Insulin is a fantastic biochemical adaptation of the human body. To speak of it as if it’s an enemy, to declare war upon it, is foolish. But as discussed in the most recent post, you can have too much of a good thing. Too much insulin, which is bad, has been confused with insulin itself, which is essential and beneficial. Thus, many people, seeking to identify one enemy and eradicate it, have picked carbohydrates, which cause insulin to be secreted, and insulin and lumped them together like Saddam and Osama. The “ackshis” (axis) of evil if you will. Oops! Insulin is but one instrument in the symphony of the endocrine system – a group of glands and organs that are inseparably connected. Thus, too much of one thing can lead… Read more »
Posts Tagged: Metabolism
Research Quotes 2007
“The single greatest factor in the acquisition and maintenance of good health is perfectly constituted food.”-Sir Robert McCarrison; Nutrition and Health (1936) “The truth will always be in the minority. Always, always, always… You will never find it in the hallways of conventional institutions. You will find it in pockets, in clusters, individually. And it will not be mainstream.”-Joel Salatin; Everything I Want to Do is Illegal (2007) “Nutrition is the master healing science. All else is mere remedy at best. Nutrition necessitates lifestyle change, while other methods, effective as they may seem, are temporary if nutritional changes are neglected. We cannot hope to get well by taking medication and consuming junk food… all other therapeutic disciplines are secondary to nutrition… Nutrition is the Master Science and stands above all… Read more »
Overweight and Starving?
In October I devoured Good Calories Bad Calories by Gary Taubes, a nutritional masterpiece of sorts, but I’ve yet to share much of the beauty of this book. It is one of the most intelligently written books I’ve ever encountered. Nowhere does it repeat the rhetoric of today’s McNutrition. It seeks, quite objectively, the truth about what causes obesity, type II Diabetes, heart disease, and many of the other most common degenerative illnesses of modern man. With well over 100 pages of references alone, it is one of the most thoroughly researched mainstream books on any subject. Taubes spent seven solid years researching health and nutrition information spanning centuries and continents, and the most reassuring part is that he had no earthly idea when he began that he would come… Read more »
Let’s Get Physical
Yes it pains me to steer away from my preoccupation with Britney and title something after an Olivia Newton John song, but hey, sometimes these things have to be done. This week’s topic is exercise, an essential piece of the total health experience. I’ve dabbled in many forms of exercise at varying intensity levels – ranging from 13-hour bike rides over mountain passes pulling a 50-pound trailer to 15-minute stretching sessions. What have I learned from all this? Well, a lot. Let’s discuss this intelligently shall we? Every nonhuman animal on the face of the earth has two primary goals for survival. The first goal is to eat as much as it can. When an animal is hungry and there is food present, it eats. It doesn’t have this complex… Read more »
Heil Schwarzbein! (New Version)
We are drowning in what I call ‘nutritional minutiae.’ There is an endless stream of breaking news about such and such phytonutrient’s cancer-preventing properties, the latest antioxidant ‘discovery’ and on and on and on. On top of all that, there is a relentless fuss over pesticides, GMO’s, soy estrogens, and more. And then mainstream nutritionists focus on vitamins and minerals as if that’s the only thing that matters when it comes to health. Oh and then there are enzymes in raw food. Gotta worry about getting my enzymes now. And what type of exercise and how much? And am I spending enough hours in the sun, or too much? And how much mercury is in my fish? And did that cow eat grass or grain, and was that grain GMO… Read more »
Spotlight on Coconut Oil
So I’m usually like, “hey, fats are good, eat ‘em suckaz!” This time I wanted to get specific though, because true virgin coconut oil is a powerful substance deserving special attention. Coconut oil’s affect on the body can be so noticeable, particularly for those who have been avoiding fats for many years, that is seems almost druglike. I’d go so far as to say that the only people who wouldn’t notice a dramatic physiological effect from consuming coconut oil are those with a high metabolism, those already eating lots of utilizable fats, or those who have particularly stable blood sugar otherwise. The most noticeable effects are a rise in body temperature, increased energy, and lack of hunger and sugar cravings. Coconut oil has a long litany of other less noticeable… Read more »
Derma Dharma
I don’t know if anyone’s noticed this, but there is lots of sub par skin out there. Somebody’s putting the derrr in Dermatology. Acne is very common, and not just in teenagers anymore. Eczema and psoriasis are prevalent. Skin Cancer is off the charts, and I don’t think it’s all because of the ozone layer. What is the most sensible way to nurture the skin and avoid these maladies and poor skin in general? Nowadays I have very healthy skin, and it gets healthier every year, but I still wouldn’t call myself an expert on skin health. I have worked hard to research and test some things out though – enough to wholeheartedly recommend them. At the very least, my typically opposite perspective will give you another potentially more logical… Read more »
