The Primal Kitchen Podcast

Brock Armstrong hosts today's broadcast and interviews Brad Pilon, who discusses his book on intermittent fasting, Eat Stop Eat. Intermittent fasting is a topic that most followers of Mark's Daily Apple, The Primal Blueprint, or this podcast series should be quite familiar with. But today’s episode delves head first into the subject. Applied Human Nutrition and Nutritional Sciences are Brad's fields of study. He spent several years in the R&D department of the Canadian sports nutrition industry before he returned to school to study “No Nutrition,” aka, the science of fasting. In this show, he gives evidence-based guidelines on how to fast and why it benefits the body, cautions against fasting in conjunction with other diets, provides fair warning to lean individuals who want to try the practice, and spends quite a bit of time explaining why women and fasting has a bad rap.

If you've ever wondered whether chia seeds are good to eat, or sesame seeds can be legitimate snacks, or flaxseed actually isn't as good (or bad) as you may have thought, this is the post for you.(This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Brock Armstrong)

The vast majority of people need to nail the transition between the shod and barefoot ways of life. And until now, there simply hasn’t been a reliable, comprehensive resource for making that transition in a safe and effective way.(This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Brock Armstrong)

It’s a familiar story. One partner takes on a new health commitment. Life changes for that person. He/she goes through struggles, triumphs, growth – an entire physical and psychological process that potentially leaves a relationship chasm in its wake. Then there are the logistics, a menacing obstacle course of loaded questions and irksome details. Do you still eat together? Who cooks (not to mention shops)? Do we have enough pots and pans to make two different meals each night? How do we handle the kids’ food? Finally, what does it mean for the arrangement when one person’s food expenditure overshadows the other’s?(This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Brock Armstrong)

Grok walked a lot. Heck, he walked everywhere. Riding animals didn’t appear until after the agricultural revolution, so unless you buy into the ancient aliens theory, you accept that our paleolithic ancestors relied on self-ambulation to get around. It seems pretty plausible to suggest that we’re probably well-adapted to walking on a regular basis. I’d even go so far as to posit that walking might even be highly beneficial to our health and well-being. Given our extensive history with the activity, you might even say our genes “expect” us to walk.(This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Brock Armstrong)

Research shows that when kids avoid risky or scary situations (and thereby never get to see that they can do what they’re afraid to do and understand fear as a “manageable emotion”), they can actually become more anxious as a result.What can you do if letting the kids wander to their hearts’ content isn’t a realistic option for your neighborhood – or nerves? How can you offer them the opportunity to feel like they get to cut loose, experiment, walk the edge – and do it without the “lame” parental hand-holding?(This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Brock Armstrong)

Host Brad Kearns talks to Dr. Kelly Starrett, the larger-than-life Cross Fit/Mobility/Physical Therapy industry leader who started the viral MobilityWOD.com (Mobility Workout of the Day).Starrett wrote the bestseller Becoming a Supple Leopard: The Ultimate Guide to Resolving Pain, Preventing Injury, and Optimizing Athletic Performance, and Ready to Run (where he applies his revolutionary movement and mobility philosophy to the injury-plagued world of running). He has a lot to say on the subject of how general fitness enthusiasts and competitive athletes can benefit from strength training and other complementary movement practices. This is especially so for endurance athletes, who often adopt that narrowly-focused, mileage obsessed approach.Kelly has a doctorate in Physical Therapy, operates San Francisco CrossFit, and works with an assortment of elite athletes, including: NFL teams, Olympians, runners and triathletes. As a whitewater paddler, he competed for the US team in two world championships. He is currently training his wife Juliet for the world outrigger canoe championships in Hawaii in September.In this wide-ranging conversation, Kelly offers up some urgent priorities for fitness enthusiasts to adopt a holistic approach and increase their mobility, prevent injury and improve general health. #1 is to participate in some form of movement practice - yoga, Pilates, CrossFit, kettlebells and other strength training programs are great examples. #2 is to engage in some soft tissue practice, such as foam rolling or using balls and other soft tissue mobility tools. #3 is to eat cleaner ala Primal style, to help minimize systemic inflammation and improve overall tissue health. #4 is to explore the advanced diagnostic technology available today, such as genetic testing and blood testing. Finally, remember that your "Desire to Train" - your intuitive signals of health and motivation each day, should guide you to the proper training decision over and above any fancy schedule that has been designed in advance. "Playing the long game (injury prevention, stress management, longevity promoting behaviors, etc.) is how you win the short game anyway," asserts Kelly. Enjoy this fascinating and thought-provoking show from perhaps the world's leading sports trainer and mobility expert.Host Brad Kearns talks Dr. Kelly Starrett, the larger-than-life Cross Fit/Mobility/Physical Therapy industry leader who started the viral MobilityWOD.com (Mobility Workout of the Day).Starrett wrote the bestseller Becoming a Supple Leopard: The Ultimate Guide to Resolving Pain, Preventing Injury, and Optimizing Athletic Performance, and Ready to Run (where he applies his revolutionary movement and mobility philosophy to the injury-plagued world of running). He has a lot to say on the subject of how general fitness enthusiasts and competitive athletes can benefit from strength training and other complementary movement practices. This is especially so for endurance athletes, who often adopt that narrowly-focused, mileage obsessed approach.Kelly has a doctorate in Physical Therapy, operates San Francisco CrossFit, and works with an assortment of elite athletes, including: NFL teams, Olympians, runners and triathletes. As a whitewater paddler, he competed for the US team in two world championships. He is currently training his wife Juliet for the world outrigger canoe championships in Hawaii in September.In this wide-ranging conversation, Kelly offers up some urgent priorities for fitness enthusiasts to adopt a holistic approach and increase their mobility, prevent injury and improve general health. #1 is to participate in some form of movement practice - yoga, Pilates, CrossFit, kettlebells and other strength training programs are great examples. #2 is to engage in some soft tissue practice, such as foam rolling or using balls and other soft tissue mobility tools. #3 is to eat cleaner ala Primal style, to help minimize systemic inflammation and improve overall tissue health. #4 is to explore the advanced diagnostic technology available today, such as genetic testing and blood testing. Finally, remember that your "Desire to Train" - your intuitive signals of health and motivation each day, should guide you to the proper training decision over and above any fancy schedule that has been designed in advance. "Playing the long game (injury prevention, stress management, longevity promoting behaviors, etc.) is how you win the short game anyway," asserts Kelly. Enjoy this fascinating and thought-provoking show from perhaps the world's leading sports trainer and mobility expert.

Of all Primal-approved food categories, none is more bedeviling to even seasoned followers of the lifestyle than nuts. The questions never end. So today, I’m giving you the definitive guide to nuts. After today’s post, you’ll have a solid grasp of which nuts you should and maybe shouldn’t be eating.(This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Brock Armstrong)

People by the thousands are reclaiming their health and shedding diseases as well as excess pounds. Their shouts from the rooftops are giving credence to our movement: eating and moving naturally works. Our bodies are designed to be healthy, fit and lean. If we just give our genes the right input, everything will magically fall into place.Except when it doesn’t. Some of us have really buggered ourselves up by a lifetime of self-medicating and following conventional advice. We’re the ones that have to go the extra mile on our path to enlightened health and vitality—a standard ancestral diet just isn’t going to cut it. When autoimmunity is in the mix, all bets are off. You have to do things differently. (This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Tara Grant, and is narrated by Brock Armstrong)

Last week’s post on the fear of death got quite a discussion going, and I appreciated the perspectives that folks shared on the subject. One interesting issue that people raised involved the circumstances of dying itself – specifically dying within a traditional medical setting where interventions and technology to prolong life abound. In a decidedly un-Primal medical world, what role can self-determination play in a “desirable” death as it does in a vibrant life?(This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Brock Armstrong)