Paleo Quick Tip of the Day- Ezekiel Bread- Yes or No?

pqtd 65  Ezekiel Bread- Is it Really Better?

In a word, yes!  If you are desirous of all of the advantages of a paleo type of diet, such as increased lean-ness, clarity of mind, and becoming vastly less susceptible to modern diseases- but can’t get yourself to completely give up bread- Ezekiel bread is probably the “stepping stone” you need to get un-hooked from gluten!

Of course, there is such a thing now readily available as Gluten Free bread...but remember, gluten free products are also highly refined grains of some sort, and often loaded with preservatives.  Like Ezekiel bread, gluten free items have their place as “stepping stones” away from the wheat of today, which is absolutely loaded with gluten and other anti-nutrients.

The point is this: modern wheat can affect all of us negatively. There are many compounds in wheat gluten that can damage us, including gliadins, gluteomorphins, glutenin, lectins and wheat germ agglutinin.  Gluten free is OK for an occasional treat, but the key word is OCCASIONAL.  Ezekiel bread is the better option!

As Dr. Axe puts it:
“Sprouting and fermenting foods, especially grains and legumes, greatly increases their nutrient content and makes them more easily digestible. But probably most importantly, sprouting grains deactivates important nutrient blockers (antinutrients). (6) This means that compared to breads that haven’t been sprouted, Ezekiel bread’s nutrients are more easily used by the body, and you’re also less likely to experience digestive problems from eating it.
When compared to breads that are made with grains that haven’t been sprouted, sprouted grain breads are the following:
A form of complete protein: Ezekiel bread contains 18 amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, including all nine essential amino acids.
Increase their digestibility: This happens because sprouting breaks down starches in grains and turns them into more easily digested simple sugars.
Increase how well their vitamin and minerals can be absorbed: Sprouting breaks down antinutrients, or the enzyme inhibitors that can interfere with your ability to absorb calcium, magnesium, iron, copper and zinc found in the grains.
Increase the vitamin and mineral concentration: Vitamin C, the B vitamins and vitamin E all become more concentrated when sprouting.
A high source of dietary fiber: Sprouted breads are made using a combination of sprouted whole grains and legumes, both of which have high fiber contents that help digestion and make you feel full.
Ezekiel bread is a much healthier option than most other breads. However, that being said, for most people who are looking to reverse disease or to reach a healthier weight, I usually recommend staying away from grains altogether, at least for a period of time.

Before and after Paleo!

Once you’re able to reach your health-related goals through eating a healing diet, then you can try reintroducing certain whole grains and grain products, like Ezekiel bread for example, back into your diet to see what kind of reaction you have. Some people do better eating grains than others and usually the only way to know if you can tolerate grains, or if you experience any sort of grain-related symptoms such as leaky gut syndrome or gluten sensitivity, is to eliminate them altogether for a period of time.
Once you reintroduce grains, if you find that you can tolerate them well, I always recommend eating grains that have been sprouted and fermented, like Ezekiel bread. These types of grains have many more health benefits and less risks associated with eating them than more refined carbohydrates do.
I also recommend consuming sprouted grains on occasion, as opposed to with every single meal, or as the center of your plate. The same rule goes for Ezekiel bread: It can play a part in an otherwise healthy diet for some people, but it’s best not to think of it as a staple of your diet.”

Thank you Josh Axe- you put it so well, I decided to quote you on that.
And so there you have it- Ezekiel bread can help you get off of standard, modern wheat, and probably not break your health as you do it.  Think of it as methadone to get off of bread though- a temporary crutch to get you off of the heroin that is modern wheat!


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Paleo Quick Tip of the Day #64 Build muscle and shed fat by NOT working so hard!

pqtd 64 Work out but do not beat yourself up

The worst trend in working out nowadays is the tendency to do EXTREME workouts- workouts that last more than 40 minutes, go to “failure” on exercises, and workouts that leave you drained, exhausted, and almost on the verge of collapse!  In these strange times, such workouts are deemed to be wonderful, result producing workouts!

They’re not.  These sorts of high revving, kill yourself and feel the burn and then feel great about what a hard-charger you are workouts are horrible for your health, AND your physique!

You may be able to get to a state of improved physique for a short while doing this, but it is guaranteed to burn you out, stimulate your cortisol stress hormones to get busy storing fat, and get you injured.  So, you could look pretty good by killing yourself for months and months for maybe a week or so... but then, you would necessarily back off from injury or exhaustion, and in a couple of weeks look (and feel!) much worse than when you started the whole ordeal!

And I’m not saying just go the wimpy middle-aged spread workout idea: you know, walk half-heartedly on a treadmill while you watch TV for an hour, and barely get your heart rate up- this won’t do hardly anything for you, although at least it won’t hurt you!  It’s kind of like I just want to burn calories and help my heart, so I’ll spend time doing this boring thing...

NO- that way too is largely useless.

So what should you do?

Work out for maybe 30 minutes (or less) per day, most every day!  Plan to do this forever.

Pair it with a favorite activity, like watching a really good Netflix program-
and ONLY watch that program while you are exercising!
This is the perfect way to reinforce the habit-

“If I get up early to exercise, I can watch MY FAVORITE PROGRAM!”

Netflix is ideal for this, as you can save your place in the show easily, and resume the next morning when you exercise!

The best exercises?  My ebook Perfectly Paleo Exercise details them, but in truth any sort of stretching, virtual resistance flexing, and calisthenics sort of routine will yield amazing results.

The key is consistency (doing them daily, or almost daily), hard but not TOO hard (80% of maximum effort is plenty!), and briefly!!

Let’s say you do 15 minutes of calisthenics and virtual resistance (dynamic tension, or “moving poses”), and 5 minutes of stretching on the floor. (An inexpensive yoga mat is ideal for this).  If you follow this with, ideally, a 10 minute session of rebounding on a rebounder or mini-trampoline, you have done a perfect workout!  (I like to do virtual resistance moves as I bounce on the rebounder, which is doubly effective in that manner).

That’s 30 minutes, total, some of which is relaxed stretching, and all of which is NOT draining, and actually energizes you, and leaves you feeling great and ready for a day of work, not gasping on the floor like a dying fish.

And, lastly, remember the greatest truth of all- although exercise is crucial, without a proper ancestral, paleo type of diet and lifestyle without grains and excessive sugars, and including plenty of sleep, good tribal or family and friends relations, it is all for naught!

It’s 90% diet and lifestyle, and exercise just adds that vital stimulus that tells the body to build muscle, and shed fat.

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PaleoJay's Smoothie Cafe #101 Make your own REAL FOOD supplements!

Make your own supplements!
I have been listening, via a great podcast superhuman radio on my iPhone to Dr. Thomas Levy.  The good doctor, who is not any longer in lock-step with his professional colleagues, has had great success in treating many modern diseases with Vitamin C!  (Remember Linus Pauling?  He was castigated, similarly to Robert Atkins of the low carb diet fame, by the medical establishment).

It turns out that vitamin C, which is produced by virtually ALL other animals, is NOT produced by humans.  Common knowledge, really, but the implications to health are very important:  The RDA for vitamin C might prevent scurvy; but it is far too low to prevent "scurvy of the heart", or "scurvy of the bones", or other bodily systems.

The bottom line is that Vitamin C is FAR more important for us than the current medical system believes, or is willing to recommend.  The implications for heart disease, and cancer, to name only two, are more important than we might ever believe- not to mention simply optimizing our health.


So, what is the bottom line?

I don't think it is necessary, or even optimal to take massive amounts of supplements. After all, that is why they are called supplements!


"But Jay, but Jay!" I hear you saying.  "Supplements are so expensive!"


Yes, indeed they are, and many (most!) are totally synthetic, and not really good for human consumption...

So I say MAKE YOUR OWN SUPPLEMENTS!


Just start with a Vitamix blender...

Mix up a good smoothie recipe- like this one, chosen at random: Paleo Quick Start Smoothie!

Actually, many variations are possible- and are to be encouraged!  Go heavy on the vitamin C- and don't think only citrus- did you know that red peppers are much higher in vitamin C than oranges??

So, my point, again is this: MAKE YOUR OWN SUPPLEMENTS!  It's way easier to take a Vitamix, and blend together real foods, and drink them throughout your day1  I mean, cooking foods is great, cooking real foods like veggies and meats and fruits and spices and seafood!

Nothing better!  EXCEPT, perhaps:

Blending them up, RAW, along with every single thing your body needs in one, easily assimilable "package" that is not only easy to transport and consume, but that gives your body (and mind!) everything they need to thrive and gain optimum health!!

I don't know about you, but I would do all I could to avoid "scurvies"- in other words modern, sub-standard food deficiencies that will render me (and you too of course) sickly, be-deviled with "mind fog", and prone to all of the diseases of modern civilization- cancer, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, arthritis, the list goes on and on....

Just choose health!  It's easy, too- actually even easier than the fast foods that are leading the bulk of us to our sick, weak, pain-filled future-

Making a daily smoothie is about as easy as it gets, one we "get it" and make the transition!

If you have bad teeth, skin, or hair...

THIS IS THE "INDICATOR LIGHT" OF YOUR BODY:

This means that your body is "breaking down"!    If you don't address the cause; i.e. your sub-standard diet that is not providing your body enough nutrients, you are setting yourself up for all of the diseases of modern civilization:  ( listed above, but only partially...)

If your car was flashing "check oil" you would jump on it!!

Your body's indicator lights are SO much MORE important!

Do NOT ignore them!

Start making your own supplements!!

Paleo Quick Tip of the Day #63 Virtual Resistance exercise is the PERFECT core exercise!

pqtd 63  Do Virtual Resistance Exercise as the CORE of your workout!

This is a hard one to tackle via a podcast- HOW to describe how to do an type of exercise that we all should know, and do, on a daily basis...

But that no one knows how to do anymore???

It’s like how we eat in the present day-  most people nowadays live almost totally on processed foods, and fast foods- in other words, “fake” foods that come in a bag or a box, require none or minimal preparation, and contain calories but almost no nutrients!  We actually have forgotten how to prepare and cook our own food- this is a skill me must relearn to regain the health of our forebears, and escape the nightmare slide into diabesity, autism, autoimmune diseases, and pharmaceutical overkill for profit!

Simple things like making stock from beef bones or a chicken carcass, obtaining the nutrients from those bones which are crucial for our health- grilling meat and then eating it throughout our week, making our own soups and stews- real, healthy foods that build the health of our bodies in a huge and uber important way- foods that have been largely abandoned in modern, Government subsidized grain based diets that sabatoge our diets, destroy our health, and ensure that we are addicted to a diet that makes us very sick, and very fat, but does not kill us, as long as we take the many very expensive drugs that mask the symptoms of our many diseases, but do not effect any cure of the underlying cause.

And that is because the cure is very simple- eat real foods, mostly prepared at home, and do real exercise!!

Not joint destroying exercise like heavy weight training, or prescriptions for overtraining like P-90X or Crossfit or any of all of those overkill protocols- and no jogging/running for endless miles that only destroy your joints and muscle tissue, and produce massive amounts of cortisol, the stress hormone, that will actually encourage your body to store fat at the same time it is destroying muscle...

No- you want simple, classic, timeless, Perfectly Paleo Exercise, especially in the form of virtual resistance exercise!
But, unless you are from before the 1970’s, you know nothing of Charles Atlas and his “dynamic tension”, and even if you are from the 1970’s and past you probably never heard of Arnold Schwarzenegger “posing” for contest prep, or of Bruce Lee and his katas and isometric holds.

All of these were expressions of the most ancient, effective, and powerful methods of training ever discovered- Virtual Resistance Training!

This is a good modern terminology for this ultimate exercise, that requires NO equipment, can be done anywhere at any time, and builds muscle and strength without any wear and tear on the joints and tendons whatsoever-

It actually builds tendon strength as it also strengthens muscle tissue, avoiding injury from the get-go!

And so- how do you do it?  I will refer you to my site- www.paleojay.com  

I have several short videos of how to do these exercises there for you.  You can also get my ebook Perfectly Paleo Exercise with similar videos and links.  The most comprehensive example of how to do virtual resistance is at http://transformetrics.com/exercises 

John Peterson and Wendy Pett do a great job demonstrating the basics of virtual resistance training!

I know- it almost seems too simple and easy...

And it is simple- but not easy- generating the resistance yourself is every bit as taxing and difficult as lifting weights, and takes a LOT of mental concentration that weights do not as much- but the results are actually superior, and will build a far more symmetrical or beautiful type of lean, defined physique than will weights, that build a bulky, or blocky type of look, with a fat butt and bulging abdomen.  And virtual resistance will also NOT build a “skinny-fat” body, as will endless aerobics or long distance running.

Virtual Resistance exercise will build a natural, balanced, pleasing and symmetrical physique that is like that represented in ancient Greek statues-

a physique that is strong in real world terms of strength!  A body that has tendons that can throw, lift, twist, bend and squat- a body ready for action, NOT for the lifting platform, the posing dias, or any other artificial event...

BUT A BODY BUILT FOR REAL LIFE!

Now scroll down to the next entry, and see some demonstrations of Virtual Resistance Exercise to get the idea... and then incororate them into your daily routine!!


Check out this episode!

A basic tutorial on Visualized Resistance! It is so simple, yet hard to describe...

Here it is- just do likewise, and profit!


To give you more understanding, here is Wendie Pett doing Virtual Resistance Exercise:

So simple, so effective!  Just wanted you all to see how it is done.

One more so you "get it"!

Paleo Quick Tp of the Day #62 Keep Sundays Sacred- and Paleo!

PQTD 62 Keep Sundays Sacred- and Paleo!

We all know that it is important to have Sunday be “a day of rest”.  And it certainly IS!  But why, really, is it so important to have a day of rest?  Don’t we all have lots to do, and not enough hours to do those things, and besides, doing nothing just sounds... well, boring!

Throughout most of human history, people were worked almost to death during their daily lives, doing hard manual labor that literally worked their bodies, and especially their joints and tendons to such an extent that they were crippled, and often ruptured just from this extreme overwork.  Think of the extreme overwork of pioneers to this country, who struggled to uproot tree roots to get a field to plant, using only oxen and their own bodies and those of their families to get the job done!  They literally often worked themselves to death, or to a point of severe injury and damage.

In those days, people realized that keeping Sunday sacred, and a day of rest was vital for mere survival, and the rest of that one day might keep you  healthy to survive yet another brutal week.  Even the animals were spared on that one day, and that probably meant their survival as well, since rest can accomplish what no amount of work ever can, both physically and mentally.

Fast forward to the present, when “rest” is pretty much the national pastime!  Your average suburbanite or city dweller is required to do almost nothing in the way of physical strain, and has suffered mightily for this leisure, becoming fat, weak, sick and diabetic in consequence.  But lately, in classic over-reaction, we have seen a huge surge in Cross Fit, and other disciplines in which trainees are encouraged to work themselves harder, and harder, and with heavier and heavier weights, in intense WODs which are workouts of the day which overtax the human body in an ever increasing fashion.  All of the infomercial types of P-90X and the endless TV clones of exercise are all similar- work harder, and faster, and then you have more time to, well, work harder and faster at other things too!

I get it- when you don’t work out, you feel (and quite frankly also look!) like loser.  But if you go too far to the opposite extreme, as so many are today, you are back at the point where our pioneer ancestors were- overworked to the point of joint destruction, and where the human body starts manufacturing stress hormones like cortisol that actually encourage things like fat storage!  NOT what you after, is it?

How to get back onto a middle track, where our bodies can be stimulated enough to get stronger and fitter, but are also rested enough that they can bounce back and actually GET stronger, leaner and fitter- start with Sunday the day of rest!  Use this day for contemplation, meditation, family restful activities like going to church, preparing a dinner as a fun family activity, and conversing.  Play cards or board games together, maybe horseshoes in the back yard.  An evening movie together for the family is OK, but just make sure it is uplifting and family friendly like a Disney movie, or the LEGO movie... “EVERYTHING IS AWESOME”!  What a great family movie!!

And the rest of the week?  Get enough sleep!!  I mean 8 hours PLUS per night!

This one thing will do a lot for your overall health and fitness; probably even MORE than working out will!!

And for workouts?

This is where I lose folks, and it’s sad, because it would help them so very much- ditch the weights!

There, I said it!  Do Perfectly Paleo Exercise, the type that uses your own body as resistance.  Virtual resistance is ideal as the base- just flex to supply the resistance as you move- this is the perfect human/animal exercise- just observe a CAT in “training” as they stretch/flex.  And do likewise!

From above- Bruce Lee, Frank Zane, and Charles Atlas- all proponents of Perfectly Paleo Exercise, which is Visualized Resistance (Me), or Long Poses (Frank Zane), Dynamic Tension (Charles Atlas), or Katas (Bruce Lee)- ALL THE SAME THING!

In addition, add in self resisted exercises, with one limb resisting against another, and then calisthenics like pullups, pushups, sprinting, and hindu and pistol squats... sprinkle in a liberal amount of stretching on the floor daily, and you have the perfect physical regimen, as done by almost ALL cultures including the Greek, Roman, Indian and Chinese for thousands of years.

Do it daily, but not for more than 40 minutes maximum, and only go to about 80% maximum effort, enough to feel energized rather than drained afterwards...

Except for Sundays!

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PaleoJay's Smoothie Cafe #100- Embrace manual Labor!!

 pjsc 100  Embrace Manual Labor

The common refrain in Paleo-dom is this:

Play is great!  We don’t play enough- embrace your inner child, your paleolithic tribes person and have fun!  Play games with your friends, and have fun scampering around with frisbees and on slack lines!  We all work way too hard, and deserve fun play with our friends!

All well and good, but I think that most of us that “work” too hard, are working at things like computer projects- geeky little things like podcasts, blogs, and ebooks... like I do!!  Business dealings, meetings with clients- stuff like that.  Hardly physical labor!!

Today, I was interrupted in the midst of my daily morning workout, as I bounced on the rebounder while doing my scheduled virtual resistance exercise moves.  I had done all of my stretches, and my self massage, and was enjoying the lymph stimulating cleansing and oxygenating bouncing, when I got a call, an emergency!  And so, I dashed off to deal with it, as anyone would.

Did I regret not finishing my workout?  Did I schedule a “play date” with some of my friends to do Zumba barefooted, and then toss frisbees without shirts on?  No- I carried on with my day, doing what I had to do, and then decided to do some hard manual labor in lieu of a workout.

Although I agree that we all, in modern life, probably don’t play enough, I think a far more pressing need in our lives is to do more manual labor.
Hard physical work is an almost totally missing element in our coddled modern lives, where most folks live in the city or suburbs, drive everywhere in luxury cars that are automatic everything, and make our livings talking on the phone, selling, and typing on our computer keyboards.

So, with this in mind, I decided this late afternoon to tackle an especially irksome task.  The snow has just melted, and today was a glorious sunny day with very damp ground- a perfect day to level a long stretch on my property that is very tilted- perhaps 30 degrees to the side, and then down a steep hillside!
It has always worried me, this long path that so many vehicles and pedestrians travel- tractors, atv’s, golf carts- I always am afraid that someone will tip over, and slide down the hill!  And so...

Since my utility John Deere tractor still has the chains and rear blade on, I put it into 4 wheel drive and attempted level the damp earth of this trail that bisects my land.  I took off a swath of earth, but was really afraid of sliding to the side- so I rode back to the house, got a shovel, and came back to dig!

I spent a good hour, probably more, digging a channel for my tractor tires to follow, that would keep me from sliding down the hill.  It wasn’t fun.  It wasn’t carefree pleasure, like skiing, or paddle boarding, throwing frisbees or doing the jitterbug...

But it was satisfying!

It was hard physical work, but it was not the mindless and meaningless work that is so much a part of modern life.  It was work with a clear purpose! This is what most of us in modern America now lack.

I think that a large part of what is wrong with modern America is its increasing relentless urbanization. Civilizations always eventually become largely decadent, and slide downwards to failure... I think it is because we lose sight of what is truly important and valuable, like hard physical endeavors of all sorts, and start to place more value on sophistry- the ability to use words as a kind of jiu jitsu to change perceptions, and learning to maneuver politics and finances to our advantage.

I know this is a bit wandering, in a way, but I do wish to convey to you what I believe is a truth:

Try to live as rural, and as self sufficient as you can!  GET OUT of big urban areas, if you possibly can- they are time bombs waiting to fail!

Do as much of your own work as you can, and help who you hire if you can’t do it all yourself.

Small communities, small government: this is what works, and has always worked.  Big, top-down, micro-management and dictatorial rule:

Think Imperial Rome, Nazi Germany, the Soviet Republic, and increasingly MODERN AMERICA...

This big scale will never, ever work!

And largely, I think, because those in charge start delegating, and no longer DO THEIR OWN MANUAL, PHYSICAL, HARD WORK!

Paleo Quick Tip of the Day #61 Cook your Grass fed Beef RIGHT!

pqtd 61  Cook your grass fed beef RIGHT

The health benefits of beef that is totally GRASS FED are legion!  MUCH higher in Omega 3 fats, much leaner, so much better for your than feedlot beef that is almost all omega 6 fats, and loaded with antibiotics that go right into your body.  Animals that are grass fed are so healthy that they do not NEED these drugs to stay alive long enough to slaughter- healthy animals are good for you!  Drugged animals are NOT.

Grass fed beef has an Omega 3 ratio that makes it as good for you as wild caught salmon.  In addition, with no other change whatsoever, if you switch to grass fed beef from CAFO or feed-lot beef, with no other changes, you would lose 6 pounds per year, strictly because of the leanness of the meat.

I hope I have convinced you to make the switch!  It really is a no-brainer.  Just find a local source, ideally, and the cost will be about the same, and you will have made a connection that can also hook you up with free range eggs, raw milk and cream, and pastured pork!

BUT, you do need to learn how to change up your cooking methods!  Yesterday I grilled a grass fed roast, then ground beef, pastured bacon, and finally a rib eye steak...  and you have to cook them all LOW and SLOW.

With a Weber grill, which is the gold standard as far as I am concerned, or at least the most commonly used grill in the USA- keep the temperature DOWN.  If you have a temperature gauge on your grill, try to keep it between 300 and 360 degrees, and hold it there.  But let’s retrace our steps here:

Put all of the charcoal to one side of the grill!  I know, Weber says to put charcoal on either side, and a drip pan in the middle... don’t bother!  All on one side, either start with a propane torch as I do (total time 1 minute), or with a chimney starter (total time about 10 minutes)...

I love my torch!

NOW, put your meat on the OPPOSITE side of the grill that you have the charcoal on.  OH, by the way, Paleo Person- only use real charcoal, hardwood charcoal, sometimes called cowboy charcoal- forget Kingsford and others, that are mixed with petroleum byproducts- YUCK!

Also, forget lighter fluid, which is also petroleum based, and super toxic- YUCK YUCK YUCK!!

Low and Slow!

For a grass fed roast, put it on first, and cook it extremely low and slow...  later, if you add ground beef, you can also add your bacon, and finally your steak!

Now, with a standard grocery store feedlot steak, you would just sear it on high, maybe 500 degrees, for maybe 2-3 minutes per side...

Not so with grass fed my friend!!  Very different...

It should take at least 20 minutes to grill your steak!  Sear it briefly, and then, cover on the grill, turn it down as low as you can... just sit there, drinking your green smoothie (Hey, I’m joking- have a light, cheap, corn-based beer dude), and keep it LOW and SLOW.

Check often; the opening will only lower the temp.  Take it off before it is even medium rare, and all else will be done as well- the roast should be about an hour, the ground beef about 1/2, and the steak 20 minutes.

At last, you have learned to cook grass fed, and pastured meat, no problem!

You have learned to cook GRASS FED, super healthy meat!!  It is a short learning curve, resulting in incredibly improved health and actually improved taste- once you go grass, you won’t go back!


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