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Category Archives: Beverages
Stomach Upset? Skip the BRAT Diet
It’s the time of year when the highly contagious stomach virus starts to run its course. Gastroenteritis, inflammation of the digestive tract, can be viral or bacterial and also caused by food poisoning. The two most common symptoms are vomiting and/ or diarrhea, along with lethargy, dizziness, cramping, and fever. It can be potentially lethal if dehydration occurs.1 Fortunately, with the right protocol you can recover safely at home and avoid spreading it to others with proper hand washing. Our first thought is to reach for saltine crackers and sugary ginger ale to calm the stomach. Bland foods are…
Is Hemp Permitted on The Paleo Diet?
There’s no argument that eating protein is an essential component of the Paleo diet. Traditional hunter-gatherers consumed high amounts (45–65% of energy) of animal food, resulting in a macronutrient consumption ratio in which protein accounted for 19–35% of their energy intake.[1] Although there are many grass-fed, pastured, and wild animal sources for protein intake in modern times, consumers are still attracted to plant based options to meet their protein requirements. One popular plant protein is sourced from hemp. Specifically, hemp protein powders have been marketed as a highly digestible, superior quality plant source, but should it be incorporated into your…
Top 5 Eating Strategies to Prevent Holiday Weight Gain
The holiday season is upon us, a time when, for many people, eating healthy becomes more difficult while unhealthy foods become more tempting, a perfect storm for unwanted holiday weight gain. Here are some tips to keep those added pounds at bay. 1. OFFER A DISH Have you been invited to a dinner where you’re certain the healthy food choices will be few to none? Make a dish to share and make it a surprise. Don’t announce beforehand what you’re doing. Just show up with a beautiful Paleo dish, preferably a main course and enough for each guest to taste.…
Paleo Diet Guide to Keep Your Gut Healthy for the Holidays
The Holidays are a time for office parties and get-togethers with family and friends with sleigh-fulls of delicious holiday foods! Between the list of to-do’s, to-buy’s, to-make’s, to-call’s, to-rsvp’s and merrymaking aplenty, it’s all too easy to run yourself dry and put your health last. Not only can this concession ruin your holiday season if you get sick, but it can inevitably lead to a whole NEW list of problems that will take you more than just January to recover from. Bloating, headache, gas, constipation, diarrhea, indigestion…we’ve all had one or more of these. That second helping of turkey and…
Neurobiology of Sugar Cravings
The scientific basis behind the recommendation to cut out sweets for weight loss and overall health benefit is often overlooked.1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Did you know that the more sugar you consume, the more you come to crave it?6, 7, 8, 9, 10 Or how about that eating sweet foods causes a reward in the brain and mesolimbic dopamine pathway?11, 12, 13, 14 The science behind sweet is surprisingly complex, and also paints these foods in a fairly negative light.15, 16, 17, 18 Gambling, shopping, cocaine, heroin, and alcohol – are all common addictions supported by salient science.19 But…
The Dark Side of the Food Industry
Oftentimes in the health, fitness and nutrition industry, we find ourselves splintered off, into tiny sections, subsections and niches. While the monetary rewards and competitive market may deem this necessary, this line of thinking substantially hurts the Paleo community’s overall power. Collectively, we can recognize, organize, harness, and use our power to reform the many apparent dangers and problems of the U.S. food industry.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 The ills of the industry are vast.11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 And the food industry, unlike citizens, is protected by lobbyists, politicians…
Caffeine and the Brain: Part 2
Did you miss Caffeine and the Brain: Part 1? Read it HERE. In Caffeine and the Brain: Part 1, we looked at how caffeine has become a universal habit and why it can be detrimental to achieving maximal health. We discussed the egregious consumption of a pesticide and stimulant, but how exactly does caffeine work, scientifically, once it gets inside our brain? It acts as a central nervous system stimulant,1 by binding to adenosine receptor sites, blocking adenosine from doing its job.2 Adenosine is an inhibitory neurotransmitter, which normally helps the body relax.3 This explains why caffeine causes sleep issues4…
Caffeine and the Brain: Part 1
Before switching to a Paleo Diet, many of us drank coffee on a regular basis.1 If not coffee, maybe an energy drink, espresso, or a diet or regular soda.2, 3 All of these beverages have one thing in common: caffeine. Caffeine is the world’s most popular psychoactive drug.4 Though a small amount (about 10%) of humans do not consume any of the stimulant, worldwide consumption is enough to make the average caffeine intake equivalent to about one drink, per person, per day.5, 6 With over 7 billion people in the world – that’s a LOT of caffeine.7 Caffeine is derived…
Damage Control: Glucose Metabolite and HDL Cholesterol
Earlier this month, researchers from the University of Warwick published a study in Nutrition & Diabetes regarding the interaction of methylglyoxal (MG), a reactive glucose metabolite, and HDL cholesterol. HDL is universally known as “good cholesterol” and low HDL is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease.1 The study’s lead author, Dr. Naila Rabbani, claims “MG damage to HDL is a new and likely important cause of low and dysfunctional HDL, and could count for up to a 10% risk of heart disease.”2 Blood MG levels increase with short-term and persistent increases in blood glucose levels.3, 4 MG is particularly…
Mexican Cuisine, Intestinal Permeability and the Paleo Diet
In the U.S., Mexican cuisine has become enormously popular in the past 30 years. A recent USA Today poll1 listed the 15 “Best” Tex-Mex chain restaurants in the U.S. as follows: It has certainly been argued that fast American “Mexican” food is a far cry from the authentic cuisine actually found in the 31 Mexican federal states. Genuine Mexican cooking clearly is not uniform from one area or State of the country to the next. The foods of northern Mexican States differ from those in the south which in turn vary from coastal regions. Distinctive cuisines have arisen in Oaxaca,…
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