Comments for Castle Grok

Comment on Chicken Crust Pizza (aka Meatza) by Grok

Grok — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:12:02 +0000

@Dimitris, Great! I wish I could say the same about the satiation (See #7).

I’ve found the only thing that satiates me is carbs. Lots of them! Roughly 500g per meal if I’m alone at home, and 1,000g if in social setting resisting junk food.

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Comment on Chicken Crust Pizza (aka Meatza) by Dimitris

Dimitris — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:59:42 +0000

It was very tasty and the big difference with a SAD pizza was the satiety level. I was stuffed eating just half the pizza!
I am making one tonight.

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Comment on Raw Vegan Until Summer’s End by Grok

Grok — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 06:01:13 +0000

P.S. @Freelee

“Remember most ppl have disrespected their bodies for most of their life and I doubt you are any different”

I spent the first 27 years beating the living shit out of my body! My diet was so bad, the inflammation had my knees smoked by the time I was a teen. Amazing I survived. Barely alive at the end, I was forced to make a change.

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Comment on Where’s The Beef? by Grok

Grok — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 05:43:25 +0000

@Freelee, I just warn people, because so many people are completely detached from the process of getting the food to their plate.

It’s not much different than the nasty cooks and rats behind the kitchen door of a restaurant, or when people don’t feel it’s a big deal to try and eat organic, then you see a crop duster dumping tons of chemicals all over the food we eat. What about the farm help that shits, pisses, in the fields and sweats all over the food and never washes their shitty their hands etc..

Fair enough?

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Comment on Raw Vegan Until Summer’s End by Grok

Grok — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 05:36:40 +0000

@Freelee, LMAO! I look dreadful in this video (burned out), but I really don’t care anymore. I’ve come to grips with the fact that I’m the most un-photogenic person on earth

No end in sight until there’s some complication/deficiency that I don’t foresee happening right now. Monday will mark 2 full months.

@Shelley, As soon as I get a free minute I’ll update. Need to create an outline first. I’m way to chatty for 10 minute videos, even though I’m only chatting with myself. Ha-ha

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Comment on Deer, Grouse & Squirrels! Oh, my! by Grok

Grok — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 05:31:53 +0000

@Freelee, Had it been season, you can bet your arse I would have. I got skunked this year. Too much pressure on the animals from guys riding 4 wheelers.

It wasn’t such a happy day for the squirrel.

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Comment on Raw Vegan Until Summer’s End by Shelley

Shelley — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 12:21:56 +0000

I don’t know how I missed this. I think I thought the banana was just a graphic or something. Anyway, I’m interested to hear how raw vegan is working out nearly 2 months later? Time for an update!

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Comment on Deer, Grouse & Squirrels! Oh, my! by Freelee

Freelee — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:26:47 +0000

Grok I’m suprised you didn’t run bambi down, pounce on her and take a bite? ;-P

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Comment on Where’s The Beef? by Freelee

Freelee — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:20:05 +0000

I like you Grok, you’re definitely a cool guy. I just really don’t understand why anyone would have to give a warning about viewing pictures of their food? I haven’t had to do that for one of my fruit meals yet…thank goodness

Respectful Messes? Lol I’m sure the cow was singing Grok’s praises afterwards…

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Comment on Raw Vegan Until Summer’s End by Freelee

Freelee — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 09:52:01 +0000

Hey Grok, you’re actually a pretty cute dude, all this time I pictured you as a cartoon character for some reason ;-P
Thanks for the vid, it was funny, I was imagining that melon running into your bender…hello gas and bloating.

Make sure you give this lifestyle the time it deserves, you are doing well so far but it’s not just a diet for the summer to get ripped abs – it takes time for your body to adjust. Remember most ppl have disrespected their bodies for most of their life and I doubt you are any different so there will always be a certain amount of backlash.

6months-1year is a fair test
All the best
Lovefree

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Comment on Carrot Pizza Recipe by Shelley

Shelley — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 19:48:56 +0000

I finally came up with a primal pizza crust that works for me but I must say this carrot crust looks great!!

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Comment on Readers Write: Kombucha for Fat Loss? by Steven

Steven — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 20:15:39 +0000

I have once tried to drink Kombucha tea during my diet, and, to be hones, I have not noticed any positive results.

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Comment on Got sick? Kick the bug! by Grok

Grok — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 20:28:04 +0000

No harm no fowl

I know others on twitter who have posted their success after seeing this page. Unfortunately I can’t force them to post comment here.

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Comment on Got sick? Kick the bug! by Dave

Dave — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 08:57:21 +0000

And I was answering your question.

It’s the name of a diet, specifying fat and carb ratios according to protein by body weight. It’s not a paleo diet per se, google Jan Kwasnieski to find out more.

The post may have appeared grouchy because your questions (and I’m aware of the function of question marks thanks) did seem to presuppose ignorance on my part.

I do “eat a carb”. Somewhere in the region of 50g a day, sometimes more. Again, a presuppostion on your part.

By the way, when I said “it’s likely you’ve read more than one blog” I wasn’t referrng to you personally but “you” as in people in general.

Whatever, the point is certain bloggers are recommending brief, mega-doses previously administered by hospital doctors. I didn’t get much relief from the dose I took, I wanted to share and and would still be interested to know how others have done.

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Comment on Got sick? Kick the bug! by Grok

Grok — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 07:45:04 +0000

@Dave, I wasn’t suggesting “you jamming a bunch of carbs in there” I was asking. Hence the question mark

I’ve been around a while, I’ve read a few more than one paleo blog.

“Optimal Diet ratios” for doing what and according to who? Ratios are like excuses, everyones got em, and they’re all different.

Eat a carb. It’ll make you less grouchy and your breath will smell better to boot.

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Comment on Got sick? Kick the bug! by Dave

Dave — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 20:49:43 +0000

I eat to roughly Optimal Diet ratios, so 70-80% fat – animal fat on the meat itself, plus liberal amounts of butter, cream and virgin coconut oil. I eat very little wheat and practically no seed oils. I also take 300 – 450mg of magnesium citrate a day, synergistic with D. I’d be very surprised to find many people who’d followed the stoss protocol and were “jamming a bunch of carbs in there”. If you’re going to take this much D, under your own research, it’s likely you read more than one paleo blog.

It just didn’t work for me, this time. I am not short of D – I have spent many many hours in midday sun this summer, after a winter averaging about 4000iu oral dose daily. I am prepared to give it another go – I would be very interested to know how other people have got on who have tried it, and at what dose.

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Comment on Got sick? Kick the bug! by Grok

Grok — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 09:11:31 +0000

@Dave

Are you taking that D with any fats?
Are you jamming a bunch of carbs in there like orange juice?

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Comment on Got sick? Kick the bug! by Dave

Dave — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 08:01:37 +0000

Having read about this on animal pharm blog a few months ago, at the first sign of a cold on Tuesday morning, I took 24000iu (10 caps), then another 12000iu a couple of hours later. Wednesday I felt slightly worse, took 24000iu and got some lunchtime sunlight. Thursday, felt a bit worse, took same as Tuesday – 36000iu. It is now Friday morning, and I feel no better.

My girlfriend also took 24000iu a day for three days the week before. The following three days she had full-blown cold symptoms, particularly runny nose.

So, it didn’t work for us. Perhaps because we are at the low end of the dose? Yet on two days I took 36000iu, in the middle of the 25 – 50000iu recommended. Oh, and by the way, have you noticed that that dose range doesn’t even come close to the “precise” dose in the protocol – which for me, at 75kg, would be 75 – 150000iu. Wonder if I should take that today..?

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Comment on Carrot Pizza Recipe by Grok

Grok — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 06:54:14 +0000

@Tracey, Zucci pizzas are great! I have one of those in my pizza tags too.

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Comment on Carrot Pizza Recipe by Tracey

Tracey — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 21:37:20 +0000

Looks great!

I don’t have a juicer, but I’ve made similar recipes by grating up veggies (like zucchini) and then squeezing out the water. I’m sure that would work with the carrot, too, although it makes the recipe a little more time consuming.

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Comment on Chicken Crust Pizza (aka Meatza) by Grok

Grok — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 07:27:23 +0000

@Dimitris I doubt you were disappointed with the result

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Comment on Chicken Crust Pizza (aka Meatza) by Dimitris

Dimitris — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 11:13:14 +0000

I am making one Chicken crust pizza right now!

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Comment on Carrot Pizza Recipe by FBFA

FBFA — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 13:38:43 +0000

Mmmmm
delicious
I love in it

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Comment on Got sick? Kick the bug! by Grok

Grok — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 22:03:01 +0000

Good resources for vitamin D via sunlight:

Mercola

Calculated Ultraviolet Exposure

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Comment on Kill to Eat Photos by Grok

Grok — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 06:29:13 +0000

@Dogs. Not really sure what’s gross, but ok Your dogs would be in heaven.

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Comment on Kill to Eat Photos by All Dogs Unleashed

All Dogs Unleashed — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 00:57:15 +0000

Oh sad! that reminds me of when my freshmen years roommate’s boyfriend hit a chicken while driving and the chicken got stuck in the car. It was disgusting! they kept trying to show me these gross photos! eww… this is bringing back images I don’t want.

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Comment on Carrot Pizza Recipe by Grok

Grok — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 02:31:17 +0000

@Kevin has been. I was hoping he’d put his tweaks on this page.

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Comment on Carrot Pizza Recipe by Primal Toad

Primal Toad — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 22:52:57 +0000

If I had a juicer I would make this in a heartbeat…

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Comment on Raw Vegan Until Summer’s End by Grok

Grok — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 19:11:32 +0000

@Jake, I used to do bald. Generally stay in the 4-6mm range these days. Adds a little protection, color, softer feel, so people/clients don’t get a gun touting skinhead vibe from me.

No guard is awesome in winter though. Stocking hats stick to it just like velcro

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Comment on Raw Vegan Until Summer’s End by Jake D.

Jake D. — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 15:03:40 +0000

Shaving your head means not having a guard on the clippers. I just did mine last night and I feel most excellent this morning. Having hair is more hassle than it’s worth.

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Comment on Raw Vegan Until Summer’s End by Grok

Grok — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 09:06:45 +0000

@Adam, My hair is pretty tough. Those were Remington Titanium clippers. I’ve had the Oster brand break trying to go through. Need to invest in some pet or sheep shears. Ha-ha.

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Comment on Raw Vegan Until Summer’s End by Adam | SEE

Adam | SEE — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 08:20:21 +0000

Remind me never to go to you for a haircut…slow and painful!

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Comment on Raw Vegan Until Summer’s End by Grok

Grok — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 01:30:16 +0000

@Janice

“feel better, perform better”

1. When I say feel good, generally I’m referring to my ability to recover from heavy exercise faster.

Basically fruitarian is what I am now.

“healthier weight easier”

2. Primal is easy to maintain a healthy weight, but the lower carb part of it is harder for me to train hard on. I might go back to training more low carb, but it requires long/slow. Not willing to do that right now.

“why would you go back”

3. I love meat & eggs and feel its perfectly healthy if they come from quality sources.

Saying primal is a hell-of-a-lot-cheaper would be an understatement.

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Comment on Raw Vegan Until Summer’s End by Janice

Janice — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 01:01:53 +0000

Its weird to hear you say you didn’t want it to work and yet it did work. It is also interesting you say you will go back to primal living.

If raw vegan makes you feel better, perform better, and maintain a healthier weight easier, why would you go back?

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Comment on Raw Vegan Until Summer’s End by Grok

Grok — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:52:09 +0000

Right now it’s race training, but may become something else in the future.

Primal lifestyle is very balanced, and I have a hard time seeing it not remaining ground zero from a nutritional & convenience standpoint.

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Comment on Raw Vegan Until Summer’s End by Jake D.

Jake D. — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 14:09:20 +0000

Are you doing the raw vegan thing because of your race training, and that is why it’s lasting 6 weeks, or are you leaving the primal lifestyle behind and moving forward with some personalized lifestyle in the future?

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Comment on Carrot Pizza Recipe by Grok

Grok — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 05:58:02 +0000

@Janice… Welcome!

I hope to live near Kona, since it’s home base for Triathlon

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Comment on Carrot Pizza Recipe by Janice

Janice — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 04:08:52 +0000

This is my first time here.

I found your site looking for veggies to eat. I stopped eating meat a while back because of health issues.

BTW, I live in Hawaii and the Iron Man is huge here. You will love it. Which island will you live on?

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Comment on Carrot Pizza Recipe by Grok

Grok — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 17:24:59 +0000

@Mike, thanks for visiting!

It is pretty good. Not quite as good as the others (check out my pizza tag). It has passed the test with a few neolithic sugar junkies though. Of course anything with tomato sauce and cheese is pretty hard to screw up

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Comment on Carrot Pizza Recipe by Mike

Mike — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 11:02:31 +0000

This looks amazing, I’ll have to make it for my wife sometime. She’s a vegetarian, I’m still an omnivore… probably always will be.

Really love your site, found it through the forums on daily mile.

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Comment on Carrot Pizza Recipe by Grok

Grok — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 00:29:46 +0000

@Kevin Your juicer tweet is what inspired me to get mine out from it’s dusty cupboard corner, so thanks! Last time I’d used it was last fall when I juiced some apples to make cider vinegar.

I love juicing, but already have a calorie management problem, so I usually end up eating (or vitamixing) the whole plant for the volume to keep my belly happy That & reducing the extra $100 a week on the grocery bill from juicing.

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Comment on Carrot Pizza Recipe by Kevin Thom

Kevin Thom — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 23:59:59 +0000

Looks very good. My juicer is coming next week, so I’ll be sure to try this with the carrot pulp. So many reasons to be excited for the juicer…

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Comment on Vegan Week 4. Still Climbing Mountains. by Chris Robbins

Chris Robbins — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 12:42:58 +0000

Grok was a made-up term for Robert Heinlein’s sci-fi book Stranger in a Strange Land in the ’60s. To grok is to share the same reality or line of thinking with another physical or conceptual entity as used & popularized by the book and SF geeks the world over. Mark merely appropriated it.

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Comment on Vegan Week 4. Still Climbing Mountains. by Grok

Grok — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 07:27:25 +0000

@Jeff, I 100% agree. Other than Tri training, my lifestyle is very paleo. Tri is my vice. I don’t drink or anything like that.

It could be argued that some aspects of triathlon training are in fact paleo. There’s a lot of long & slow + short intensity stuff involved.

Hunter gatherers were movers. Traveling great distances hauling your gear (or even hunting) is pretty damn physical. Try it some time if you haven’t. Difference is, they probably didn’t go as hard every day. But… they also didn’t have access to the information and resources we have now such as timed nutrition (or even PWO nutrition), compression suits, hot/cold, comfortable beds, etc.. which all increase our ability to recover nowadays.

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Comment on Raw Paleo by Grok

Grok — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 05:33:40 +0000

@Stacey, Hey babe! Good to see you again.

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Comment on Raw Paleo by Stacey

Stacey — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 23:02:38 +0000

I DIG IT!

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Comment on Vegan Week 4. Still Climbing Mountains. by Jeff

Jeff — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 10:58:38 +0000

I’m confused. Triathlon is about the most unpaleo exercise you could do. The main promoter of the “Grok” term seems to be Mark Sisson on Mark’s Daily Apple, yet he’s a poster child for why marathons anad triathlons are terrible for you.

It’s not a judgment thing – ultimately, if you’re happy, I’m happy for you. Just confused by the apparent contradiction.

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Comment on Raw Paleo by Grok

Grok — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 08:02:37 +0000

Update: Feeling great despite my HUGE work related stress load. Basically eating unmetered volume. Around 10-12lbs for dinner each night. Not getitng on the sacle, but I’m not getting fatter

99.5% raw. Little bit of vanilla, ground cinnamon, fishy sauce on my salads, hemp protein, and few tsp of CLO is all that hasn’t fit the raw mold. Not sure about the salad salsa. It’s mostly organic though.

Vita-mix smoothie recipe:

1-3 bananas

Handful nuts or some nut butter

1t vanilla

1T cinnamon

coconut water

hemp protein

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Comment on Raw Paleo by Grok

Grok — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 06:27:19 +0000

I really think this is going to work for me this time. On day two now. Been dropping in the coconut water kefir, Kombucha and a PB 8 probiotic and things are going great with the stomach. No doubt I’ll be shedding some poundage too while still remaining strong!

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Comment on Raw Paleo by Primal Toad

Primal Toad — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 00:51:22 +0000

Someone who is going to compete in an ironman competition no doubt needs more carbs. Great to hear you are still going to avoid grains and legumes though (for the most part).

My sisters are not on the primal bandwagon yet because they just do not like eating animals. One of my sisters love fish. I will have to try and get them to visit your site again as I think they will like what they see.

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Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by Paige Andersen

Paige Andersen — Thu, 27 May 2010 19:05:48 +0000

If I had a buck for every time I came to castlegrok.com! Superb writing!

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Comment on Got sick? Kick the bug! by Grok

Grok — Sat, 22 May 2010 20:19:28 +0000

5/20 – sick. Bag stomach cramping & loose.
5/21 – Worse stomach cramping. Late evening weak & chills.

5/21 8:30pm: 50,000iu vitamin D

…12Hrs sleep…

5/22 8:30am: Feel fine, but 50,000iu more

…4Hrs more sleep…

5/22 1:00pm: Feel great Cured!

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Comment on The RawFood 200 by chris rivers

chris rivers — Sat, 22 May 2010 00:15:39 +0000

That’s good stuff man! Really appreciate your notes… The pictures are good as well.

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Comment on The RawFood 200 by Stacey Clayton

Stacey Clayton — Fri, 21 May 2010 15:36:19 +0000

6lbs!!

6lb fluctuation is nothing for me really.

Update 2: Weighed today actually it was 9lbs.

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Comment on Tomato-less Zucchini Crust Pizza Pie by Grok

Grok — Fri, 21 May 2010 04:06:18 +0000

@ian, for sure. I love just eating the pulp! Ha-ha. Especially stuff like apple pulp.

I’m such a pig. You can basically throw any slop in from of me and I’ll mow through it. My body just likes calories!

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Comment on The RawFood 200 by Grok

Grok — Fri, 21 May 2010 03:43:17 +0000

@Chris, I’ve found myself eating constantly because I’m hungry more often. With the big chunks of protein out of the picture, I’ve turned a lot higher carb for the energy. I am a sugar burner now. Energy is great as long as I’m eating. Skip a meal and my stomach is not a happy camper.

I just weighed myself. I’m only about 6lbs lighter than I was about 6 weeks ago. I’ve dropped a ton of fat, so I really don’t think any of that weight is muscle loss. I may have even gained some muscle. Had I not eaten as much fruit as I have been, I think might have resulted in some muscle loss. I’ve been giving the body ample energy though, so it isn’t scavenging. This is my thoughts anyway.

My menu is all over the map, and really depends on the workouts. I’ve been pretty consistent about riding morning and night, so I jam in my little bits of protein PWO with some sugar. Here is what a sample day MAY look like, but really I’m all over the map:

Ride somewhere 7-10am:
PWO 15g protein via nuts/seeds (hemp/walnuts/pumkin) and a mashed banana, or vita-mixed with berries etc… Usually sip on Kombucha, ACV, tea, or combos of those for the next few hours.

Lunch-ish 11-2pm:
Some days 2-3 oranges/bananas/avocados
Other days ½ cup cooked quinoa w/nuts & coconut oil

3-4pm lunch: See quinoa above, or cup of beans w/spirulina & olive oil, maybe some mushrooms, some carrots, piece of fruit. Shelled sunflower seeds for the next few hours.

Ride somewhere 6-8pm:
PWO same as morning and usually start prepping some sort of heavier pile of veggies for dinner.

Dinner 8-11: A lot of the time I eat for this whole window. Sometimes (like last night) I pile in several pounds of veggies, then berries, few hundred grams of nuts, whatever. How tired I am dictates how much I eat. Part of the reason I gain weight so quickly. I have a monster appetite and am tired too often from working

See my realtime photos for a sample of stuff at night. I usually eat too much to take photos of everything, but part or most of the main dish usually gets posted.

Right now I’m eating a little on the light side, but usually as a paleo… I try to keep it around 4k calories. If I go by how I feel, I usually end up around 7k-9k, and if I go unmetered (like at family events, it will be 9k-20k. This is not junk food either.

My one meal Warrior Diet style eating (that I did for about a year), usually landed me at 7k-9k for that one nightly meal.

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Comment on The RawFood 200 by chris rivers

chris rivers — Thu, 20 May 2010 20:10:14 +0000

Just last week my wife and I decided to try and go vegan 2 days a week starting next Monday and Tuesday. We got a Vegan cookbook from the library and started reading up on it last night picking some things to try and eat on those days. I was also inspired by rich and if anything just want to try it out and see if its something she and I can manage. We have 3 little ones so we are bit nervous but optimistic

A couple things I worry about but heard in the video you aren’t struggling with is your protein needs.

I heard you say hemp seed. What do you find yourself eating. Would you mind doing a post of a sample eating recipe for just one day? I would just love to see what you put in the tank for a 24 hour period.

Thanks

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Comment on Tomato-less Zucchini Crust Pizza Pie by ian

ian — Thu, 20 May 2010 17:00:26 +0000

hey you know what i thought of, my brother juices veggies, which results in a lot of pulp for garbarge, you can just use that baked, to dry it out

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Comment on The RawFood 200 by Grok

Grok — Mon, 17 May 2010 21:54:27 +0000

@Primal Toad, try like a 20 miler of so. I’ve been doing this a while. The bike your riding is likely not fit properly etc.. so don’t get too carried away! You could hurt yourself.

I’d stay away form the cooked eggs except for maybe in very small quantity. You’ll gurp green gas. I’ve had a lot of acid issues especially from hard boiled. Depending on the jerky, you may have issues also.

Make sure you chew the nuts extremely well. Many people have digestive issues with consuming nuts before physical activity.

Dried fried can have a lot of crap in it, rarely is it just dried. Generally dates & raisins are safe options. The rest are hit/miss.

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Comment on Vita-Mixes Are Badass by The RawFood 200

The RawFood 200 — Mon, 17 May 2010 15:15:14 +0000

[...] even chewing them very well and taking additional digestive enzymes. I could have probably Vitamixed everything and been fine/better, but I didn’t want to drink all my [...]

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Comment on The RawFood 200 by Primal Toad

Primal Toad — Mon, 17 May 2010 14:37:58 +0000

Very interesting! You are inspiring me to take some long bike rides. The bike I will be using till I buy my own is being fixed and will be picked up today. I may have to go for a long ride sometime this week.

But, I will be bringing beef jerkey, hard boiled eggs, and other high fat food with me Along with avocado, nuts, coconut, dried fruit too of course.

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Comment on The RawFood 200 by Aaron Curl

Aaron Curl — Mon, 17 May 2010 11:06:56 +0000

Bald eagles are amazing to see, I just saw my first one up close last year (we don’t have a whole bunch here in Ohio). I was amazed at its shear size. Anyway I just found your blog yesterday and am impressed. I have been paleo for almost a year and am an avid runner and biker. I was planning on doing my second century this year and was wondering how I was going to fuel, well now I know. You have given me a lot of ideas. Thanks and great blog, I plan on following.

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Comment on Vegan Week 4. Still Climbing Mountains. by PA

PA — Mon, 17 May 2010 06:29:35 +0000

Pretty nice post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed browsing your blog posts. In any case I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you write again soon!

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Comment on The RawFood 200 by Grok

Grok — Mon, 17 May 2010 04:17:34 +0000

Another cool thing….

I stopped to take a leak near a cool mt. river. I was checking out some good sized salmon/stealhead or something from the bank, when a HUGE Bald Eagle jumped out of the tree kind of above me and flew away.

Sorry mister eagle, I didn’t mean to spook you during lunch.

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Comment on Vegan Week 4. Still Climbing Mountains. by Grok

Grok — Thu, 13 May 2010 06:01:45 +0000

@Primal Toad – The food is delicious. If the veggies are cooked in oils, I almost don’t miss the meat all that much. Warm, soft and lots of flavor. Beet greens in coconut oil are magical. Onions & mushrooms are to die for also!

This weeks raw thing has been a little different story so far. Much harder. Not really sure what to do yet. Same thing happened when I became primal though. My ENTIRE diet was grains, so I was baffled about what to eat. Right now I’m mostly cooked, so I’m baffled

Two words for you… Raw Milk

You ride a girls bike! Sorry, I had too.

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Comment on Vegan Week 4. Still Climbing Mountains. by Primal Toad

Primal Toad — Wed, 12 May 2010 19:03:10 +0000

Interesting food combinations! But, to be honest with you they all sound delicious. I would eat everything you are eating. But, I am currently trying to gain lots of muscle while still losing just a little body fat (I weight 130…) so I am consuming LOTS of protein. But, you are having decent food choices nonetheless!

My older sister is somewhat onto the primal thing, but is currently not eating animal foods. I will point her to your site so she knows what vegan primal is all about! She has not given up on grains but only consumes them in a small amount.

I love your love for biking. I need to buy me one I can stop riding around my mothers.

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Comment on Vegan Week 4. Still Climbing Mountains. by Chase

Chase — Wed, 12 May 2010 08:01:01 +0000

My cousin recommended this blog and she was totally right keep up the fantastic work!

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Comment on Long Time No See! by Taylor

Taylor — Tue, 11 May 2010 01:52:55 +0000

I really appreciate all the great insights from this article. Your site is very well designed too by the way. Lots of great articles and easy to use menus. My hat is off to you. I am learning a lot. I will mention your site on my blog about virgin coconut oil and hemp oil.

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Comment on Vegan Week 4. Still Climbing Mountains. by Grok

Grok — Mon, 10 May 2010 08:40:19 +0000

Ended up 6th overall on dailymile this week with 306 miles

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Comment on Vegan Week 4. Still Climbing Mountains. by Grok

Grok — Sun, 09 May 2010 16:09:48 +0000

@Adam – I’ve been mostly raw throughout the day right now. My stomach has adapted for the most part. As long as I keep the portion sizes smaller everything is working well

@Chris Robbins – Can’t afford 30 bananas a day I’ll be mostly veggies. Fruit is rough on my gut. Metabolic typing is what finally opened my eyes to that. My Mom (Happy Mothers Day today) eats fruit all day long with zero issues.

It’ll basically be the same foods, just raw. I’m still Primal remember… I drink & eat cold pressed oils from the spoon Nuts & seeds are calories dense too. One thing in my life I’ve never had and issue with… getting enough calories! I can probably eat my daily intake in celery. LOL

@Chris – Extreme is my middle name. I don’t want to build, so perfect

Paleo extreme? I generally find that those who say “balance” say so, because they can’t cut it when it comes down to it.

I just bought 15 avocados to start the week

Thanks for the comments guys.

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Comment on Vegan Week 4. Still Climbing Mountains. by Chris

Chris — Sun, 09 May 2010 13:44:03 +0000

Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.

Poorly-rated. Like or Dislike: 0 3

Comment on Vegan Week 4. Still Climbing Mountains. by Chris Robbins

Chris Robbins — Sun, 09 May 2010 13:29:20 +0000

Raw Vegan is going to be tough getting enough calories. Remember Dr. Doug Graham, he’s a raw athlete guru, & he has you eat upwards 30 bananas a day to get your calories in. It’s probably the simplest way. Include a few blended salads with avocado and olive oil (not half bad. I made myself one the other day)& that will help keep you mineralized. Good Luck.

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Comment on Vegan Week 4. Still Climbing Mountains. by Adam | SEE

Adam | SEE — Sun, 09 May 2010 09:27:12 +0000

Wouldn’t be CastleGrok without some avocado! Way to persevere through the flat tires. I’m guessing that raw vegan may be tougher on your GI tract.

Will you still eat fermented foods, when you switch to raw?

Yes, the fermented stuff isn’t heated. Fair game! It’s even more “living”

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Comment on Vegan Century Ride by Carla

Carla — Mon, 03 May 2010 23:49:02 +0000

I’ve been reading your website for months now and following you on Twitter, so I just thought I’d let you know that the videos are great!

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Comment on Vegan Century Ride by Grok

Grok — Mon, 03 May 2010 14:53:57 +0000

@thiana The nuts are caloric dense, and this is not the only thing I ate. I had lots of food.

Yes, crashes on bikes are not so fun. I’ve literally probably had 1,000 of them on motorcycles, so I know what they are all about. The spooky part is… I wear more protection on the motorcycle & they still are not a pleasant experience. I wear a good helmet, but that can’t protect from getting your face, skin & arms ripped off.

@Chris Thanks. I’m going to have to look him up. My recovery has been great, so during training I’m probably going to go lighter on the meat. I’m all about the Vita-mix. Sometimes I use it 3 times a day

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Comment on Vegan Century Ride by Chris Robbins

Chris Robbins — Mon, 03 May 2010 12:46:27 +0000

I can see being a Dr. Fuhrman-type nutritarian as he has you eat tons of non-starchy vegetables and I don’t think he is opposed to including animal products in the diet he just doesn’t like it. He’s also not against adding fat (though he is against adding animal fat.

I suppose as an endurance athlete it’s nice to feel light and energetic after eating so I could see cycling (pun not intended)a week of heavy meat and fat eating with maybe 3 weeks of heavy vegetable eating.

Another thing Dr Fuhrman advocates that I’m a fan of is the blended salad, making a salad in a blender, so it increases the nutrients in leafy greens like lettuce. You can find some of his recipes on the web like putting a banana, avocado, baby lettuce, spinach, & tomato in a blender & other variations.

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Comment on Vegan Century Ride by thania

thania — Mon, 03 May 2010 07:59:53 +0000

PS: becareful with down climbing , I hate to imagine the velocity you take!!! I wish you trained with others …, sound like your mother now:)

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Comment on Vegan Century Ride by thania

thania — Mon, 03 May 2010 07:34:00 +0000

Hey Grok, thanks for sharing , beautiful place,but 7000 feet of climbing!!! That is huge , you can do the french and spanish tour amigo. This is an elite level WOW.

Food looks good , but a bit scarce???

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Comment on Vegan Century Ride by Grok

Grok — Sun, 02 May 2010 18:56:27 +0000

The videos should repeat. If they dont, try advancing though them with the >| next to the play button. I’ll make a graphic too.

You can also watch them on vimeo if you click that link above.

RE: Last video…. My tire was completely flat this morning. I wasn’t imagine it being low

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Comment on Vegan Century Ride by Todd

Todd — Sun, 02 May 2010 11:44:20 +0000

Sounds like a lot of fun! I would LOVE to go on a bike ride like this! Before I went primal I had zero interest…

The video was only 4.5 minutes… do you have the rest?

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Comment on Long Time No See! by MarkSpizer

MarkSpizer — Sun, 02 May 2010 11:31:13 +0000

Great post as usual!

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Comment on Meet Grok by EAT: Vegetarian Chili « STRETCH EXERCISE EAT

EAT: Vegetarian Chili « STRETCH EXERCISE EAT — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 12:30:17 +0000

[...] Meet Castle Grok [...]

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Comment on Vegan Experiment Update by Adam | SEE

Adam | SEE — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 07:54:59 +0000

That’s good news about the joints. Lots of reps or endurance running, I always feel in my big joints (left knee or shoulder) first. Appreciate the admission – no use being doctrinaire, while engaging in self-experimentation.

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Comment on Vegan Experiment Update by Grok

Grok — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 04:46:18 +0000

@Adam,

Sounds delicious, but trying to keep the nuts as limited as possible. I’ve been going with macadamia & walnuts because the fatty acid ratios are better. Bad enough that the O-3 is ALA. Pumpkin seeds have plenty of O-6, but also the protein I want to make sure I have. As long as the inflammation in my joints is down I’m not too worried.

Honestly, I’m amazed at how well my joints are doing despite being off the fish oils. They’re better than ever. Set a new record on my short bike loop today on legs I beat on all weekend. This experience has been a little humbling in that regard. It’s hard to admit.

I do feel like I might be losing a bit of muscle in my upper body, but I’m losing a lot of fat too. Might all be an illusion. I can pack that muscle back on if I need it pretty easily.

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Comment on Vegan Experiment Update by Adam | SEE

Adam | SEE — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 04:22:02 +0000

Was chatting about almond milk earlier today. Any chance that making some for yourself would help with your protein concerns?

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Comment on Vegan Experiment Update by Grok

Grok — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 02:19:15 +0000

@Chris I’ve heard about that banana diet. I love bananas, but I’m not really sure what it would accomplish other than draining my wallet.

I’ve done lots of warrior diet. 20-24 hours 1 meal is my MO. Keeps my calorie intake off the moon. Not really something I’m excited about doing when I’m endurance training 12-30 hours a week though.

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Comment on Vegan Experiment Update by Chris Robbins

Chris Robbins — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 12:43:25 +0000

I still might try fruitarian one day. I’d like to give Dr. Doug Graham’s 811 diet aka 30BananasADay a try just to say I did it.

The diet you’ll be doing after your experiment almost sounds like The Warrior Diet if you just stuck to fruits & veggies during the day.

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Comment on “Chocolate Milk May Reduce Inflammation” by child benefit number

child benefit number — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 12:24:38 +0000

Hi i just wondered if there is any truth about milk being bad for crones disease sufferers, does anyone know at all?

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Comment on Going Veg Part 2 by Grok

Grok — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 04:16:25 +0000

@Chris, I eat quite a bit of chia sometimes. Rumored to be good for hydration because of how much water they’ll hold onto. Slow release I guess?

Chia gel/pudding is yummy stuff, but the ALA omega-3 in chia is not very bioavailable. I wouldn’t use them for a source of omega 3.

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Comment on Guacamole Deviled Egg Recipe by Grok

Grok — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 04:11:03 +0000

@Justine, I just ate them just like this. I always get too excited and eat everything before I can try different stuff (like hot sauce)

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Comment on Going Veg Part 2 by Chris Robbins

Chris Robbins — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 20:00:27 +0000

I’m coming to this a little late probably, but I’ll add to my greek yogurt chia seeds which are a great source of omega-3s, vitamins, minerals, etc. Used by several ultra-runners. Also, from time to time I eat Buckwheat Groats which I enjoy. Hope this helps some.

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Comment on Going Veg Part 2 by Justine

Justine — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 08:35:42 +0000

I agree on the fermented foods. Knock yourself outVeggie Boy LOL

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Comment on Guacamole Deviled Egg Recipe by Justine

Justine — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 08:31:26 +0000

Funny that the first recipe I stumble on is the first one I vowed to cook from MDA. I will definately make these tomorrow. Did you use the hot sauce with them, or keep them plain?

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Comment on Going Veg Part 2 by Todd

Todd — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 17:07:20 +0000

I LOVE hemp seeds! I just bought a 5 lb bag of it from Amazon. It was only $44.

Try soaked beans – I enjoy red kidney beans in small portions.

Tempeh might be good and lots of nuts. Pine nuts have 9.5 grams of protein in one serving. And, lentils are the best legumes to eat with a good amount of protein.

What about a protein supplement? Would you do whey protein? If not there are green protein supplements that provide a good amount.

Thanks for the suggestions Todd!

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Comment on How to Brew Kombucha by Grok

Grok — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 06:01:59 +0000

@Nicki You’re welcome.

I’m drinking from my freshly finished batch right now Heavenly brew!

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Comment on How to Brew Kombucha by Nicki

Nicki — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 21:22:26 +0000

Helpful video thanks. Confident enough to go scoby hunting now

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Comment on Going Veg Part 2 by Grok

Grok — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 05:32:19 +0000

Ok, I’ve eaten some soaked red beans… #Hypocrite

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Comment on Off the wagon? Sabotaging yourself? by apence

apence — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 18:12:30 +0000

part of the difference is in the fruit… “paleo-fruits” were smaller and less sweet. They were easily stored for out of season eating… but they would have been cooked or used in pemmican or other types of foods. The addition of dried berries or apple slices to a stew in winter is delicious, but otherwise… also… if you lived in the tropics, you ate fruit… whatever food was available, right?

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Comment on Going Veg Part 2 by Praveeta

Praveeta — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 20:29:37 +0000

Don’t forget for protein:

“3. Fuel up: eat fermented foods! These contain K2 in abundance (and fermented foods are just generally excellent for your health anyway).

Here are a few fermenty favorites:

Tempeh”

From MDA

The few legume exception I see that is probably OK to do occasionally ,
like when a triathelete goes out of his mind and wants to go vegetarian.

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Comment on Going Vegetarian?!! by Grok

Grok — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 06:48:40 +0000

Explanation video: Part Two

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Comment on Going Vegetarian?!! by Grok

Grok — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 02:01:10 +0000

I can see I need further explanation… I’ll see if I can get a follow up video tonight during my ride. Outa here for now.

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Comment on Going Vegetarian?!! by Adam | SEE

Adam | SEE — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 23:25:45 +0000

Was just reading about Cerutty’s training methods and the fact that he became a vegetarian caught my eye. I guess that puts you in good company for the next month.

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Comment on 5 Easy Ways Anyone Can Start Training Like a Caveman! by AngelaChristine

AngelaChristine — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 20:27:21 +0000

Hey Thanks for the motivation! I certainly needed it this afternoon…You are right on spot and I am going to go out today and kick my own rear by working out like a cavewoman, ahhaahaa! I also enjoyed your food blog and found it to be inspiring as well… I myself have hit my 40’s and feel a lull of sorts…Thanks so much for sharing this great information! My Daughter who is 23 has been on me about trying out this new way of life so here I go!!! Wish me Luck!

AngelaChristine

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Comment on Going Vegetarian?!! by Matthias

Matthias — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 20:26:44 +0000

Another suggestion from me would be to cut down PUFAs as much as possible. Dunno if you got much of it before, but for some peeps I know this has helped a whole lot to cut down inflammation.

My PUFA consumption is very low. Almost all my cooking is butter & coconut. I’m also really low on nuts these days, until maybe this experiment.

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Comment on Going Vegetarian?!! by Jedidja

Jedidja — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 20:26:09 +0000

Say it isn’t so! This is a late April Fool’s joke right?

The whole n=1 experiment is always good. I’d be shocked if you remained vegetarian for any extended period of time, and maybe you will be able to experiment and find other possible sources of inflammation too.

Me too Probably end up chewing my own arms off. My inflammation these days is due to the huge volume of exercise, Period.

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Comment on Going Vegetarian?!! by Kat

Kat — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 16:13:40 +0000

I think being dairy free is a good idea and should help you slim down and deal with inflammation (unless you have access to raw milk). I don’t think you’ll see the same benefit with going meat-free. I tried that and it had the opposite effect for inflammation.

The meat you eat now, is it pastured/grass-fed? Grass-fed beef actually has anti-inflammatory components including a better Omega-3 to 6 ratio. Might be better to change the meat rather than give it up completely. That being said, I don’t think a few weeks of being vegetarian would be harmful in any way.

I only do raw, unless it’s fermented… then I allow some pasteurized cheese & full fat plain yogurt. The milk I get is usually Goat from a local farm also. My main source of dairy for a while has mainly been whey & butter. I try to get decent quality versions of both.

I pretty much kill a good % of the meat I eat right now. If I don’t kill it, I make sure it’s very lean!

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Comment on Tomato-less Zucchini Crust Pizza Pie by dlm

dlm — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 19:14:37 +0000

I bet the chicken crust would be good with cooked chicken plus fat and cheese and tomato sauce etc etc.

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Comment on Long Time No See! by Grok

Grok — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 01:26:11 +0000

Actually, talking to the camera speed me up. I was putting down a 7:30 mile at the time of the filming. Maybe I should film all the time

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Comment on Guacamole Deviled Egg Recipe by The Conscious Life

The Conscious Life — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 07:05:35 +0000

Looks great and it’s super easy to make! Thanks!

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Comment on Long Time No See! by Adam | SEE

Adam | SEE — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 21:59:59 +0000

Thanks Grok – Not a fan of ingredient lists either -
http://goo.gl/F1YO -

Will have to look for mail order kefir grains.

Thanks again!

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Comment on How to Brew Kombucha by Grok

Grok — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 04:22:03 +0000

@rps I don’t drink GT’s so I have no idea, but I imagine it’s a whole lot less sweet, since GT’s wouldn’t probably sell much in USA is it didn’t taste like sugar and/or fruit with sugar

Easiest solution is to just ferment it to your taste, then stick it in the fridge. That’ll pretty much stop the fermenting.

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Comment on How to Brew Kombucha by rps

rps — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 00:11:17 +0000

How does the sweetness of your kombucha compare to GTs? I like GTs but it’s way too sweet. Can you ferment out most or all of the sugar without getting it too acidic or something?

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Comment on Long Time No See! by Grok

Grok — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 23:04:17 +0000

@Adam

You can either buy the So Delicious Coconut Kefir at many stores, or what I do, is just ferment coconut water with milk kefir grains. It ferments very quickly!

The So Delicious stuff has an ingredient list. I’m not really excited about ingredient lists

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Comment on Long Time No See! by Organic Gabe

Organic Gabe — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 22:14:04 +0000

I like this video. Thanks.

BTW, I love coconut

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Comment on Long Time No See! by Adam | SEE

Adam | SEE — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 21:08:14 +0000

No way I would be able to speak to the camera while running in sand with a pack.

Also, gorgeous beach…there is something peaceful about beaches in the off season.

If you can post a rough guide on coconut kefir, would love to experiment with that.

Cheers, -Adam

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Comment on Long Time No See! by Grok

Grok — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 02:27:00 +0000

@Kimmy Not an exact recipe, but it was roughly:

1.5-2c Shredded coconut
.25-.35lb Almond butter
20g Slivered almonds
2-3T – Coconut oil
90g – Cacao
.3c organic raisins

Needs some tweaking. Probably mostly dial back the coconut oil, but coconut oil is a big part of my nutrition plan. I might have tossed in some whole flax seeds & cinnamon too. Can’t remember.

Was going to, but forgot to add chia. I was in a rush.

Poor into a banana bread size pan, freeze a while, cut into like 4 bars and package. Warning they are hand melters, so don’t nibble

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Comment on Long Time No See! by Kimmy

Kimmy — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 01:38:14 +0000

Great video Grok – thanks for sharing! I have been out of the loop with your site for a little while. I’m going back to primal eating for the next 30 days (at least) to see what kind of results I can achieve.

Do you have the recipe for the protein bars you mentioned anywhere?

Take care!

Kim aka FitIslandGirl

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Comment on Long Time No See! by Grok

Grok — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 22:02:30 +0000

@Dave C. Don’t be so sure that Twilight wasn’t filmed there. Actually I think it was all filmed just down the coast.

The ship scenes from Goonies may have been here too. I’d look it up, but I’m too lazy LOL

Been quite a few commercials filmed there over the years I know for sure. I think Pontiac had a few where they thrashed some cars there.

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Comment on Long Time No See! by ReachWest

ReachWest — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 21:36:08 +0000

Certainly looks like a primal workout you’re getting there on what appears to be a very blustery day.

Good stuff – and – don’t worry, it doesn’t sound like a commercial.

BTW – your site looks great!

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Comment on Long Time No See! by Dave C.

Dave C. — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 15:50:29 +0000

Great photos! Sadly, my first thoughts were that the location looks like where they filmed some scenes in those Twilight movies. Now I don’t know if I will be able to forgive my fiance for making me watch them.

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Comment on Long Time No See! by Grok

Grok — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 15:48:12 +0000

Sorry if this sounds like a commercial, it really wasn’t meant to be. I’m just passionate about good products when I find them.

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Comment on What Our Ancestors Ate… by My Thoughts On Flexible Dieting

My Thoughts On Flexible Dieting — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 06:03:54 +0000

[...] processed carbohydrates, HFCS, and whatever else they feel like including or excluding depending on how they feel about their ancestors’ diet. To the figure athlete getting ready for a show, the word depicts 16 weeks of starvation and lots [...]

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Comment on Guacamole Deviled Egg Recipe by Stephanie

Stephanie — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:41:43 +0000

I do like the idea of guacamole and deviled eggs. Avocados are my go-to when I need something to keep me fuller for longer. I just had one in a shake this morning.

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Comment on Mashed Potato Alternatives by Grok

Grok — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 02:44:34 +0000

@V8Goose, Thanks.

I’ve been slacking quite a bit lately, because I don’t have the extra free time during training. I might start doing more video when the weather gets a bit better and I implement some Xterra type runs. I just need to figure out a camera system that wont be such a distraction during my workout.

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Comment on Mashed Potato Alternatives by V8Goose

V8Goose — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:06:08 +0000

I’m reading The Paleo diet book now to understand how to implement this.

My basic approach at this time is to blacklist basically anything that man has screwed around with.

Learn to like coconut oil huh… hmmm… *sip* bleark! That could take some time…

Great site by the way, I was going to do a similar thing till I found it, no need to reinvent the wheel…

Goose

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Comment on Mashed Potato Alternatives by Grok

Grok — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 07:59:13 +0000

@V8Goose

P.S. Don’t go all crazy on the fat until you drop the inflammatory foods like the breads/white starches and sugars. Prof. Cordains basic guidelines are probably the best for you for quite a while.

It’ll be tough, but you wont be sorry.

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Comment on Mashed Potato Alternatives by Grok

Grok — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 07:54:13 +0000

@V8Goose depends on whos book you read. For the most part dairy is.

Here’s the kicker: Butter, cream & sour cream are basically pure fat, so the drawbacks of dairy (casein/lactose) are missing for the most part. It’s accepted in the low carb community. Just make sure if you eat them, try to get organic and/or grass-fed if you can. All the garbage sits in the fat of the animals.

If I was in your situation… I would stay off the dairy except for maybe some butter.

Coconut oil rules. Start liking it If you don’t now… you’ll probably love it in a few months when your tastebuds change.

See my other tips:
http://castlegrok.com/tag/paleo_diet/

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Comment on Mashed Potato Alternatives by V8Goose

V8Goose — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:13:36 +0000

Butter? Cream!? Sour cream!!??

I am super new to all this Paleo stuff but plan on doing it next week after a physical confirms that I am about to die (from evil western food) and I thought all dairy was off the diet!

Please clarify…

Cheers

Goose

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Comment on Primal Pancake Recipe by Shane

Shane — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 22:37:38 +0000

Was looking forward to making these last weekend but the store only had sweetened coconut. Looks like I’ll have to go searching and try again next weekend.

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Comment on Guacamole Deviled Egg Recipe by camptrav

camptrav — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 01:59:35 +0000

Wow, I strongly disagree that it looks goods(unless you think baby diarrhea looks good), but i’m sure it tastes better than it looks.

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Comment on How to Brew Kombucha by caron kay

caron kay — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 13:09:40 +0000

Hi! I am growing my scoby for the first time. I don’t think I have the patience for this as I look at it at least 5 times a day. Are you sending scobys to desperate people?

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Comment on Kill to Eat – Episode 6 by Grok

Grok — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 05:27:28 +0000

@Chris I have to say I’m just a little bit jealous

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Comment on Kill to Eat – Episode 6 by chrisrivers

chrisrivers — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 03:35:25 +0000

My wife and I thru-hiked about 1600 miles of AT for our honeymoon. One day while hiking in MA I wasn’t paying attention to the white blazes and we ended up 3 hours in… well I have no idea.

The scenic route is always the nicer one compared to the roads or the more traveled one. But for real, being lost is not cool one bit!

Great sight. I look forward to seeing the world through your eyes…

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Comment on Kill to Eat – Episode 8 by Grok

Grok — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 01:33:40 +0000

@Adam, people these days are very disconnected from their food. I understand how it could be incredibly shocking and uncomfortable to you at first.

I had a pretty good response to putting up some of my hunting stuff this year. I think I helped change a few outlooks, which makes me feel good.

Taking the life of an animal can be a very spiritual experience. Have you seen the hunting scene from Avatar yet? It really makes you feel like part of nature’s process.

We’re the top of the food chain. That’s reality. Doesn’t mean there’s no respect. Coyotes were taking grouse on that same trail almost every day. I know because I was seeing the new feather patches. The grouse lived a natural life. He just has a different role in the circle of life.

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Comment on Kill to Eat – Episode 8 by Adam

Adam — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:27:23 +0000

I was with Olivia as I have always been against hunting. It always seemed like a way for a guy to be all manly and nothing more. I eat meat and recognize the hypocrisy, but have always been okay with that.

I watched your video in awe. I thought i would be freaked out (and did originally mute it when i watched you rip apart the bird!), but I am starting the Primal Blueprint plan and I sam starting to see things differently.

Thanks for your website! I’ll be reading more!

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Comment on Guacamole Deviled Egg Recipe by Vivie

Vivie — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 06:59:57 +0000

Wow, that looks like an amazing dish! I’m a huge fan of avocados and I love how they provide “healthy” fat to any dish. The idea of combining them in with deviled eggs never would’ve crossed my mind. Thanks for the inspiration!

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Comment on Becoming a Caveperson by Grok

Grok — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 07:08:44 +0000

@Jeremy

“Humans are the only species that still drink baby milk through to adult-hood.”

I’ve always thought this was a lame argument. The only reason other species don’t continue drinking milk, is because Momma forces them off her tits. Then she dries up.

“Raw milk may be better than pasteurized”

They don’t even compare. As far as I’m concerned, pasteurized milk is not even food. It’s a food product. No different than sugary cereal.

There is absolutely nothing un-paleo about sweet potatoes. Eat them.

“We advocate that Paleo Athletes obtain their carbs from non-grain sources such as yams, sweet potatoes, fruits, fresh fruit juices, dried fruit and vegetables.” ~ Professor Cordain

Even hard core paleos know milk is the way you add beef. They use it to make their gains, whether you hear about it or not. Do bodybuilders admit to using roids? Ever seen the bodies of a hunter gatherers? They’re not a beefy bunch

P.S. I thought I had lactose intolerance. I went no dairy for a while until I found out it was only pasteurized that gave me problems.

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Comment on Becoming a Caveperson by Jeremy

Jeremy — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:27:38 +0000

Grok,

Thanks for the tips.

I used to live off milk and ate plenty of sweet potatoes. I learned a long time ago that dairy, meat and certain other foods would help my gain weight very quickly.

My goal with this transition is to follow as close as I can the foods recommended by the Paleodiet. I understand your desire to continue with dairy consumption. It tastes great! and it’s packed with plenty of calories and protein.

Humans are the only species that still drink baby milk through to adult-hood. (And we drink another species milk) Raw milk may be better than pasteurized, but our ancestors had no access to either one until the age of farming.

Here’s a great list of Paleo foods: http://altmed.creighton.edu/paleodiet/Foodlist.html

Again, thanks for the tips. I had never heard of Chia seeds for consumption before your site. I have some coming in the mail tomorrow. Can’t wait to try them out!

Take care,

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Comment on Becoming a Caveperson by Grok

Grok — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:40:21 +0000

@Jeremy, weight gain has always been ultra easy for me, but I have a huge appetite.

1.) Eat more

2.) Why did you ditch the sweet potatoes? They’re perfectly ok and primal despite what anyone says; unless you’re trying to lose (which you’re not).

3.) Add dairy for an easy way to boost calories. Heavy cream, sour cream, fatty cheeses, butter. Generously add it to everything.

4.) Drink RAW milk. As much as you can afford.

5.) Upping fruit will put weight on you, but I can’t really recommend it.

Slightly less on a primal diet, but calories do matter!

Like or Dislike: 1 0

Comment on Becoming a Caveperson by Jeremy

Jeremy — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 06:45:45 +0000

Grok,

Love your website! Glad to see someone still hunting out there. Whitetail season is the one thing that usually brings be back home every year. Question? Most of your transition info pertains to those wanting to “lose” weight. I’m trying to gain some back. I’m down about 20 lbs from what I would consider average weight for me. Any suggestions on calorie rich Paleo meals or best type of fat intake. Without my sweet potatoes, brown rice, wheat bread, pasta and milk I’m wasting away! It’s the end of week 2 for me and I def. need soem advice!

Thanks,
Jeremy

http://rawpaleoliving.blogspot.com/

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Comment on Becoming a Caveperson by 50 something… « Orange Coast CrossFit | Forging World Class Fitness

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 08:44:12 +0000

[...] Having trouble transitioning to a Primal Diet? [...]

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Comment on Guacamole Deviled Egg Recipe by Organic Gabe

Organic Gabe — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:15:11 +0000

This looks delicious. Avocados are very healthy and I eat them mainly at breakfast. I will give this recipe a try.

It’s a tasty recipe, but for some the boiled eggs can have some repercussions

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Comment on “Kill to Eat” — Grok Ventures Out by Katrina @Joes Sports

Katrina @Joes Sports — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:40:35 +0000

Well, Good luck! My father loves to hunt. I joined him one time and I never do it again because it was really tiring. So good luck!:)

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Comment on Grok Homeless – Water Destroys the Cave! by Katrina @Joes Sports

Katrina @Joes Sports — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:38:09 +0000

Aw! That was a bit disappointing. But I’m sure you can quickly replace it.

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Comment on Vita-Mixes Are Badass by paleozone

paleozone — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 21:22:13 +0000

funny commercial! i have one and love it. I make smoothies almost everyday with it.

favorite recipe: Chocolate Almond Butter Smoothie
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup frozen banana
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp almond butter
1 tbsp raw cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup water (use as necessary for proper consistency)

That one does sound like a favorite

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Comment on Primal Pancake Recipe by Grok

Grok — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 04:07:12 +0000

You can sub in ground flax meal for coconut too.

Flaxcakes are a little more “blah” so add a little vanilla or something to bring back some flavor.

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Comment on Vita-Mixes Are Badass by Primal Pancake Recipe

Primal Pancake Recipe — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 07:42:07 +0000

[...] Update: IMO running everything through a blender makes the batter much better & the product more pancake like. I buzz it ultra-smooth in my Vita-Mix. [...]

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Comment on I Can’t Believe It’s Not Sausage! by Grok

Grok — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 04:48:36 +0000

Finally got around to making this tonight.

I used about 1/2 of the veggies called for, but only had about 1/4lb of ground venison thawed out. It ended up being about perfect for filling two large peppers.

Things I did differently:

I used grass-fed tallow instead of olive oil
Chopped tomato instead of canned
Few shots of Tabasco Garlic Pepper Sauce

Review:
This is a delicious recipe that I will be making again. Very flavorful and not heavy in the gut.

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Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by bucklesnarf

bucklesnarf — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 14:34:34 +0000

Paul Rodgers is about 20 years behind the curve, still believing saturated fat causes CAD.

I guess he is unfamiliar with:

* Ancel Keys’ fraud which started all of this

* The 26 long term prospective studies to date, only 4 of which showed even desperately weak associations between saturated fat and CAD, one of which was a beneficial association.

* All 18 clinical randomized (some double blinded) which show no support at all tot he farcical anti saturated fat dogma.

* The numerous cultures from around the world who eat saturated fat rich and have awesome cardiovascular health.

I guess he has not read Anthony Colpo’s brilliant book “The Great Cholesterol Con”, then took the references and verified this awesome information for himself. No one exposes the cholesterol sham better than Colpo – no one. Colpo’s book is sooooo much more detailed than Taubes on saturated fat and cholesterol. If only the public were as familair with it. It is more than a damn shame.

So sad.

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Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by Sue

Sue — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 07:26:04 +0000

“While oats do not appear to naturally contain gluten, like other grains they can become contaminated during harvesting, transporting, milling and processing.”

That’s probably why oats are a problem.

A problem people love. Gotta get that fiber you know ? ?

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Comment on Tomato-less Zucchini Crust Pizza Pie by Grok

Grok — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 07:56:10 +0000

You’re welcome.

That was a popular one when I put it up. Yummy too!

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Comment on Tomato-less Zucchini Crust Pizza Pie by cindy

cindy — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 06:02:27 +0000

ok, thanks so much. i’m actually going to try the chicken pizza. man thanks a lot. major props.

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Comment on Tomato-less Zucchini Crust Pizza Pie by Grok

Grok — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 05:52:46 +0000

@cindy, You could leave it out.

I just add it to things to soak up a little liquid & add fiber etc… Plus I’m just a coconut lover.

I suppose flax meal or almond flour could double, or just dry out the zuke a little more. I probably just got impatient

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Comment on Tomato-less Zucchini Crust Pizza Pie by cindy

cindy — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 03:53:40 +0000

can you please tell me what the coconut is used for? i’m making for mom and she can’t eat coconut so if you could recommend a substitute for that, i would be so thrilled! great looking pizza btw

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Comment on Got Pests? Grok Doesn’t! by janos

janos — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 10:08:27 +0000

I’m learning more everyday reading your blog. Thanks for all the hard work. I’m looking forward to more reading here!

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Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by Alex

Alex — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 21:52:13 +0000

Oh, yeah – 0.4g of sugars per large (50g) egg! Anything under 0.5 tends to get rounded down to zero on nutritional labels!

Ha-ha. Ok then… I eat so damn many that they have a carb

Like or Dislike: 1 1

Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by Alex

Alex — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 21:48:29 +0000

What carb do they have? I was looking at a nutritional breakdown for eggs on Chris Masterjohn’s site, so maybe he didn’t list it or it is dependant on the egg and the method used to determine its composition?!

Like or Dislike: 0 1

Comment on I Can’t Believe It’s Not Sausage! by Stephanie

Stephanie — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 17:56:58 +0000

SOunds delicious and he is really lucky to have gotten some antelope. I love game but elk and bison are pretty much the only types I can access regularly!

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Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by Alex

Alex — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 12:24:35 +0000

What do whole grains, or fruit and vegetables for that matter, give me that I cannot get from meat and eggs? Eggs are a multi-vitamin/mineral in themselves along with EFAs, protein, etc. The only thing they do not have (and we do not need) is carbs and fibre!

Now you’re talking my language

I love raw eggs about as much as life itself. They have a carb

Like or Dislike: 2 1

Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by Paul Rogers

Paul Rogers — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:43:03 +0000

Alex, this is the seminal Cordain paper:
Cereal Grains: Humanity’s Double-Edged Sword, in Simopoulos AP (ed): Evolutionary Aspects of Nutrition and Health. Diet, Exercise, Genetics and Chronic Disease. World Rev Nutr Diet. Basel, Karger, 1999, vol 84, pp 19–73

Read it here: http://tinyurl.com/ybaz4zs

When it comes to diseases other than celiac disease, this paper is just hypothetical posturing and there is not one trace of evidence for harm caused by gluten-safe grains according to acceptable standards of epidemiological evidence. No randomised trials or even evidence from long-term prospective trials or cross-sectional studies.

On the other hand, there is substantial evidence that consumption of whole grains is protective against type 2 diabetes and heart disease in humans.

http://tinyurl.com/ykc6kwv

And it makes sense of course. Most of the longest-lived, healthy populations that we know of consume grains in balanced quantities.

What do whole grains give me that I can’t get from vegetables? Longest living peoples also have diets high in vegetables & fats. Why is it that we assume it’s the grains?

I also happen to KNOW that most Type II diabetics will benefit from eating almost anything besides Krispy Kremes and ‘All You Can Eat’ pancakes from the truck stop. I live in the mecca of Type II diabetics. Anywhere outside of Seattle in Western Washington is like living with peopleofwalmart.com

When I get stuck following a school bus home from town, makes me want to vomit in my mouth while crying watching the kids waddle out like penguins at each stop

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Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by Alex

Alex — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 09:04:18 +0000

Cordain et al have published extensive papers showing that auto-immune diseases are caused by elements in grains besides gluten.

“The cell walls of cereals and legumes contain a storage protein, GRP 180, which also can act as a ligand to self-presented MHC peptides [Dybwad 1996]. Further, peptides contained in dairy proteins (bovine serum albumins–BSA, among many) also may contain peptide sequences which can interact with endogenously presented peptides [Perez-Maceda 1991]. Cereal, legume, dairy, and yeast-free diets potentially have therapeutic benefit in many autoimmune related disorders via their ability to reduce gut permeability and decrease the exogenous antigenic load both from pathogenic bacteria and from potentially self-mimicking dietary peptides.”
http://www.beyondveg.com/cordain-l/grains-leg/grains-legumes-1b.shtml#molecular%20mimicry

Oats also do not contain gluten and are often allowed on gluten-free diets for coeliac sufferers yet I have first-hand experience of someone close to me who had extensive gut problems while eating oats in the absence of any other grains.

She had numerous tests and investigations by doctors and specialists in the field of gastrointestinal medicine who could not pinpoint the cause of her problems.

After a lot of persuasion from me she gave up eating oats and within a short space of time all her symptoms subsided and she felt much better.

Then she suddenly started consuming oats again and the symptoms once more flared up. Since stopping oats permanently she has had no further flare ups.

“extensive gut problems while eating oats in the absence of any other grains.”

Count me in this group. IBS & inflammation issues. Oats were the very last grain I gave up before becoming primal.

Like or Dislike: 0 1

Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by Paul Rogers

Paul Rogers — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 04:34:49 +0000

Alex, first, sorghum and millet, the seminal food grains in east Africa are gluten-free, as are many others in this region.

Celiac disease is a special case, but you will have to quote me even one reputable paper that describes an autoimmune disease of humans attributable to, or related to, grains other than gluten grains. No theoretical biochemicals: I want proof. Gluten is a special case with a genetic basis.

Further, show me proof of other than very limited idiosyncratic allergies and intolerances to grains other than gluten grains, that is not the hallucination of some ‘off the planet’ naturopath or so-called natural healer.

Sure, some people don’t tolerate gluten and others are intolerant of, or allergic to seafood, shellfish, eggs, nuts, soy, even meat, and many, many other foods. If it doesn’t suit you . . . well don’t eat it. We are not genetically homogeneous.

This is not an argument for the Paleo diet, it’s an argument for sensible eating.

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Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by Alex

Alex — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:29:08 +0000

I think Cordain has a point. If raw grain consumption was widespread during the palaeolithic then surely no-one would suffer the allergies and intolerances to grains that we see in modern humans (even when those grains are cooked). Overt, symptomatic coeliac disease is just the tip of the iceberg – many more may be suffering asymptomatically and many auto-immune diseases can be traced back to the proteins in grains.

Even those Africans that predominantly eat the grains under discussion suffer malnutrition and ill-health compared to those that consume mostly animal foods.

You say Mozambique is only one site and there are more to come – how do you know?

The evidence for this single site is not exactly that powerful – there could be a million and one reasons for those sorghum traces on those stone tools without jumping to the conclusion that they were eaten and even if they were, there is no way to know if it was as a staple or a fall-back subsistence food.

The Mercader paper mentions that many of the stone tools that had sorghum residues were coated in a yellow-ochre dye or had a similar coloured patina, which suggests another possibility besides food – that of pigment-making, something for which sorghum has a long history.

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Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by Paul Rogers

Paul Rogers — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 22:41:57 +0000

You missed the point. Paleo promoters like Prof Cordain like to say that grains would not have been eaten in the Paleolithic because they need cooking, processing etc and require excessive energy to harvest and consume than other foods. This is clearly wrong.

Sure, meat was eaten, and fruit and veges and grains, perhaps seasonally, although millet keeps very well in storage. The Mozambique site is only one; more to come.

And BTW, you have to stick to the Homo sapiens evolutionary cradle in east Africa. You can’t count meat eating in Europe by Neanderthals and early migratory Homo erectus. They are not our ancestors.

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Comment on Primal Pancake Recipe by Grok

Grok — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 20:49:11 +0000

ALMOND FREE recipe
75g pecans
2 large eggs
¼ cup shredded or 20-30g dried coconut product
¼ cup raw milk (thins batter) or cottage chz + water

Blend everything until really smooth. Cook at about 375°

These pancakes were a *little* more crumbly (like the usual paleo pancakes) than recipe #2, but the pecan flavor was fantastic!

Melt some butter in a small dish & dip in your bite size pieces

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Comment on Primal Pancake Recipe by Lisa Wilcox

Lisa Wilcox — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:53:30 +0000

I made your pancake recipe today and boy was I a happy camper. These were delicious and fulfilling. Very easy to make. Great idea.

Thanks Lisa. I made them again too, but a different variety

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Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by Alex

Alex — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 10:16:52 +0000

No, Lyle is doing exactly what he accuses the paleo dieters of doing – looking at what people eat NOW (or in the recent past) and extrapolating it to what people ate way back when!

Yes, many Africans eat grains now (as a staple) and may have for decades or centuries but that does not necessarily extrapolate back to paleolithic times.

The difference being that paleo dieters have a great deal of archaeological evidence to draw on for meat eating by our ancient ancestors – not least of which is radioactive isotope evidence from fossilized bones that show animals were the primary source of nutrition.

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Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by Paul Rogers

Paul Rogers — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 04:31:04 +0000

As usual, Lyle is a fount of logic and sense. He is absolutely right. Regarding Cordain’s response, some Kenyans eat sorghum raw (and millet), eg:

“Kaveta, another traditional variety, was mixed with salt and eaten raw. It was also harvested and eaten before it was completely ready.”

http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-30808-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html

Read “The Lost Crops of Africa” which documents 60 edible grains species, many in the evolutionary cradle. There is no way grains would not have been consumed for a very long time. Gelada baboons eat raw grains and so do some monkeys, and it’s likely that Australopithecus, 4 million years ago, did as well.

The Paleo diet is a con, and perhaps worse.

Like or Dislike: 1 2

Comment on Primal Pancake Recipe by Grok

Grok — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 01:28:48 +0000

RE: Recipe #2
For those with no access to Almond butter, I bet you could combined the eggs with dry almonds and blend the crap out of them. Add any dried coconut product and blend the crap out of it again. The batter will come out perfect I’m sure.

I used my Vita-Mix the second time because I ran out of shredded coconut. Batter was perfect! Just like I had sneaked some Bisquick into the bowl.

Recipe #2 is way lower-cal too, which means you can eat more!

The dry nuts and eggs blended worked.

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Comment on Primal Pancake Recipe by Jedidja

Jedidja — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 00:37:21 +0000

Yeah I am definitely trying those soon. Grok – do you think the second recipe is better from what you were mentioning on twitter?

Yes, actually I do. The fact that they are just like the real thing as far as cutting, dipping, mouthfeel and ease of cooking is concerned. I feel recipe #2 is superior. If I had some vanilla around here, I’d probably add some of that also.

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Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by Grok

Grok — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 22:53:45 +0000

@Lex, I don’t really go out of my way to supplement. I’ll take multi-vitamins sometimes when I feel like it, or when I’m doing one of my experiments like #SurvivalMonths where my diet is a whole lot of the same. I take a multi-mineral supplement when I remember, and iodine when I have it.

The only supplements I take on a regular basis are cod liver oil, and Vitamin D.

Cod Liver Oil
My body is very sensitive to inflammation, so even with my generally clean (low Omega-6) diet these days, I still take 1-3 tablespoons of CLO a day. The large dose is why I generally use the cheaper Twinlab brand. I’ve also used other more expensive stuff, but saw no additional benefit. This dosage seems to work for me. Exercise is also inflammatory and I beat my body pretty badly with cardio (don’t recommend) sometimes. We’ll see what I have to do when my training is ramped way up.

Vitamin D
I dose about 35-40iu per pound which ends up being about 6,250iu total. I take 5,000iu in gelcap form from NOW and the rest is made up from the Vitamin D in the CLO above.

On the days I take more CLO, I usually wont take the Vitamin D gelcap. On days I know I’m exposed to sick people I’ll usually take an extra gelcap (10k). It usually balances out. I have not been sick nearly as much this year (w/less severity) and my mood has greatly improved.

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Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by Lex

Lex — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 21:56:07 +0000

Wow very informative posting!!

I’ve actually worked with some anthropologists and research psychologists on stuff regarding dietary stuff and your posting is very intelligent!

I was wondering what your take on the modern diet is in terms of what we should be doing? I recently read a posting from the FDA stating that every American should be on dietary suppliments, even if they are eating all organic, because American food simply does not have the 40-something nutrients that are needed on a daily basis. Anyways I used to be doing the one-a-day multi-vitamin thing but I hear that’s not the best for you because the body can’t absorb all of the daily nutrients it needs quickly enough for a single tablet to be effective.

Anyways I recently switched onto this nutrition program designed by this doctor who actually won the Nobel Prize for his work on this program and have felt amazing ever since, and it is amazing for weight maintenance/gain/loss depending on which track you take, but I was wondering what your take on dietary suppliments was in terms of staying healthy with the modern diet?

I’d love to hear your thoughts, or anyone’s for that matter! If you have time just email me anytime at alexidouvas[at]gmail.com!!

I really look forward to speaking more in the future!!

Wishing you a happy and healthy new years!

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Comment on Primal Pancake Recipe by Grok

Grok — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 05:07:00 +0000

Updated with a new almond butter pancake recipe!

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Comment on Got sick? Kick the bug! by Grok

Grok — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 17:29:04 +0000

Blessed with a full blown head cold today at 3am. So it’s testing time once again

I’d spiked my blood sugar during New Years Day gluttony and was exposed to sick people. I noticed the cold coming from increased sniffles on Jan 2nd and have been holding it at bay despite working out in the cold rain for a few days.

In the past, I would have been down immediately from a cold! I hate to admit it, but I have a crappy immune system. I’m confident my now healthy gut & increased Vitamin D (about 6,250iu per day) dose is what’s helped me hold it back as long as I have.

I will be dosing about 800iu per pound, per day, and will report my condition & total downtime here.

Day 1:
Woke up in the middle of the night with bad drainage & choking on phlegm. Energy low. 5:45am first dose of Vitamin D. Got up at 9am. Great energy the rest of the day considering being sick

Dosage:
Three 40,000iu doses spaced evenly throughout the day. Taken with butter or coconut oil.
Total = 120,000iu

Day 2:
Slept well. Still congested with a mild headache, but drainage issue is mostly gone.

Dosage:
9:30am 50,000iu – 3:00pm 30,000iu – 9:30pm 50,000iu
Total = 130,000iu

Day 3:
Mild headache & dry sinuses/congestion during the night. Basically felt fine the rest of the day. Energy still good & has been. Tomorrow could be good to go!

Dosage:
10:30am 50,000iu – Cold pretty much gone – 10:00pm 50,000iu
Total = 100,000iu

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Comment on How to Brew Kombucha by Grok

Grok — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 05:10:25 +0000

How much Kombucha do I drink per day? 20oz – Average tally for the past two months.

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Comment on Readers Write: Kombucha for Fat Loss? by Grok

Grok — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 05:07:47 +0000

Just tallied up my average kombucha consumption for the past two months. Approx 20oz per day. Smack dab in the middle of my guess above.

Like or Dislike: 0 1

Comment on I Can’t Believe It’s Not Sausage! by Johnny at The Lean Saloon

Johnny at The Lean Saloon — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 20:38:23 +0000

I love simple ideas with good ingredients. I’ve saved this recipe. Thanks for the share!

Like or Dislike: 1 0

Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by Alex

Alex — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 17:30:51 +0000

Well, if you truly must play that game (yawn!), Chris Masterjohn – who wrote the rebuttal to T Colin Campbell’s conclusions from the China Study – is studying for his PhD in Nutritional Sciences (specialising in Biochemical and Molecular Nutrition) at the University of Connecticut. Here has published two peer-reviewed papers which are available on PubMed!

However, it is not that that cuts any ice with me, it is the fact that he makes logical, verifiable arguments based on the actual available data. I downloaded the full China Study paper myself and checked his facts – and he was correct! T Colin Campbell just spouts what he wants you to believe and the data be hanged – and because he has ‘credentials’ people accept what he says without question and without checking his ‘facts’ for themselves. Lazy!

In fairness to his credentials comment, I asked in a comment above. Good stuff though. I wish I could make the time to read more of these papers.

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Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by bucklesnarf

bucklesnarf — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 13:40:21 +0000

OK, I will give no grains a try.

Good for you man. Just make sure you’re honest about it. It’s pretty tough at first, mostly because you don’t know how to eat, but also you will see how big of a drug those grains really are. You literally won’t be able to eat almost anything from a box or can, which makes things extremely inconvenient at first.

Once you learn how to cook and your taste buds begin to change (several weeks minimum) it starts getting much easier.

Check out my Primal Transition Tips and paleo sabotage articles.

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Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by bucklesnarf

bucklesnarf — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 13:39:34 +0000

Lyle McDonald has a Master’s degree from UCLA I believe.

Like or Dislike: 0 0

Comment on Chicken Crust Pizza (aka Meatza) by Grok

Grok — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 01:27:00 +0000

@GG – I’m all about the Anchovies!!!!!!!!!

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Comment on Chicken Crust Pizza (aka Meatza) by GG

GG — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 01:14:12 +0000

Now this is what I am talking about!! Although I’d omit the cheese – but it still sounds fabulous! Mmmm Anchovies!

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Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by Grok

Grok — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 22:41:46 +0000

I thought for a minute bucklesnarf might be seeing the light. There I go thinking again!

Give me one reason why bucklesnarf needs grains in his diet other than for fueling his pride? Let go of the pride man! We won’t judge.

Like or Dislike: 0 0

Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by Alex

Alex — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 20:08:15 +0000

LOL! There you go again! What difference does it make? The data is the data – it doesn’t match the conclusions Campbell came up with – you don’t have to be a PhD to see that!

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Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by bucklesnarf

bucklesnarf — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:23:36 +0000

What peer reviewed literaure has he published or qualifications does he have to write such a review?

Is this guy a credible source of information? Most likely not.

I know lots of people with advanced degrees who are deeply lacking in the common sense dept.. As a matter of fact, maybe most of them. Letters after your name are not a marker of intelligence or common sense. This is flaw in our society that’s getting worse. Nobody knew who Einstein was while writing most of his stuff as a patent clerk. Boy, what an un-credible source of information he turn out to be!

What are Lyle McDonald’s credentials?

Like or Dislike: 0 0

Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by Alex

Alex — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 18:19:24 +0000

Are you for real? That is a joke isn’t it?!

T Colin Campbell’s conclusions to the China Study do not match what the actual data says.

Hardly any of the associations reached statistical significance and the biggest positive correlations with cancer that they actually found was with plant proteins, carbohydrates and fibre while the only negative correlations they found were with fats.

Read the details here:
http://www.cholesterol-and-health.com/China-Study.html

This is why your penchant for reliance on argumentum ad verecundiam and ipse dixit leads you to look foolish – you believe, at face value, what these so called ‘experts’ tell you rather than check whether what they say matches the facts!

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Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by bucklesnarf

bucklesnarf — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:22:21 +0000

T. Colin Campbell Dr. Esselstyn, Dr. Ornish . They claim their plant based diets reverse disease. They all claim grain and starch consumption has health benefits.

They say their studies have passed peer review.

They are all very critical of the paleo community and say they have the science to back it up?

Comments?

Paleo is a plant based diet if you want it to be!
Solid meat diets reduce disease also!
I didn’t know anyone still gave a shit about the China Study except Vegans.

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Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by Bryce

Bryce — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 14:57:00 +0000

Bucklesnarf,

First, to be clear, noone actually needs carbohydrate, in any quantity to survive. Your body is quite capable of making all the glucose you need from protein in your liver, through gluconeogenesis, and the rest of your body and some functions of your brain are perfectly happy running on ketones.

That being said, CastleGrok mentioned that sweet potatoes, and I’d submit a banana here and there, aren’t going to bother someone who’s very well adapted to carbohydrate metabolism. If you have no metabolic syndrome (normal fasting glucose/insulin), then you can probably handle some starch.

One thing I emphasize when I tell people about the paleo diet: it’s not about avoiding carbs/starches, it’s about avoiding foods we were not meant to eat. While avoiding starch can accelerate weight loss, a healthy lean person shouldn’t fear them.

-Bryce

“it’s not about avoiding carbs/starches”

Right! when I’m eating “normal” it’s nothing for me to still eat 200 carbs a day in non-starchy vegetables. That’s hardly a low-carb diet, but it’s hyper-low compared to my old sad diet.

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Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by bucklesnarf

bucklesnarf — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 14:09:11 +0000

So if someone still had to have some grains and starches , which ones are the worst, and which ones are still acceptable in smaller amounts?

Now your starting to make sense except for the “had to have” part. If you want to try paleo, we’ll support you, not laugh at you and call a dumbshit when you have a question *cough* like other places on the web

Obviously we’re human and not perfect, so an 80/20 rules is a standard we follow. 80% (most of us much more) of the time we eat the right way, the other 20% we let in forbidden stuff. 20% ends up being quiet a bit of cheating if you ask me.

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Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by Alex

Alex — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 21:28:10 +0000

I think you mistake cereal grain use as some sort of confirmation of its healthfulness. This is totally unscientific and illogical.

People fortunately survive many foolhardy practices but that does not make them sensible things to do in general!

If you were marooned on a deserted island in the middle of the ocean and the only food source was wild grains then, by all means eating them to survive in the hopes of rescue would be preferable to starvation.

However, if I found myself marooned on a similar island that also had abundant wild game as well as wild grains, I’d definitely opt for the game rather than the grains – I’d leave that for fodder for the animals!

When you boil evolutionary biology down to its simplest components you see that plants create glucose via photosynthesis – they take sunlight an CO2 from their environment as raw materials and synthesise from it what they need to survive. more complicated animal life forms cannot directly absorb sunlight or CO2 to make what they need, so they allow the plants to do that part for them then they eat the plants. Further up the food chain, humans cannot absorb many of the nutrients in plants so they eat the animals that ate the plants that absorbed the sunlight and CO2.

We are able to survive on certain plant foods and cereal grains in the absence of anything better but at a cost that may not be apparent until decades later and even then only in subtle ways.

Full-blown coeliac disease is merely the most symptomatic version of gluten-caused disease. Many people will suffer asymptomatic consequences of their grain consumption. Certain auto-immune diseases can be traced back to asymptomatic gut permeability issue due to grain consumption.

It’s just not worth the risk when you consider that 100g of wheat germ contains paltry amounts of vitamins and minerals compared to the same quantity of lamb’s liver. No one could eat 100g of wheat germ as a meal anyway (eat would be like eating a bowlful of sawdust!) – the most you would ever use is a few tens of grams sprinkled on muesli or baked into bread or maybe added to soup!

Last paragraph reminds me of “AOX & cocoa” hype. Yes cocoa is very high in AOX, but you have to eat 100g of pure cocoa to get the big dose they brag about. About the only people who can stomach that much cocoa are us non-sugar addicted paleos. Everyone else would gag from the bitterness.

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Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by bucklesnarf

bucklesnarf — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 19:07:45 +0000

I enjoy Castle Grok’s site. VERY well done, I just do nto understand the anti grain sentiment around here when numerous cultures ( some of the longest lived in the world) use them.

Thanks. Perhaps you don’t understand, because you’ve never eliminated grains for a period of time.

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Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by bucklesnarf

bucklesnarf — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 19:05:28 +0000

Grains do/did not harm the Costa Ricans, Sardinians, Okiawans, Japanese, Aztecs, Mayans, etc.

Sure, they have a dark side, but everything does .

Grains are a great addition to any diet, they just should not dominate it. All those cultures above used grains as well as their vegetables and fruits.

Sweet potatoes are a great thing to eat, as evidence the Okinawans.

I know at least several of these cultures were fermenters.

Dude, we love and advocate sweet potatoes in athletes and healthy people. Sweet potatoes are a far cry from your white/russet potato that America loves.

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Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by Bryce

Bryce — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 17:22:48 +0000

Alex,

A hearty thank you for putting the nail in the coffin on this issue. Why are we even entertaining this troll? It’s obvious no amount of logic will ever disabuse him of this grain-praising.

None of the many people I have helped give up grains regret it. Not one. Bucklesnarf, if you enjoy grains, then keep eating them and good luck to you. I hope they help you live a long and healthy life. I know they won’t for me, or many of the rest of us.

According the Center for Disease Control, at LEAST one 3rd of Americans are in some way intolerant to wheat/gluten that they know about. How positive can anyone be that they aren’t in the unlucky one 3rd, or that the 1/3 isn’t more like 1/2 to 2/3?

Keep up the great work Grok!

The key words here: “that they know about”

I’d put my money on it, that if there was a large scale grain elimination diet study done, we could stick a 3/4 number on that figure.

Thanks Bryce, and thanks for contributing. This troll is too stupid to try eliminating grains and seeing what happens. Proof is in the Crossfit pudding. Lyle’s forum makes fun of Crossfit too. Why bust your ass with something like crossfit & paleo, when you can just do some heavy sets, take roids, eat pizza and crash diet it back off?

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Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by Alex

Alex — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:50:00 +0000

With regard to wheat germ:

iron

Dietary iron can be obtained either as heme iron from beef, lamb, pork and poultry or as nonheme iron from vegetables, whole grains, fortified grain products, and supplements. Beef and chicken liver are the richest sources of iron. In general, red meats, e.g., beef, veal, lamb, are richer in iron than white meat, e.g., poutlry, fish. Heme iron is more bioavailable than nonheme iron because it is a soluble complex absorbed intact by endocytosis. Nonheme iron may form insoluble complexes in the alkaline medium of the small intestines rendering it unavailable for mucosal uptake. Absorption of nonheme iron also depends on availability of an iron-binding mucosal transport protein (transferrin) to facilitate uptake from the intestines.
http://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/nutrition/factsheets/iron.html

Essential fatty acids

At a poor ratio of 7.3:1 in favour of omega-6. Also, the omega-3 is the ‘parent oil’ which requires chain elongation into the much more useful forms DHA and EPA. This is very poor in humans.

Fiber

There is no convincing evidence that fibre is required by humans. It is likely an irritant to the gut lining, damages the delicate epithelial cells and causes lesions that may lead to more serious complications in later life.

Vitamin A

According to nutritiondata.com, 100g of wheat germ has no vitamin A in its most bioavailable form retinol.

Vitamin E

There is no data for vitamin E content of wheat germ on nutritiondata.com. (or any other major fat-soluble vitamin.

Folate

Studies have shown that the bioavailability of folate was lowest for wheat germ!

As I said, it’s not about how much there is of the stuff in there but how bioavailable it is to the body – and in most cases it is not bioavailable in the first place or comes packaged with antinutrients that block its absorption.

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Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by bucklesnarf

bucklesnarf — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 14:21:06 +0000

Wheat germ’s nutritional profile is tremendous, and is one of the most nutritionally dense foods around anywhere. It has the most potassium and iron than any other food source, and has more protein than can be found in most meat products.

Here is what whet germ has:

potassium
iron
28 % protein
essential fatty acids
fiber
riboflavin
calcium
zinc
magnesium
selenium
vitamin A
vitamin B1
vitamin B3
vitamin E
folate
phosphorous
thiamin
and to top it all off oxytocin, a powerful substance that helps us produce energy.

Wheat germ is incredible to put it short.

I know a currently 80 year old man in Miami who runs the 100 meters in the Master’s Olympics. This man is a huge fan of wheat germ. At the age of 70 he ran it in 14.68 seconds. At he age of 78 he ran it in 17 seconds. His fellow competitors are either dead ( so he wins by default) or too far gone to compete anymore .

This man has always been healthy looking and in fact looks younger than DeVany , Sisson and other paleo guys for HIS age. His face is less worn than those guys.

He eats no special diet (other than wheat germ supplementation and meats veggies and fruit smoothies included).

Will mark Sisson or any other Paleo anti grain person here be doing that at that age????????

I am sorry but Lyle McDonald is right. Grains are not bad, especially wheat germ.

Ever heard of genetics? My great grandpa lived into his mid 90s smoking a pipe his entire life. Smoking must be good for you! Ronnie Coleman has more muscle than I will ever have, even if I have a garden hose IV pumping roids into me. These folks are genetically superior in these areas.

Your friend may have a slow oxidizing metabolism and may tolerate grains quite well. Again, are they optimal? Remove the wheat germ and add a sugar pill or multi-vitamin. I bet the results are the same.

My Grandpa could tolerate tobacco smoke, but two of my grandmas died of emphysema at much younger ages. Feed me grains and you get acid reflux and inflammation galore.

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Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by Alex

Alex — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 11:37:27 +0000

So the question remains, then, are they healthy and long-lived because of their bread/pasta intake or in spite of it? The addition of cereals to their diet certainly doesn’t seem to guarantee that they remain lean, there were quite a few, shall we say, ‘portly’ locals in that video!

As to your second point, I couldn’t disagree more! There is absolutely nothing in grains that couldn’t be obtained from other more nutritious foods.

Most plant-based sources of vitamins and minerals are less bioavailable than in animal-based foods and, if you eat whole grains (which is what we are often exhorted to do) then you get all of the antinutrients that block their absorption anyway!

Cooking does not eliminate all of the antinutrients either and that has been shown in studies and experiments.

Also, if you look at the nutritional density of these foods you espouse you will see that gram-for-gram they are largely lacking. This is why pro-grain/vegetarian nutritionists only ever list micronutrient content on a per kcal basis because it makes plants look like rich sources when in fact they are not.

We don’t sit down to 200 kcals of spinach or couscous we sit down to a portion that fills the plate and fills our belly. To get the equivalent micronutrient hit of a decent portion of meat you’d have to eat bucket loads of the plant foods.

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Comment on Primal Pancake Recipe by Judy

Judy — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 11:19:59 +0000

Buy unsweetened dessicated coconut that has not been defatted. Whizz 50g to coarse, and 50g to fine in a coffee grinder. Place in bowl. Add 3-4 beaten eggs, pinch of ginger powder and the zest of an unwaxed lemon. Mix together. Add raw milk or coconut milk to achieve batter consistency – Very thick milk shake look.

Fry in butter or coconut oil, serve with squeezed lemon juice. Yum.
Sometimes I add raisins or goji berries to the batter.

Awesome Judy. I’d never had much good luck in the past with coconut pancakes either. I’ll have to give this a try!

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Comment on I Can’t Believe It’s Not Sausage! by RogerDeRok

RogerDeRok — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 06:51:20 +0000

Stacey, you mean the jalapeno seeds? Yup! Just chopped ‘em up, didn’t remove the seeds.

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Comment on I Can’t Believe It’s Not Sausage! by ReachWest

ReachWest — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 03:47:18 +0000

Sounds good – will give it a go later this week.

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Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by bucklesnarf

bucklesnarf — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 02:26:30 +0000

Look no further. Sardinians certainly have a fat rich diet , but pastas and vreads play a large role too.

This series has many parts. This is what they eat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbfaE2UPVOw

Just as a side note, the nutritional profile of wheat germ is tremendous.

Grains are good, very good and very useful. They just do not need to dominate a diet. Remember we are not the same as paleoman anymore. We are not even like people from 11,ooo years ago. Most of us have evolved to hangle grains. It certainly has been enough time, and Dr. Henry Harpending ( very educated and respected world renowned anthrolpologist) agrees we are different.

“Grains are good, very good and very useful” – Grains make excellent glue.

I haven’t had time to watch the whole series yet (only into 2nd video), but I couldn’t help but notice:

a.) everything was fresh
b.) small potions
c.) mostly meat

Pretty hard to overindulge and suffer the affects of grain consumption when you’re hand making your raviolis and noodles.

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Comment on I Can’t Believe It’s Not Sausage! by Stacey Clayton

Stacey Clayton — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 23:58:56 +0000

Yummo Roger! I love spicy food ;D Did you make it with the seeds too?

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Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by Alex

Alex — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 22:19:43 +0000

Even the Sardinians are not so grain-centric as we are often led to believe: http://www.go-sardinia.com/sardinia-food.htm

Plenty of fatty, spit-roasted meats there. Even the pasta is served with a sausage-based sauce and desserts of pastry are filled with cheese!

When we are told this population’s staple foods or that population’s staple foods are grains the implication is that it makes up the bulk of their diet. This is clearly not true – even from the last couple of examples.

A staple crop, like wheat, may be a country’s main determinant of their gross domestic product or income via export etc. but does not necessarily equate to the only thing they themselves eat or the main contribution to local diet or even an individual dish!

Great link Alex. I was looking at some Sardinian dishes earlier and noticed the relatively low gain content as well. High O3 and some fermented foods could easily take away most of the negatives of the grain consumption. It would be fun to be a birdy-in-the-window of the standard Sardinian family

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Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by Alex

Alex — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 20:07:48 +0000

Fair enough. The question then is – Exactly how much do grains contribute to the overall diet? In what form are they eaten? How are they prepared and cooked? And, most importantly, how much does the high saturated fat intake mediate against any of the harmful effects of grains? Are they healthy/long-lived precisely because of their grain consumption or in spite of it due to these other mitigating dietary factors? If the latter, then it is hardly a prescription for the consumption or healthfulness of grains.

There is nothing in grains that cannot be obtained from other foods and a lot of stuff we would be better off without: gluten, gliadin, wheat germ agglutinin, phytates, protease inhibitors and so on.

I wonder what roll probiotics play in keeping grains from damaging their guts? This alone could easily be the key to long disease free lives. Add reduce calorie eating, High Omega 3 levels (reducing inflammation), less environmental toxins… mystery eliminated. But it’s the gains that keep them healthy! Right….

It would be interested to see how much of their food is traditionally fermented. They may not ferment now, but we wouldn’t see many ill affects of them stopping for a few generations or many, since modern medicine could no doubt pic up the longevity slack from less optimal diet.

I know Sardinians like to ferment have you ever seen the Sardinian maggot cheese “Casu marzu“

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Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by Buckelsnarf

Buckelsnarf — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 18:40:19 +0000

Alex

No one is more aginst the anti saturated fat theory than me.

I was merely pointing out these cultures eat grains and starches without any negative health.

Anyone who saw Anthony Bourdain’s show on Sardinia knows they certainly do not eat low fat. Buettner is a fraud.

I’ve love to see the average Sardinian dish in Sardinia. This would tell the story.

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Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by Alex

Alex — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 17:43:16 +0000

Good old stalwart, the Okinawans, are wheeled out again! It is often used as a granivore/vegetarian trump card as if meat and animal fats would never dare touch their lips, ruin their health and decrease their lifespan!

“Okinawa – The Island of Pork:

Pork appears so frequently in the Okinawan diet that to say “meat” is really to say “pork.” Everything from head to tail is used. As the saying has it, only the “oink” and the toenails go begging. It is no exaggeration to say that the present-day Okinawan diet begins and ends with pork.”

From http://www.wonder-okinawa.jp/026/e/pork.html

Which is a web site of the Okinawa Prefectural Government. They ought to know what their people’s diet actually is!

Just like the French. It must be the wine they drink making them healthy! Couldn’t be something a simple as the fact that they don’t overeat, frown on taking seconds, or maybe the increased fats & fat soluble vitamins in their diet?

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Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by Jerry Borrero

Jerry Borrero — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 17:20:30 +0000

Another note: The Primal/Paleo Diet is NOT a Anarcho-Primitive movement. We’re seeking better health/longevity/wellness through diet and exercise, NOT the downfall of modern civilization and a return to pre-agricultural tribal hunter-gatherer society.

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Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by Jerry Borrero

Jerry Borrero — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 17:00:12 +0000

Bucklesnarf, this is a polite discussion. Keep it classy please.

Correlation does not imply causation and I doubt you can point me to a study that proves a cause and effect relationship between grain consumption and longevity.

I don’t know what shows you’re referring to or what hunter-gatherer tribes…I don’t know the makeup of these sugary drinks or what percentage of their total caloric intakes they make up. I can’t possibly comment on this given the lack of info.

I took your advice and read up on the Henry Harpending study. Very interesting! I think this particular snippet would be of interest:

“For example, Europeans can easily digest cereal grains, but Kalahari Bushmen (or San) in Africa, Australian Aborigines, and Native Americans often become diabetic when eating a high-carbohydrate diet.

‘We can see the genes changing. We are evolving to cope with these new cereals,’ Harpending said.

Eventually, this rapid pace of genetic evolution should slow, assuming the human environment and diet stabilize, Harpending said.

‘It’s going to take a while to stabilize,” he said. “By ‘a while,’ I’m talking tens of thousands of years.”

So evidence shows that certain groups have evolved to be capable of digesting cereal grains. It doesn’t show whether or not this is optimum, and it doesn’t tell me whats best for me. We’re not ALL European.

The truth is, eating grains (hopefully whole grains) isn’t going to necessarily lead directly to Type II Diabetes and illness for everyone. However those of us who follow the Primal diet feel evidence is sufficient for us to forgo grains. If you don’t have a problem with it and don’t want to forgo grains, feel free to do so. We can’t ALL go Primal, otherwise we couldn’t sustain this population.

Now that’s a comment!

I’ll make an assumption. Those sugary drinks were fermented, and a good chance the breads were too. Those of us on primal diets know how crappy we feel after we eat grains, Barfknuckles doesn’t. Can you imagine how terrible you’d feel after some grain consumption if you were a paleo man? You’d have a hangover and torn up guts. I doubt you’d be excited about consuming them very often. If the grains had some sort of fermentation (like ancient people have been shown to do) it may help with the tolerance leading to evolutionary adaptation we have today.

“It doesn’t show whether or not this is optimum, and it doesn’t tell me whats best for me.”

This line should close the case.

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Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by bucklesnarf@yahoo.com

bucklesnarf@yahoo.com — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 16:03:21 +0000

Yeah grains are so bad and unhealthful……..

That’s why Sardinians , who have the most male centenarians in the world eat whole grain bread , the Costa Ricans ( corn and beans) and the Okinawans ( rice and noodles sweet potatoes )ALL eat GRAINS and STARCHES.

Yeah grains are really bad, so bad you just might live to 100 or beyond. Have you ever checked the nutritional profile of wheat germ you fool? LOADED with nutrients.

That;s why NUMEROUS National Geographic hunter gatherer shows show them making sugary HONEYWINE and BREAD with their howler monkeys.

It is VERY likely grains and starches palyed a moderate role at least in Paleoman’s diet.

Lastly we are NOT the saem as Paleoman you fool. We are not even the same as people from 11,000 years ago.

Look up world renowned anthropologist Henry Harpending. He alread has said this.

Sometimes these paleo bloggers forget they have no credentials. Anthrolopoly is a REAL area of study. Dr Harpending is far more an expert than you or anyone else of these ” internet paleo bloggers” is. Lyle McDonald also has CREDENTIALS.

Only on the internet can someone criticize real experts with credentials and peer reviewed published studies.

Get real.

I have to ask… where do you get that crack you smoke? That’s some good stuff!

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Comment on I Can’t Believe It’s Not Sausage! by Grok

Grok — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 10:37:37 +0000

I’m really excited to try this recipe, but I’ll have to go shopping first. About the only thing I have is the meat and oil

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Comment on Happy Festivus! Holiday for The Rest Of Us! by Stacey Clayton

Stacey Clayton — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 17:33:03 +0000

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Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by Alex

Alex — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 12:00:41 +0000

“Now, while an entire article could be written about this, it’s important to note that nobody knows for sure what we ate during our evolution. Even researchers in the field (Cordain and Eaton are two of the major ones) have arrived at rather drastically different conclusions about what our diets contained based on their assumptions because it’s all basically a lot of guesswork. We end up with estimations based on a bunch of assumptions and not much more.” Lyle McDonald.

Here I think he doth protest too much! While it is true that no-one can say, for certain, what our palaeolithic ancestors actually ate on a day-to-day basis in every corner of the globe they occupied, it is also a gross untruth to say that “it’s all basically a lot of guesswork”.

We have sufficient evidence/data from the hominin fossil record to make ‘well-educated guesses’ and ‘informed assumptions’ as to what the predominant dietary characteristics were – and plants a-plenty do not figure greatly! By measuring the levels of various radioactive isotopes in the bones of animals and humans it has been possible for palaeontologists to ascertain that we mainly ate meat.

You can also argue that Lyle and his ilk are using the same methodology to draw their conclusions (or denigrate the conclusions of pro-meat-eating palaeontologists) – by looking at current dietary practices and available foods and assuming man must have eaten these in the palaeolithic.

Fruits, for instance, are only sweet, plump and juicy because we have ‘bred’ them that way over the last two thousand years or so. Most uncultivated wild fruits still in existence are small, tough and bitter (and often toxic – various nightshade berries, for example).

We have many different varieties of apples but you cannot grow them from seed – they come up like their wild progenitors (‘crab apples’). Modern edible apples can only be cultivated by budding/grafting – something that does not occur, unaided, in nature.

So rather than tucking in to punnets of the stuff, I would venture that wild fruit – during the palaeolithic – was a sustenance fall-back or even a rudimentary medicine rather than a dietary staple to be relished! And that probably goes double for grains!

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Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by Grok

Grok — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 08:15:05 +0000

Comment by Lyle McDonald on his forum:

“And probably less prolific because it’s a shit-ton harder to get sufficient calories when you don’t have agriculture of some sort

which is something that folks forget, it’s not that one or the other was good or bad, they simply had pros and cons

sapolsky talked about this in an excellent essay wrt; his baboons who got access to the throwaways from a lodge

pros: earlier reproduction, easier life in terms of obtaining food, more babies
cons: health problems similar to modern man

but nobody seems able to look at it in that context. the development of agriculture is arguably what allowed man to evolve past the Hunter gatherer stage stage. And let humans overpopulate the planet.

Without the ability to get food easily and make lots of kids, we wouldn’t have time to develop anything else.

Which is why all pre-agricultural groups are still basically stuck in teh fucking stone age. Would you give up modern life and everything that came out of it in exchagne for agriculture.

Because I bet they’d love them some Hazda internet porn. Or 1/10th of the shit that we take for granted. None of which would exist had not society domesticated grains like hell and developed civilization.

But cons came along with that development as well.”

He has a point here I would not disagree with. However, we now have evolved systems which clearly provide us with the cheap easy calories needed to keep us busy inventing rather than hunting and further developing technology to move us forward (or backward) as a species.

Why keep eating the shit and accepting the cons when we don’t have to? What are we even arguing about again?

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Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by bucklesnarf

bucklesnarf — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:47:13 +0000

Looks like Lyle McDonald refuted you paleo guy’s wrong assumptions about grains.

Where? Nobody has proven anything on either side. Just assumptions. Try reading above troll.

It doesn’t change the fact that gains are shitty for your health. Eat them if you want dude, we’re not your Dad and it’s a free country, but saying grains are healthy is about the equivalent of saying beer is healthy. Why even argue it?

Wait… beer is made of grains maybe I should have said Tequila?
Wait… that’s nicknamed ‘TeKillYa’?

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Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by JC

JC — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 16:27:35 +0000

Yea, and I think a key point you mentioned is that they’re overweight. When someone is overweight, it can highly skew blood lipid levels etc.

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Comment on Response to Lyle McDonald’s comments on grain consumption 100,000 years ago. by Marc Feel Good Eating

Marc Feel Good Eating — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 12:52:51 +0000

Grok,
GREAT post!!

Ultimately the proof is in the paleo pudding isn’t it? How you feel is key but what about the “actual medical proof”

Let’s compare Lyle’s triglycerides at age 55 to Richards. Let’s see who’s on statins or who knows what other meds when they reach that age.

I’m 42 and sadly most (over 85%) my college buds are on meds and overweight. That can’t be just lucky. Or have the last 4 years off paleo/primal/EF eating reversed some of the damage caused by a lifetime of eating conventionally?

Who knows right? But like you….I know how I feel and can see how I look

Happy holidays and best wishes for a amazing 2010.

Marc

I’m convinced Happy Holidays & amazing 2010 to you too Marc!

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