The Primal Kitchen Podcast

In recent years, I’ve regularly vouched for the gut as our long-abused secondary brain. Given what most of us grew up learning in school, it can feel like a mammoth shift. Science and philosophy have long revered the brain as seat of consciousness, even the seat of humanity itself. But when it comes down to it, everything is interconnected. Our consciousness extends well beyond the brain. How we feel and who we are encompasses a much more expansive and intricate system than any of us learned in high school biology. At the center of this paradigm revision is something called the vagus nerve. Vagus…as a word it sounds a little off-putting. If someone called me a vagus, I’d probably be mildly offended. But the literary origins of this word are actually kind of mystical: “vagus” in Latin translates to “wandering.” And I’d struggle to find a more apt definition. (This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Tina Leaman)

Here at Mark’s Daily Apple, I avoid writing off anything without first investigating it. I keep one foot in the “alternative” health world and one in the “conventional” realm, making sure to maintain a skeptical—but openminded—stance on everything. There’s no other way to do it, if you’re honest. At least as far as I can tell. No, not every alternative therapy works. A lot of it is pure hogwash. But whether we’re talking about off-label uses of conventional drugs and illegal drugs, natural pharmacological agents, or downright outlandish-sounding interventions, some therapies are worth considering. Not trying, necessarily. Considering. (This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Tina Leaman)

Elle Russ chats with Jeff Scot Philips -  a nutritionist, professional speaker, and the author of BIG FAT FOOD FRAUD. In his early twenties he founded the company Fit Food, a food delivery company that sold healthy meals to gyms, weight loss centers, and grocery stores. He then co-founded a food manufacturing business, producing and private labeling meals for other companies and brands. Topics discussed in this episode:  ”Edutising": how food companies disguise advertising as education, and why consumes shouldn't trust anything you see in the news. How food companies turned gluten-free, among other trendy things, into a scam and why health food can be worse for people than junk food. The various ways food companies manipulate nutrition facts and ingredients, why they do it, and how to look out for it. Working with the USDA / FDA, and how lethargic, and sometimes harmful, they are (e.g. making food companies put sugar --breads, pastas, etc. -- in frozen dinners, and how the FDA told Jeff that unless his food starts making people sick, they didn't want to regulate him. Why the FDA's new food labels (2018) will be even worse for consumers than they are now.

Every pregnant woman I’ve ever known has hated the oral glucose tolerance test. Yet, they still do it. Drinking a tall glass of sickly sweet orange-flavored glucose water on an empty stomach is thoroughly disgusting, but it, apparently, offers a rare and valuable glimpse into the state of a woman’s perinatal health. What they’re testing for is gestational diabetes mellitus—a variant of diabetes characterized by pancreatic insufficiency during pregnancy. (This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Tina Leaman)

I’ve always believed you could tell a lot about a person based on when they laugh. Or if they laugh at all. Laughter provides a brief but in-depth window into arguably the most enigmatic organ in the body—as well as the idiosyncrasies at work for that individual. I’ve suggested before that we adults take life way too seriously . Compared to the average child, who belts out around 400 laughs a day, we summon a measly 15-18 per day. Somehow I think we’re missing out with all that seriousness—mentally and maybe even physically. (This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Tina Leaman)

We’re a little more than a month out from New Year’s, and most people have abandoned their resolution efforts. Gyms are emptying out; the squat rack is free again. Cars are piling up in the drive-thrus, the farmer’s markets are noticeably emptier. Was it all for naught? Are the grand visions, the big plans, the lofty resolutions really going to culminate in a sad sputter…a fizzle? Will one-time optimists resign themselves to just another personal failing, another reason to slink back into despair? If January is about hope and ambition, what’s the lesson for February? (This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Tina Leaman)

Elle Russ chats with Dr. Gary E. Foresman about breast health, breast cancer prevention and a variety topics surrounding breast health (This episode is part 3 of 3 podcasts dedicated to this topic). When Dr. Foresman opened a private practice, he quickly became dissatisfied with the inability of established Western medical treatments to effectively treat many of his patients—many of which suffered from thyroid disorders. Determined to help his patients, he began investigating alternative therapies and has since expanded his training in many systems of healing—not just through Ayurveda, meditation, and stress management, but also using botanical, orthomolecular and functional medicine systems. His precise, scientific mind, combined with a holistic integrative perspective, makes him not only an exceptional diagnostician, but also a skilled practitioner who can therapeutically synthesize optimal healing modalities for each individual.  In-depth commentary by Dr. Foresman in the new #1 bestseller The Paleo Thyroid Solution.

Every year, it’s the same thing: U.S. News and World Report ranks 38 of the most popular diets from best to worst. And every single time, the paleo diet—or some variant, in this case the Whole30 plan—comes in dead last. I’ve written about this before. You know my stance. You know how silly the whole thing is, and why you shouldn’t care about a ranking, especially when you’ve transformed your health eating the “worst diet in the world.” Frankly, I’m skeptical these reports have much impact anymore. (This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Tina Leaman)

Earlier this month, a reader posed a fantastic question that prompted today’s post. It was long, so I’ll give the choice bits rather than quote the entire thing: Where do I start? I’d be interested in seeing your opinion on the relative impact of various primal lifestyle changes… Eating “clean” would be a 10, etc… but what about subtler things like sprinting, IF, quality sleep, sunlight, and play… So I guess I’m asking you to write on a 30,000ft level, how all these things interplay and what their relative contributions are to overall wellness. Where does one start indeed? (This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Tina Leaman)

Elle Russ chats with Drew Canole—a rockstar in the world of fitness, nutrition and mindset, with a huge heart for others and doing his part to transform the world, one person at a time. As the founder and CEO of Fitlife.TV, he is committed to sharing educational, inspirational and entertaining videos and articles about health, fitness, healing and longevity. He is also a best selling author and the founder of Organifi, an organic, incredibly delicious greens powder, chock-full of super-foods to make juicing easy no matter your busy schedule.