The Primal Kitchen Podcast

Host Elle Russ talks with Brant Cortright, Ph.D, a clinical psychologist and the #1 international Amazon bestseller The Neurogenesis Diet and Lifestyle: Upgrade Your Brain, Upgrade Your Life. He is a Professor of psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco. He is also a licensed clinical psychologist with a private practice in neuroscience-informed depth psychotherapy as well as a coaching practice focused on brain health, anxiety and depression. He is the author of two previous books, Psychotherapy and Spirit and Integral Psychology: Yoga, Growth and Opening the Heart.

People frequently wax sentimental for what they call “simpler” days—presumably times when the rules were fewer and clearer, when choices weren’t so overwhelming, when demands were less and common sense was more prevalent. Eating, of course, is no exception to this. If you listen to the dominant voices in the social-media-marketing-medical culture, it’s enough to ruin your dinner and make you feel guilty for skipping breakfast (Don’t buy the guilt trip). We’re fed contradictory studies, warned of the latest threats lurking in our food supply, told every bite squashes the life out of another ecosystem, and led through fluorescent-lit warehouses filled with more food options and label claims than one person should ever be reasonably expected to handle. It’s exhausting, frustrating and on certain days defeating. So what’s a reasonable approach in an age when anxiety too often overtakes enjoyment of eating? (This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Tina Leaman)

Elle Russ chats with Beverly Meyer about the importance of vitamin K2 for all humans - children and adults. Beverly Meyer is a natural health practitioner and podcaster. She is the host of The "Primal Diet - Modern Health" podcast. The show reflects her 30 years of experience as a naturopathic practitioner and Primal/Paleo food lover. Her video DVD, The Diet For Human Beings, teaches the how’s and why’s of the Primal/Paleo Diet, and is ideal for sharing with friends and family. Her motto is FOOD FIRST, and new clients catch an ear-full on why changing their food is the fastest way to start restoring health and body composition. After a successful but exhausting career in business, Beverly began practicing as a Certified Clinical Nutritionist in 1985. Her personal goal was to restore her immune system, adrenals and celiac-damaged gut. Her award-winning blog, newsletter, Twitter and Facebook pages offer up-to-date info on running your own lab work, creating a personalized Gluten Free Paleo diet, and restoring hormones and the immune system.

How much of each type of fat should we be eating? How should we balance our fat intake between the various types? What’s the optimal dietary fatty acid ratio, Sisson? Include decimals if you can. There’s no single right answer. It—sorry, folks—depends on a lot of factors. It depends on your goals, your activity levels, the rest of your diet, your genetics. Almost everything, to be honest. But there’s one universal factor determining an optimal fat balance that everyone needs to get right: their mitochondria. That’s what we’ll be discussing today. (This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Tina Leaman)

Just because conventional wisdom got animal flesh wrong doesn’t mean there aren’t better and worse ways to eat it. Just as I’d say with any otherwise healthy food—cheese, almonds, broccoli, spinach, eggs, sweet potatoes—there are limits to healthy consumption. You shouldn’t eat unlimited amounts of anything. There are always downsides. (This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Tina Leaman)

Jean-Paul Sartre in one of his famous plays said, “Hell is—other people.” I think most of us might sympathize with that claim depending on the day and the person we’re dealing with. On the flip side, people can be the source of our greatest joys. His sentiment, regardless, speaks to the strong impact others can have on us. Whether we like it or not, we all live (and need to live) in some relation to others. None of us exist in a vacuum, and research on extreme isolation suggests the real hell on earth might be exactly that. So make no mistake—how people make us feel is not just the stuff of poetry and philosophy. Other people can and do influence our immediate physiology as well as our ongoing health. What does this process look like though? How does it play out in our lives? Let’s examine a few examples. (This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Tina Leaman)

I never cared much for legumes growing up. Growing up, beans were the “magical (or musical) fruit that made you toot.” They existed in a quantum state: beans were your ally in schoolyard rear-facing attacks and your downfall during encounters with that pretty girl from history class. But the issues I had were mostly superficial. I’ve never come out strongly against legumes. My focus has always been on grain avoidance. (This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Tina Leaman)

The growth of the Primal movement has not gone unnoticed. Food producers have latched on because, as much as we emphasize foraging the perimeter of the grocery store—the produce, the meats, the bulk goods—and eschewing processed foods, we remain creatures of convenience. Not everyone has the time or inclination to personally prepare every single morsel that enters their mouths. Sometimes we just need something quick and easy to snack on. And the food industry has risen to the occasion, offering ostensibly healthy Primal-friendly snack foods. But are they really healthy? (This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Tina Leaman)

While weight loss has the power to shift one’s entire health trajectory (not to mention life experience) may also be the most likely to come with unforeseen, even undesired results. I’m talking particularly about those who undergo dramatic transformations—the kind that can leave them feeling incredible, enjoying vitality, and (in particular) looking substantially different. (This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Tina Leaman)

By now, you’ve no doubt heard of CRISPR, the latest gene-editing tool sweeping research labs across the globe. It was first discovered in certain strains of bacteria, who use it as an important weapon against dangerous viruses. In bacteria, CRISPR identifies a virus that poses a threat, records the virus’ genetic data and imprints it onto RNA molecules. An immune enzyme called Cas9 grabs one of the RNA molecules and goes exploring. When Cas9 encounters a virus that matches the data on the RNA molecule, it latches on and slices the virus in half to prevent it from replicating and posing any threat. (This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Tina Leaman)