The Primal Kitchen Podcast

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#75: Dr. Gary Foresman Jul 07, 2015

Show notes

On today’s show, Elle speaks with Dr. Gary Foresman, and esteemed MD and integrative medicine specialist. After serving as a traditional physician and teaching as an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California Irvine, he became dissatisfied with the shortcomings of established Western medical treatments to effectively treat many of his patients. Determined to help his patients, he began investigating alternative therapies and has expanded his training in many systems of healing, including Ayurveda, meditation, stress management, massage, as well as botanical, orthomolecular and functional medicine systems.

Elle and Dr. Foresman discuss topics ranging from the frustrations with traditional Western medicine, sugar consumption’s relation to cancer, anti-aging hormones, psychotherapy, useful blood tests everyone could benefit from, and more! So sit back, relax, and dive into today’s commentary on the benefits of integrative medicine.

Is the Paleo Diet Supported by Scientific Research? – Part 2 Jul 07, 2015

Show notes

Last week, I countered claims that “paleo gots no science” with summaries of five recent (and not so recent) papers supporting the paleo/Primal approach to diet. The reception to that post was strong enough that I got requests to cover a few more this week. So today, I’m going to explain the findings of five more relevant studies. Not all of these studies come from the original list, but each gives an accurate and important portrayal of the effects of eating in accordance with one’s biology. More importantly, these are all interesting approaches to the diet, with some examining higher-carb paleo, some looking at higher-fat and downright ketogenic paleo diets, and still others trying to disentangle the beneficial effects of the weight loss that normally occurs on paleo diets from the effect of going paleo.

(This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Brock Armstrong)

Health Check-Ups: How Important Are They, Really? Jul 02, 2015

Show notes

What really should we be monitoring on an annual basis? As many of you know by now, I tend to embrace the devil’s advocate role, particularly in questioning conventional wisdom. It’s not that I’m out for blood or have a chip on my shoulder (although blatant misinformation does get under my skin). I simply don’t believe in accepting a truth or practice on the sole rationale of “that’s just how it’s done.” Standard health care parameters are no exception here. (This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Brock Armstrong)

Is the Paleo Diet Supported by Scientific Research? Jul 01, 2015

Show notes

People constantly demand proof for the efficacy of the Primal eating plan. And I’m glad they do. The Primal Blueprint makes sense on an intuitive level, and those success stories we see every Friday sure are persuasive, but it’s also important to see broader support in the scientific literature. Many times, people demand proof without really wanting any; they assume it’s all imaginary just-so stories. “Where are the studies?” has become a retort rather than a legitimate query.

(This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Brock Armstrong)

#74: Christopher Smith Jul 01, 2015

Show notes

Host Brad Kearns talks to cutting edge peak performance and athletic training expert Christopher Smith. Christopher is a decorated PGA who teaches professionally out of Portland, Oregon and is a consultant to Nike Golf and the radical new Golf Board concept (with Laird Hamilton). Christopher is the world record holder and past world champion in the sport of Speedgolf. Check out this astonishing YouTube video of him playing the championship course of Bandon Dunes, Oregon in only 53 minutes while shooting 4 under par! The high-speed video production shows his entire round in only four minutes—one of the most remarkable golf rounds ever played. Inspired by the insights gained from the intuitive, reactive nature of Speedgolf, Christopher created his popular teaching system Train2Trust.com, and wrote the book, I’ve got 99 Swing Thoughts, But ‘Hit The Ball’ Ain’t One. Christopher talks about why most practice for golf and other sports could be a waste of time, how failure can help you get better, and plants an important term in your head that you won’t forget: Context Specificity—maximizing practice time and learning to focus intently on peak performance. He talks about how to make the future of golf faster, more fun, and less frustrating. Even if you aren’t a golfer, Christopher’s insights can help you be more productive and less stressed during an office workday, or during training for music, art, other sports, or any other peak performance goal.

Enjoy a special promotion from this episode's sponsor: DNAFit.com

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Precommitment Is Powerful, or Why You Should Be Like Odysseus Jun 30, 2015

Show notes

Most of the time, we wield willpower like a holstered gun with the safety off. Temptation rears — an ice cream bar, perhaps — and we whip it out, firing blindly and wasting more than a few bullets in the process. The temptation is beat back, and the ice cream goes uneaten, but the willpower that remains is depleted and less effective in subsequent encounters. And the same thing happens every time we’re faced with a decision. That’s a sloppy way of dealing with the constant stream of temptation the modern world presents.

(This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Brock Armstrong)

7 Ways to Use Stoic Philosophy to Improve Your Health and Happiness Jun 25, 2015

Show notes

A few weeks ago, I shared some thoughts on one of my favorite books of late, A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William B. Irvine. I appreciated the comments from folks who connected with the central message: how to cultivate a life with the most peace and contentment possible. The Stoics were fans of living life mindfully and deliberately. When we’re honest, it’s easy to see how easy (and common) it is to spend life by accident. Getting through the day turns into getting through the years, turns into life gone by. What will we be thinking at that stage? Better, the Stoics advised, to be clear about your intentions, thoughtful in your choices, simple in your desires and content in your days. Here’s how I translate that to Primal practice.

(This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Brock Armstrong)

9 Primal/Paleo Podcasts You Should Be Listening To Jun 24, 2015

Show notes

Podcasts have become a lifesaver for me. Whenever I’m stuck in traffic (which is whenever I drive in LA), or have a long trip ahead of me (and I don’t feel like or can’t read), I use podcasts to make otherwise wasted time incredibly productive, engaging, and enjoyable. Here are what I consider to be the best Primal/paleo/ancestral health-related podcasts in the world. I’ll also throw in some of my favorite podcasts that have nothing at all to do with health and fitness and Primal living.

(This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Brock Armstrong)

#73: Hannah Crum Jun 24, 2015

Show notes

Hannah Crum is The Kombucha Mamma, founder of Kombucha Kamp, the most visited website in the world for Kombucha information, recipes and advice. KKamp's mission is to “change the world, one gut at a time.” Along with partner Alex LaGory, Hannah is also an industry journalist and Master Brewer, directly mentoring thousands of new and experienced Kombucha brewers and providing consultation services for Kombucha start-ups since 2007. Together, Hannah and Alex also co-founded Kombucha Brewers International, the industry non-profit trade association dedicated to promoting bottled Kombucha around the world. Kombucha Kamp classes, advice and reporting have been featured in BevNet, Beverage Spectrum Magazine, Whole Life Times Magazine, Los Angeles Times, Elephant Journal, Vital Juice and many others while her instructional video series with E-How/Expert Village has racked up over 1 million views.

Enjoy a special promotion from this episode's sponsor: DNAFit.com

Click here and enter the code PRIMALBLUEPRINT at checkout for a whopping 30% off your own personal genetic test!

The Pitfalls and Limitations of Self-Experimentation Jun 23, 2015

Show notes

I’m a huge proponent of self-experimentation. We can’t always rely on funding for research relevant to our needs, interests, and desires, and those studies that are relevant are still using participants that are not us. We like control, when it comes down to it. We want to be the arbiters of our own destinies, and running (formal or informal) self-experiments of 1 can help us get to that point. But as helpful as it can be, there are both inherent limits to self-experimentation and common pitfalls people fail to take into account when designing their experiments of one.

(This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Brock Armstrong)