’re dealing with a saturated fat is knowing that they turn solid at room temperature. Commonly used saturated fats include:

  • coconut oil
  • palm kernel oil
  • butter
  • ghee
  • lard
  • chicken fat
  • tallow

Unsaturated fats are a little more complicated, and come in the form of either monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and trans unsaturated. Commonly used unsaturated fats include:

  • canola oil
  • flaxseed oil
  • soybean oil
  • nut oils
  • avocado oil
  • hemp oil
  • sunflower oil
  • olive oil

You get the idea. While every oil contains varying ratios of each kind of fat (olive oil contains 73% monounsaturated, 14% saturated, and the rest polyunsaturated, for example), generally speaking the saturated fat group contains primarily animal-based oils, plus coconut and palm kernel. The rest is primarily unsaturated.

Another useful thing to know is that saturated fats and monounsaturated fats are more resistant to heating or cooking. This is due to the fact that they have less bonds, and are therefore less susceptible to chemical reactions which occur under high heat conditions. Polyunsaturated oils, like corn, walnut or sunflower oil, have multiple bonds and so are more likely to become denatured under heat. Trans unsaturated fats (look for the word “hydrogenated” in the ingredients of a product) should just hands-down be avoided.

What is the oil’s smoke point?

An oil or fat’s smoke point is the temperature at which it starts to produce smoke. Pretty straightforward so far, right? Treat this smoke as a warning sign (Tolkien fans might like to envisage the famed Beacons of Gondor, if reality is a little to dull for their taste) – it signifies the point at which your oil is beginning to break down due to heat.

When the oil or fat reaches this point, the free glycerol groups contained within it begin to get converted into acrolein. Acrolein is one of the chemicals found in cigarette smoke, and has been classified as a carcinogen. Thus breathing in the smoke from oil when it reaches it’s smoke point may be similar to breathing in the smoke from a cigarette. Nasty.

Here’s a list of oils and their corresponding smoke point, for some light bedtime reading:

Image source: http://blog.paleohacks.com/complete-guide-cooking-oils/#

Image source: http://blog.paleohacks.com/complete-guide-cooking-oils/

The U’s in brackets next to some oils indicates that they are unrefined, while the R indicates refined. You’ll notice that the refined oils have a much higher smoke point than unrefined oils. Many paleo people may also be somewhat dismayed to see the low smoke point of butter, unrefined coconut oil and lard.

What is the oxidative stability of the oil?

While considering the smoke point of a cooking oil or fat is important, the oxidative stability of that same oil or fat is even more so. The oxidative stability of an oil refers to its ability to resist oxidation. Oxidation occurs when a fat molecule loses a hydrogen atom, allowing it to turn into a free radical.

Free radicals are highly volatile, and due to the way they interact with and attack our cells, can be seriously detrimental to our health. An increase in free radicals in your body means an increased risk of developing a wide range of diseases, and speeding up the aging process.

When oxidation occurs, an oil or fat becomes rancid. People know when an oil has become rancid due to oxidation as it tastes “off”, has a bad smell, or looks a bit weird.

Choosing the right oil for the task at hand

After reading the above, it’s possible you’re even more confused than before. Sorry about that. The point is, there’s no standalone winner when it comes to oils and fats – each has it’s own quirks, and can even vary considerably depending on whether it’s refined, unrefined, expeller pressed, cold pressed or chemical-extracted. You have to weigh up the various attributes of each and only use a given oil when it doesn’t have a high risk of oxidizing or smoking.

To help you in your quest, here’s a few pointers to keep in mind to ensure you get the best (not the worst) from your oil:

  • Temperature: no matter what the oil, the lower the cooking temperature, the better. Know your oil’s smoke point, and stay well below it.
  • Light: the sun’s wavelengths can increase the rate of oxidation. Try to buy oils which come in dark bottles (not really possible for coconut oil, but then it is fairly resistant to oxidation anyway), and store your oils in a cool dark place to increase their shelf life.
  • Re-use: try to avoid re-using your cooking oil, as each time it is cooked with it’s smoke point lowers.
  • Antioxidants: considering things like heating, air and light exposure can accelerate your oil’s rate of oxidation (rancidity), choose oils with higher levels of antioxidants. These antioxidants, found in high numbers in oils like avocado, olive, coconut and butter, actively offset the destructive damage free radicals wreak on your body. They can therefore help to neutralize the creation of free radicals during the process of oxidation.

Our top paleo-friendly cooking oil picks

With the proviso that, based on the above, there’s no clear-cut winner in the cooking oil contest, we DO have a few top picks. Here’s our thoughts:

  • Avocado oil: a good all-rounder. Has a high smoke point, particularly in the case of it’s refined form (520ºF), and is loaded with antioxidants (particularly vitamin E) so it doesn’t oxidize easily. Use for things like pan frying, grilling, roasting and in salad dressings and marinades.
  • Butter: delicious and loaded with an amazing range of nutrients when it’s from grass-fed sources, butter is unfortunately not great for cooking. It has a low smoke point, so should only be used for low heat cooking such as baking or slow-cooking. Has a short shelf-life and can become rancid quickly, so consume ASAP and store in an airtight container in the fridge.
  • Coconut oil: Once again, high in antioxidants, and very resistant to oxidation. Has a long shelf life, but should still be stored in a dark place if possible. It does have a low smoke point, however, so stick to low-heat cooking. Switching to refined coconut oil means you can cook at medium heat without creating smoke, but you lose a lot of the antioxidants so it’s a bit of a trade-off. Good for baking and smoothies!
  • Ghee: if you were disappointed at butter’s low score in the cooking department, ghee is your savior. Ghee retains much of the delicious richness of butter, has a slightly sweeter taste, and most importantly has a very high smoke point. This means it’s great for high heat cooking like pan frying or grilling, and has a long shelf life. Go for grass-fed ghee, if possible.
  • Lard and tallow: not great in terms of nutritional profile, but otherwise a great option for medium-heat cooking, due to their smoke point of around 390ºF. They’re also fairly resistant to oxidation, particularly in the case of tallow (beef fat). Really only good for cooking (it’d be a little weird to drizzle some warm lard on your garden salad).
  • Olive oil: despite claims, olive oil is still a good option for cooking, however the smoke point differs considerably between olive oil types. Extra virgin olive oil is the healthiest choice in terms of lack of refinement and therefore level of nutrients, which incidentally means it is highly resistant to oxidation. It does, however, have a low smoke point at 320ºF, making it suitable only for slow cooking or sautéing (great for salads and marinades though!). Virgin olive oil is slightly more refined and so has less nutrients and is a little more prone to oxidation. With a smoke point of 420ºF, however, it’s great for medium-heat cooking such as pan frying and roasting. Only buy olive oil in dark bottles and store them in a dark place to avoid rapid rancidification!

That’s a lot of info to take in, but I hope it helped to clear things up a little. Next time someone asks you which oil you think is best, you can bedazzle them with your oil and fat know-how.

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Posted in Ancestral Nutrition, Healthy Weight, Holistic Health & Personal Development, Primal Lifestyle

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Why grains are causing you harm

Posted on 24 March, 2016 by | Leave a comment

grains are bad for your health

Mankind’s relationship with grains might be considered a long one, tracing back to the agricultural revolution approximately 12,000 years ago. It was at this point in our history that humans developed the means to cultivate grains, and since this point they have come to be seen as the backbone of civilization. Humans treasured grains on account of their rapid growth rates, versatility, and long storage life, and they soon became a valuable form of currency: one which could dictate the rise and fall of towns, cities, and even empires.

Today, grains continue to be seen as vital to our existence, with politicians, media, and health specialists all urging mass consumption of whole grains in order to stay healthy. The notion of grains as staple food has become so embedded in our consciousness, in fact, that it is difficult to even consider life without them. After all, how would you get your daily dose of fiber? With what would you sandwich your ham, cheese and tomato? Indeed, where would you put your pasta sauce? A life without grains seems hardly worth contemplating.

So why, then, is there such a poor correlation between grain consumption and health? Why do the heaviest grain-eating populations, America in particular, continue to get sicker and more disease ridden?

Grains, explained

Alright, alright, lets back the truck up…what the heck IS a grain, exactly?

Well, grains are the reproductive embryos of plants. Each grain is designed to ensure the establishment of a new generation of a given plant species, and must be dispersed away from the parent plant in order to ensure that it does not compete with it’s dearly beloved. To promote dispersal, most plants encourage animals to ingest the grains then poop them out somewhere else, whereby the seed contained within the grain can take hold in the poopy soil and begin to grow.

While effective, this method of dispersal presents a problem. By encouraging the animal to eat its babies, the plant risks having them destroyed by the animal’s digestive system. The plant must then design its grains to be indigestible to animals in order to ensure the survival of its species, and it is this design which is responsible for many of the chronic autoimmune diseases we see in people today.

Grains are unhealthy? That’s preposterous!

In order to discourage digestion, grains contain a potent mix of anti-nutrients and gluten. Unless you’ve had your head in the sand for the past 10 years or so, you’ve probably heard of gluten. It’s also probable that many of you have adopted a gluten-free way of life after reading about the ravages this protein can wreak upon your gut and immune system. This is certainly a step in the right direction, but unfortunately it’s not enough.

Gluten comprises most of the protein found in wheat, rye and barley. It is a compound protein which causes gut inflammation in 4 out of 5 people, and can often trigger an autoimmune response when the body develops antibodies to fight the intrusion of alien proteins in the bloodstream. Gluten contains a protein called gliadin, which is very similar to certain proteins naturally found in the tissues of organs, most notably the pancreas and thyroid. As a result, gliadin can cause your antibodies to mistakenly attack your organs and result in chronic disease, particularly hypothyroidism and diabetes.

Added to this is the highly inflammatory effect of gluten, which causes the walls of your intestines to thin and promotes the development of “leaky gut”. A leaky gut allows bacteria and toxic proteins to enter the bloodstream, and further exacerbates your gliadin-induced health problems.

In summary, gluten is a nasty little hell-raiser. So, you cast aside any wheat, barley and rye due to their glutenous evil, and turn your dietary attentions to other, “healthier” grains. The problem is, while only certain grains contain gluten, ALL grains (yes, even quinoa!) contain anti-nutrients. The most troublesome of which are lectins and phytates.

Phytates are a derivative of phytic acid, a primary source of fuel for plants. Phytates hang out in your gut and bind to important nutrients which are essential for your health, including magnesium, zinc, calcium and iron. This process can prevent your body from absorbing nutrients from food, resulting in chronic nutrient deficiency disorders.

Lectins are toxins which have been designed by plants to prevent their digestion. These proteins possess the uncanny ability to bind to, and damage, the intestinal tract, further compromising gut bacteria and contributing to leaky gut. Prolonged exposure to lectins can result in the development of leptin resistance, which can set the stage for obesity and diabetes.

The link between grains and chronic disease

Certain animals, birds in particular, have evolved to eat and even thrive on grains, and can therefore digest them without experiencing their ill-effects. Humans, however, have only been exposed to sustained grain consumption for 12,000 years or less. When considering the evolution of our species, which took place over millions of years, 12,000 years is not a long time. Certainly not long enough to have allowed our digestive systems to evolve the ability to process grains and receive benefit from them. Added to this is the increasing commercialization of grains, whereby scientists modify the genes and cultivars of grains to encourage high density yields while sacrificing nutrients and other useful compounds found in wild or heritage breeds.

As a direct result of this, modern society is riddled with chronic inflammatory conditions. These conditions are closely associated with high grain intake, and include:

• celiac disease
• dermatitis
• asthma
• thyroid disease
• dental defects
• liver disease
• epilepsy
• rheumatoid arthritis

A growing body of evidence is also beginning to suggest that grain consumption may also be responsible for certain neurological conditions, such as multiple sclerosis, autism, and schizophrenia.

The solution is simple: stay away from grains

Based on the increasing number of studies showing the damage that grains can do to our bodies, if you’re suffering from chronic pain, it’s possible that grains are the cause. Here’s an idea: stop eating them! If you can’t bring yourself to remove grains completely from your diet, soaking and sprouting them can significantly reduce the concentration of anti-nutrients and make their vitamins and minerals more digestible.

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How to eat tasty food & avoid weight gain this Christmas

Posted on 20 December, 2015 by | Leave a comment

thrive primal how to watch your weight and still eat delicious food over christmas

Christmas is just around the corner, and with it the vast mountains of delicious yet belly-bursting food. We can already see that you’ve got that yearly look of defeat in your eyes – “oh well” you say to yourself, “might as well just accept the fact that I’m going to eat a lot of junky food over the holiday season and work off the flab next year”. Well, you can wipe that defeated look right off your face, because if you follow these tips you’ll be able to eat like a champion while maintaining your wondrous physique!

Merry Christmas and a Flabby New Year?

Around this time every year, people begin loosening and/or removing their belts, donning their elastic-waisted trackpants, and settling down for an extended onslaught of delicious food. The subsequent collective weight gain across the globe is somewhat alarming, considering it often runs hand in hand with serious health conditions and an almost universal decline in self esteem. But, despite what the mainstream media would tell you, it’s not the amount you’re eating that’s the problem – it’s WHAT you’re eating. If you take heed of the following guidelines, you’ll be able to maintain your trim waistline, stay healthy, AND eat delicious food over the holidays.

1. Balance is king: maintain a healthy macronutrient ratio

Your body needs a certain ratio of fats, proteins and carbohydrates in order to efficiently fuel your metabolism. Advice regarding “healthy” macronutrient ratios varies widely, depending on who you listen to. As a general rule of thumb, however, most diets consider fats to be the enemy, followed closely by carbohydrates. Also as a general rule of thumb, most of these diets are horribly misinformed. Our bodies are designed to run most efficiently off fats – healthy fats, that is, not the nasty kinds which come from ultra-processed vegetable oil or unhealthy animals. As such, you should aim to maintain a ratio of around 30% carb, 55% fat and 15% protein, as determined by extensive meta-analysis and careful data gathering from this source.

It’s important to note that this is not a rigid requirement – our bodies thrive on change, therefore don’t stress out if you can’t always maintain this exact macronutrient balance. It’s also important to remember that your fats should come from healthy sources: avocados, olive oil, coconut oil, grass-fed butter and ghee, and fatty meats from grass-fed or pasture-raised animals. There’s plenty more information on how you can optimize your healthy fat intake here. So, if you’re preparing a delicious Christmas feast, cook your meat in coconut oil or grass-fed butter, put olive oil and balsamic vinegar on your salads, and make your desserts with plenty of coconut oil or butter – they both taste great in baking and don’t denature under high heat. The real upside to incorporating more fat into your meals is that they help your body absorb nutrients, so all that vegetable-eating isn’t going to waste :)

2. Avoid gluten and grains where possible

This should be a relatively easy one, as let’s face it – the superstars of holiday feasts are always the heaving platters of delicious glazed/basted/smoked meat. Many grains (not just wheat) contain gluten, which irrigates the gut, prevents uptake of nutrients, and weakens your immune system. It can also cause chronic inflammation – the kind which makes you look bloated and overweight. As such, try to avoid the following where possible:

  • bread (even “gluten-free” bread – often this still contains trace levels of gluten, and typically has other nasty ingredients to make up for the lack of wheat)
  • oats (unless they’re soaked and/or sprouted)
  • pasta
  • pie crusts
  • battered/crumbed meats and vegetables
  • stuffing
  • beer

Glutenous foods just fill you up anyway, and there’s nothing worse than getting full too early on in the Christmas eating binge! If you’d like to find out more about how grains are ruining your health, check out this article.

3. If your food is high quality, calories don’t matter

Shock horror: calories aren’t as important as you might think! Perhaps that’s a little melodramatic, but the point is that you can put away your calorie counter and focus in on WHAT you’re eating, not how much. As explained above, your meat should be from quality, grass-fed/pasture raised, organic, humane sources. Your vegetables will preferably be organic/heirloom and local – if this is too much of a stretch, there are certain vegetables available which you don’t need to buy organic due to minimal use of herbicides and other chemicals. These include onions, avocado, asparagus, sweet potato and mushrooms – this article provides more info on the topic.

As for baked goods – try to keep use of conventional sugar to a minimum, or replace recommended sugar amounts with its equivalent in raw honey, coconut sugar or maple syrup – these are the lesser of the sugar evils. We typically make use of overripe bananas to provide most of the sugary sweetness in our baking. Instead of using typical gluten-laden wheat flour, stock up with coconut and almond flour – these make great substitutions to traditional baking flours. Finally, be sure to incorporate plenty of healthy fats like coconut oil and butter, as these fill you up more and allow your body to more efficiently process the other baking ingredients.

4. Keep stress to a minimum

The holiday season is notorious for placing vast amounts of stress on families, what with rushing around buying presents, trying to finish off last-minute assignments at work before the break, coordinating huge family gatherings, and the general mayhem of having too many people cooped up under one roof for an extended period of time.

Surprisingly less notorious is the impact that stress has on your health. In his article on stress, nutrition guru Chris Kresser provides a compelling argument as to why stress is so damaging to our bodies. It really doesn’t matter how much effort you put into keeping your diet clean over the Christmas period if you’re being put under a lot of stress, as it can derail even the healthiest eater. Stress can raise your blood sugar, weaken your immune system, cause leaky gut, increase hunger and sugar cravings, and result in considerable weight gain.

To keep your stress levels down, make sure you take time to just relax by yourself. If things start getting heated around the dining table, grab a book and go and lie on the bed and read for a while. Even if the weather is nasty, get outside and interact with nature, as many studies have shown that simply spending 5 minutes in natural settings (think parks, rivers, lakes – that kind of thing) can dramatically reduce cortisol (aka the “stress” hormone) production and promote feelings of happiness. Finally, yoga can be a good way to unwind after a stressful day – spend 10 minutes before bed running through a few basic yoga exercises and you’ll find yourself immediately relaxing and feeling like you’re actually ready to go to sleep. This DVD comes with spectacular ratings on Amazon and has loads of great yoga workouts perfect for both beginners and pros.

Comments? Thoughts? Let us know how YOU plan on watching your weight while still enjoying the culinary delights of the holiday season!

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