Hi All,
I can’t believe it’s Friday again already, almost a full week into August!
I’m currently working on a couple of posts myself, I know its been a while so sorry about that, things have just been rather hectic of late.
In the meanwhile, here are some interesting finds from the nutrition news this week.
Primal Reads
A much more sensible “My Plate”
Dietary Guidelines for Americans, my Way
Here’s an interesting article in the New York Times summarising the findings of the Nurse’s Health Study by Harvard University. While there are some interesting findings, which should hopefully prompt further research, it should be remembered that epidemelogical studies such as these only show correlation, not causation.
A couple of things to bear in mind:
1) Does exercising more and watching less TV help you lose weight, or is it possible that eating crap that makes you fat makes you less inclined to exercise and more likely to slump in front of the TV instead?
2) Yet again, red meat is lumped in with processed meats. Also, how likely is it that people were eating grass fed beef liver with veggies – More likely that red meat was eaten on pizza, in a bun with fries or with potatoes, pasta, pies and other foods highly correlated with weight gain and the diseases of civilisation.
3) Yoghurts and nuts good for weight loss? These foods tend to be eaten as snacks or desserts – A yoghurt is definitely a better choice than an ice-cream, doughnut or piece of cake, and nuts better than a bag of sweets, mars bar or “healthy cereal bar”. How about no snack whatsoever though?
4) One must bear in mind the adherer effect – If people believe they are eating healthily, what effect does this have on health? Are people that eat whole grains as advised, also more likely to avoid sugar, eat vegetables, cook more and take exercise? What if people that have been ignoring the governments advice on healthy eating by consuming products that are high in “artery clogging saturated fat” also consume higher quantities of sugar, processed foods, alcohol and indulge in other unhealthy behaviours?
Anyway, bearing all this in mind, take a look at the article!
Counting Calories? Your Weight-Loss Plan May be Outdated!
Ok, so saturated fat is not a problem, but should you still avoid bacon because of all that salt? (NB, I’m being a little facetious here – While I do enjoy bacon as a treat, I don’t think it, or any processed meat, should be a staple part of your diet. I also believe refined salt should be avoided where possible in favour of Celtic Sea Salt or similar)
It’s Time to End the War on Salt
A terrific and very comprehensive article on the deadlift from Mike Robertson:
Primal Eats
I love all types of squash. I generally save a lot of time and hassle by just sticking them in the oven whole and roasting them. You can then just slice them up and serve them. This little recipe is slightly more advanced, but looks well worth the effort!
Bacon, Offal and Chillis, what’s not to like!
A useful guide on how to render Beef Tallow (which you can then use to roast your sweet potatoes!)
Primal Sounds
A couple of interesting interviews on Superhuman radio. The first is with Dr Andry, who offers some counterpoints to Dr Loren Cordain’s arguments against dairy, the second is with Stephan Guyanet, and his thoughts on food reward and its effect on bodyfat set point and weight gain.
Superhuman Radio: The dairy debate, and the effect of food reward on bodyfat
Primal Vids
Interview with Peter McAllister, author of Manthropology:
http://fora.tv/2010/08/12/Peter_McAllister_Manthropology
