The Primal Kitchen Podcast

If you’re up to speed on all the latest CrossFit Games news, then you’ve probably heard about the Grundler brothers. If you haven’t, you should. Bill and James Grundler have made a splash this year—and for good reason. The power duo are the first brothers to ever compete in the Games together, and they’ve shown that there’s a lot to be gained from having someone close, and knowledgeable, to help you achieve your goals. The two started off competing against each other in high school wrestling (proto-WFF stars by their own tongue-in-cheek accounts). But as the two grew up, they went their separate professional paths—Bill into a career as a high school athletics coach, firefighter and trainer, and James into the music biz, where he toured as the lead vocalist in a popular indie rock band. So how did CrossFit and primal living come into the mix? (This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Brock Armstrong)

I’m announcing a special offer to everyone interested in the Primal Blueprint Expert Certification program: gain instant access for just $1 down. When my team and I released the Primal Blueprint Certification program last year we had high hopes for it. We envisioned it taking the paleosphere by storm and bringing ancestral health principles deep into the mainstream. With a strong team of experts, we could reach so many more people, change so many more lives, and expand our community ten-fold. (This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Brock Armstrong)

What, exactly, are the minimum effective doses for exercise? How little do I have to train to stay and/or get fit? And what kind of effects can we expect to get from said minimal doses? The answers to those questions will depend on who’s asking, but we have a few specific examples of people maintaining, improving, or radically transforming their fitness levels with minimum effective doses of exercise. Let’s take a look.  (This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Brock Armstrong)

First off: This isn’t the start of a new longer-term Primal Challenge. 1000 days would be fun, but I’m pretty sure we’d run out of ideas — and sponsors. Apologies to everyone out there chomping at the bit for a few years straight of new contests and prizes. You’d get sick of it yourself; trust me. Plus, that shorter 21-day Primal challenge format works because it’s the perfect way to quickly kickstart real change, disrupt bad habits and establish new ones. Today’s challenge concerns long, lasting, sustained, momentous change that happens over a greater timescale.  (This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Brock Armstrong)

Today’s show features special guest Diana Rodgers, a nutritional therapist, sustainable farm advocate, and author of the inspiring new book, The Homegrown Paleo Cookbook—a stellar resource that shows how we can incorporate classic self-sustaining practices for a healthier life. As a small child, Diana was sickly. This carried over into adulthood, where she went through a rough period of digestion issues. Even so, she was still surprised when her doctor tested and diagnosed her with celiac disease. Heeding the new diagnosis, Diana jumped on the gluten-free bandwagon—only still with a carb heavy diet, which lead her down a path that was dangerously close to type 2 diabetes. But around that time, Diana’s husband landed a job as an organic farm manager. While hanging around the farm, customers showed Diana the benefits of various nutrient dense foods, many of which were higher in protein and fat. She noticed some huge results, and decided to take her knowledge to the next level. She got a certification in nutritional therapy and took on her own personal studies in ancestral health. Now, Diana is happier and healthier than ever.So learn more about Diana’s journey through illness, her take on sustainable farming, how “gluten-free” doesn’t always mean “healthy,” and some awesome recipes to boot.  

We’re looking at two sides of the same coin here really: how “basic”/preventative health care (for most people, ideally the span of insurance qualifying/tax deductible services) can evolve to effectively serve more relevant preventative purposes AND how physician training (particularly for family physicians and general internists) might enhance doctors’ effectiveness in promoting healthy lifestyle and behavior change. In the spirit of this latter point, I wanted to highlight a few unique programs that are breaking through old academic impasses and forging the way toward a new view (and practice) of med school instruction. We the public, I think, may have something to gain here. (This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Brock Armstrong)

For the most part, your diet seems pretty solid. You’re eating eggs on a regular basis. You’ve got, like, six ways to make really good cauliflower. That subtle humming reverberating through the house is just your chest freezer full of half a grass-fed cow. Leafy green vegetables are staples, sweet potatoes appear post-workout, and you’re first in line to buy fresh wild salmon when in season (plus extra for the chest freezer). All your bases are covered, right? Maybe not. From all the years I’ve been doing this, I’ve spotted a few consistent blind spots in the diets of the Primal community. In today’s article, I will reveal the 10 Primal foods you probably need to eat more often. After each entry, I’ll tell you the easiest (and tastiest) way I’ve found to integrate said food into your diet; no excuses. (This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Brock Armstrong)

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.

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)

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)