Back with Episode 32 – Enjoy! Here is the link to the study of the effects of fish oil on Warafin therapy.
Download a transcript of Episode 32
We are recording these episodes a few weeks in advance to help stay ahead of Robb’s book writing commitments. In this episode we talk about the some feedback we received about the Vitamin A debate from episode 28 and the fact that Robb was working on a written follow-up to that debate. Robb posted his follow-up to that topic a few weeks before this episode posted – you can check it out here.
Show Topics:
- Lack of Sleep
- Best Way to Train for LEO
- Lack of Menstrual Cycle
- Dried Fruits
- Warafin
- Cholesterol
- Extra Skin
- Fish Oil Dosage
- Traveling / Multiple Sclerosis
- Vitamin A Debate
Show Notes – The_Paleolithic_Solution_Episode_32
Robb, my mom is into so much voodoo power shake grand-poly-suplementation silliness to treat menoposal hot flashes. Is there a dietary or sleep fix for these? Any info would be great, i just hate seeing her spin her wheels and spend her money. Thanks again
Aaron-
this is a biggie. The book Sex, Lies and Menopause is EXCELLENT.
Robb, Andy,
Another ripper of a podcast! Admittedly, it is the only one I listen to so I have nothing to compare it to. Do you guys still have the link to the Naked Yoga Podcast?
A question about the questions: What is is 90% Paleo/semi-Paleo/fairly Paleo diet? Surely that is like being semi-pregnant?
A second, more serious question: Aside from consuming a specific food to which one is allergic, does diet have any background/supplementary effect on one’s level of the blood marker for allergic reaction (IGX, I think?) e.g. If one were coeliac and had a high IGX(?) reading, could this be caused by one’s underlying condition and general diet, rather than a specific allergy?
Cheers!
(P.S. The PS is my mid-week highlight (Background: I live in a country where cinemas are illegal, among other things) However, could Robb lay off hating on the “Hookers & Cocaine” option for a bit? Sometimes the thought of them is the only thing getting me through the day. Perhaps he could switch metaphors to “Sniffing glue and drunken hang-gliding”)
Tane-
Will research your questions and try to pussify our analogies!
FYI-When you are finished wiht that HELL-HOLE Chico, CA has ~ 5 women for every 2 men between the ages of 24-35.
Just saying.
Did you say something about a Mat Lalonde podcast regarding cholesterol? Am I just dreaming this up? If you could just give me a link to something, it might help keep me busy for a while…
Thanks dudes.
Buster-
We want to start bringing Mat on the show. It will be LEGIT.
Re menopause / menstrual issues. I have been astounded how much of a difference paleo eating makes. I am in that peri-menopausal place (I’m 50) – the occasional skipped cycle.
Since paleo eating for the last year I’ve had no breast tenderness – used to be nasty, better on the zone but still not gone (sorry boys if you’re reading this) and the spotting that I’ve had for the last 10 years leading up to periods has gone.
I convinced my 48 year old sister (lean and fit – also kind of zoning) to at least cut out gluten grains – to her amazement her 2 week on 1 week off bleeding has started to reverse, despite having tried progesterone creams etc. And my 22 yr old niece has just gone gluten free and her brain fog and horrid menstrual symptoms have decreased.
Not sure of the mechanism here, it’s not all insulin related as I was controlling that pretty well before with a reduced carb zone diet. Something about the grain / legume free is amazing for menstrual / peri-menopausal stuff (at least in my immediate family)
Julianne-
The lectin issue is huge here, especially if hypothyroid is thrown in the mix.
Thanks Robb! I wasn’t expecting you to go and spend you valuable “Free At Last!” time looking stuff up- it is indeed a full service at the Paleolithic Solution. I thought that it may be something that you had encountered previously as a coeliac bio-chemist. Perhaps instead of answering my question in particular, you could spread the love around all your (8) listeners and run through the basic readings on blood work, their meaning, significance, “normal” parameters and usefulness to the lay population?
Very useful intel on the demographics of Chico. However, as the allergy question was for my (long-suffering) girlfriend, I’m not sure I’ll be able to conduct the sort of personal, in-depth evening and weekend confirmatory census that this information demands. I will pass the information on, though. It is probably about time for some guys to come over and exploit YOUR natural resources for a change.
No need to pussify the analogies! (I was disappointed when the show went PG-13) It is just that you say “Hookers and Cocaine” like they’re a bad thing. They never did Robert Downey Jr. any harm. If you consider accessability, frequency of use and likelihood of adverse reaction, are they as bad for you as Krispy Kreme and Pepsi? Also, one may prefer to support local industry/the self-employed/developing nation exports over multi-national corporations. Just sayin’.
Tane!
I will hit this stuf, and just so you know, we are looking at an option for a NC-17 version of the show. We receive some WACKY questions and this will be the perfect format to address these. It will either be amazing, or destroy the whole operation.
My personal experience as a Firefighter, my wife Emergency Nurse and dedicated Paleo listener, Crossfit games competitor, no kids at home yet. This is in response to the LEO and many other podcasts topics concerning shift work people.
Robb is right on the money with maintaining consistency in an otherwise chaotic schedule. My advice:
You must be more strict on Paleo than your friends.
Your training must be flexible, but the goal and program has to be more focused. Your day to day energy is never quite the same as the last.
Intermittent Fasting comes naturally when getting a call at lunch or dinner time, but never planned.
Don’t be afraid of an extra rest day. It is better than adding insult to injury.
My schedule is every other day, 24 hr shifts, after 3 worked shifts, 4 days off. That works out to sleeping at work 1/3 of my life. While at work, if I sleep, I float between 7 fire station thus sleeping in a different old creaky bed most nights. I unplug all electronics in every room because they all have the common comforts that should not exist in a bedroom; t.v., internet, radio etc….There is always a chance of being woken up, therefore the sleep is absolutely never as good as being home. Limit one cup of coffee, because the potential to drinks 10 cups on certain days is not out the question. Just an example of necessary parameters I need for consistency.
On to the point.
Paleo IS nutritional consistency. As shift work folks, it has to be tighter compliance because the symtpoms of non compliance plus bad sleep are worse.
My wife is gluten intolerant. When she worked 3am-3pm, an accidental gluten ingestion was worse than when she is on a 7am-3pm and getting 8 hours of sleep vs. 5 hrs sleep. Also, symptoms of hypothyroid were subtle, but enough to question without diagnostic tests taken. Allergies were worse and on and on. On day shift, these symptoms are not present. She can choose to work day shift, which is great, bu those who cannot need a tighter diet to maintain normalcy, in my experience. As for me, no outward signs of gluten intolerance here, but Paleo has made days after a bad shift that much more tolerable. Thanks for that.
Training
My goal- Strength is #1
You need to be able to work on your goal wherever you are. If you can’t consistently work on your goal you will not achieve it. Pick something achievable, with a defined track to get there and crush it.
CF Football Strength never miss and METCON only when I can- Strength is not always on the correct day and not always recommended loads. Loads are easily adjusted for tired days but the ROM is still there. I get PRs when I feel good. I can do strength at work or off work. The point is, goal is consistent, load is flexible and I make progress. Met Cons only when I feel good. Of course I practice gymnastics, sprints, etc… when I feel good, but they are 75% efforts. 100% efforts on rarely practiced movements equals injury.
I have tried jumping between CF Football, OPT, and others at the same time. It is a road to nowhere and for me injury. What if you feel great but its a light day or you feel bad but its a triple day. How can choose what to do? They all have different goals. It just doesn’t work. And training tired does not translate into better production while being tired at work, it leads to injury.
My rotation works on a 9 day cycle. Not a single online workout program exactly fits into my schedule. Pick one that you CAN follow, do it on the days that work for you. Stick with it for 3-6 months minimum. Make progress
In the case of Shift Work, less is more and simple is better, in my experience.
Ehayes-
I need to do a front page post on this, thanks man, fantastic info.
With regard to the traveling/cheat meal question on the podcast, I agree that the best way around it is to make a good life choice. In my experience (which is minimal compared to Robb, Andy, and Mat), though, a short fast (16hrs) and a big dose of glutamine on an empty stomach after the cheat tend to help me restart a healthy digestive process. It might be all in my head, but to anyone out there that responds to gluten as poorly as I do and chooses to fall of the wagon, this has helped me get back to feeling good faster.
Robb, I would be very interested in the resource you mention re: replacing warfarin with fish oil. My mom (w/pacemaker, overweight) is on warfarin/coumadin, or rat poison as she calls it, and we got her doc to allow one fish oil 1g capsule per day. The coag tests showed it thinned her blood a tiny amount, which didn’t set off any concerns but also didn’t reduce her coumadin perscription. The doc didn’t feel comfortable letting her add more fish oil. His attitude seemed to be that more fish oil would only introduce risk with no benefit (grrr). I would love to enlighten this smarmy fellow, please help if you can.
Mike-
The paper I have looks at fish oil being “ok” with warfarin. I’m looking for another paper comparing the effects of high does fish oil with warfarin but I’m not finding it. The thing about the Warfarin is it is well studied and has tightly established protocols and monitoring. AND when folks need it…they have been down a problematic path for a LONG time. I’ll keep looking for the other paper but it sounds like your mom is in a pretty good spot, given the circumstances.
Another great podcast, keep up the good work!
Just a quick question. I recently started taking Vitamin D about two months ago in the amount of about 6500IU a day.
I was getting little to no sun exposure during the winter months, so based on some reading and recommendations by steven low, I thought this would be an appropriate dosage.
My question to you is, now that it’s summer, and I plan to spend atleast a small amount of time in the sun on weekdays, and larger amounts on weekends, should I back off the vitamin D dosage?
Any input is appreciated.
Thanks again!
Hunter-
Id drop the Vit-d till the fall.
Hi Robb. Again great podcast. I am currently working as a wellness facilitator at a corporation in Toronto. I conduct wellness appraisals and fitness testing for the employees and help each person make adjustments in their lifestyle to increase their health. I am currently working with an employee who in the past had a regular physical activity schedule but unfortunately became very light-headed and tired. she would be feeling fine then all of a sudden she says the would become so fatigued she was unable to drive herself home.
She had numerous tests done at the doctor but nothing was found. I asked about iron levels but she told me she has been taking iron supplements for the last 20 years. i also asked if she was eating regularly and she said she was (as always the question is how often really are you eating). She has been feeling better for about a year and now is trying to lose a little bit of weight. She says since I have been at the company incouraging physical activity she has lost 9 lbs. However, today she informed me that for the last two days within an hour of eating she begins to feel light-headed. she says this feeling last about 15 minutes and then goes away. I am not sure wha this could be about. She has told me that the only change in her diet is that she has been avoiding or eliminating sugars. Since this feeling only occurs after she has finished eating I do not think that it is related to blood sugar. As for what she is eating… she told me that today she had a home made beef burger on a large garden salad. I do not see aproblem with this either. Is there anything else that I could suggest or waht do you think this is from? Sorry for the super long post but it would be great if you could direct me to some articles that I could read to find out more.
Many thanks.
SB-
Will hit this in the podcast.
Re. the dried fruit question at no.4, here’s my experience.
I recently cut out sultanas, when I realised that I was going through a one kilogram pack in a week. I wasn’t sitting down to a meal of them, but when I went past the cupboard, I’d grab a few. Delicious. Love those things.
I did the math, and that’s an average of 143g of sultanas a day. 100g of sultanas have 75g of fructose, so I was eating 107g of fructose a day, on top of my regular dead-clean paleo diet.
I stopped buying sultanas, and within three weeks had dropped 5kg, or 11lb.
You know what makes burpees easier? Weighing 5kg less.
Anthony-
Fructose has a nasty habit of up-regulating hepatic GLUCOSE uptake. So not only does the fructose preferentially fill liver glycogen, spuring fat gain, but it partitions glucose into the same fate. Hence my PWO meal of chicken breaks and yams. But hey, understanding the metabolic machinery behind all this is just pseudo-science!
Great podcast! I am a faithful Tuesday night listener over dinner. As a reformed vegetarian I enjoy the carnivore tips. On my last local GF beef order, I felt cool asking for all the fat to be rendered into tallow and to make sure to include all the marrow bones. The butcher guy said no problem, nobody usually wants that stuff even through its part of the hanging weight price calculation.
Quick question: I recently read Natural Hormonal Enhancement (NHE) and I am trying to reconcile his recommendations for carb-loads only ever 4 days with your suggestion to sometimes include carbs post workout. I try to always schedule big low fat, moderate protein carb-load dinners 1/2x a week on a workout day with lots of yams, squash, tomato sauce, fruit, etc.
1) When is it appropriate to ditch the 3 or 4 day rule and throw in mega carbs after every workout? Long metcons to prevent cortisol? Only when short term recovery/performance is the objective over long term hormonal balance?
2) My understanding of the book is that by eating extremely low carb (<30g daily net) for all meals except carb-loads, I would be optimizing my long term hormonal balance towards burning fat for energy. Would this include optimizing Growth Hormone, Testosterone, Leptin, etc?
3) NHE also recommends 5 meals a day for optimal hormonal balance? I noticed the book was published in 2000. Have recent studies refuted this concept.
HISTORY: 36yo male, ~10%bf, Wendler 531, prioritize outdoor sports, uw um nd paleo, I usually eat 2 big meals/day, objectives are strength while maintaining reasonable strength to weight ratio (unwilling to GOMAD) for outdoor sport performance.
Thanks again!
T-Will hit it in the podcast
Thanks Rob! Glad to hear about Mat!
Also, forgot to mention, to the dude who asked about the loose skin….I lost about 65lbs and had the same problem. I started eating A LOT of saturated fats and cholesterol – animal/dairy mostly. My skin tightened up within a couple weeks. I can’t place anything else that may have caused it…? Maybe worth a try anyways…
Robb,
I have thoroughly enjoyed the weekly podcast and find myself at work on Tuesdays extremely excited to hear what you have to say. I have a question that I am afraid is a bit redundant as it is in the supplement category and I have a feeling I know what you will say. Regardless, I am curious what you think of a product called “Living Fuel” – Paul Chek seems to promote this product as a meal replacement and it appears to have a ton of nutrients. I have also seen and heard it mentioned in other Paleo blogs and conversations. From someone who seems to give the information as he see’s it and is not tied to any supplements financially, what do you think? On another note, what do think of Joseph Mercola?
SV-
Will look into that.
Robb, what do you think of tapioca starch? I found a great recipe for onion rings that uses that as the base for the batter instead of flour, and I’m wondering if that is something to be avoided. I’m hoping not, as onion rings sound delicious.
Also, do you have any thoughts on bovine colostrum? I can no longer find the direct link to the study, but here is a link which discusses one or two of them. http://www.advancedhumanperformance.com/articles/full/bovine_colostrum_the_secret_supplement.html It looks interesting to me, and I’m wondering what your take on it is.
It’s good stuff for limited uses like this.
i was pleasantly surprised when i listened to this week’s podcast and the question relating to MS was shared. i have been living with this disease for approx 4 and a half years and went thru a bad bout in the last year and my boyfriend and i began eating strict paleo about 5 months ago. i have noticed a substantial increase in my energy and decrease in fatigue when removing the garbage from my diet. i tried to explain it to my family (my uber italian grandma doesn’t understand why i can’t eat her meatballs despite the one loaf of bread they contain) and it’s just shy of painful. basically i’ve left it at ‘i feel better when i don’t eat those things’ and i think they get the point! anyway robb & andy keep on keepin on for me and from the bottom of my heart i thank you for all of your insight and making me smile on my drive to work 🙂
Marissa-
Very cool. Just passing along what I’ve learned from others. Pleas keep us posted.
A little rationality lifts the quality of the debate here. Thanks for coibirtutnng!
Hey Robb, if fat loss were the goal what carbs would be best to roll w/: sweet potatoes or fruit (strawberries, blueberries, cherries)? I need to include a block or two of carbs in every meal.
Ian-
veggies first, then yam/SP. Fruit, low on the list.
Julianne,
I had the same result as you and your sister pre-menopause where the spotting stopped in between with diet change. I’m convinced the spotting is partially or entirely kidney bleeding and the traditional fats restore our kidney fat. I hadn’t made the gluten and dairy connection then. Wish I’d had because I was left with a more apparent and debilitating ball of wax to unravel, which I eventually did.
Thanks for the answer to my question (Travel/MS) I really appreciate the response, and its kind of an honor to be on the podcast!
I have 32 hours of flight/travel coming up end of the month and a bag of Paleobrands jerky and some nuts and coconut, we will see how the Israeli security guys feel about my bagged lunch.
Hi guys,
I’ve only just started listening to this Podcast, and keep hearing mention of ‘grass-fed’ cattle/milk etc.
I live in New Zealand where *all* of our cows are grass/pasture fed so I’m wondering what your suggestions would be surrounding consumption of (specifically) milk that’s grass-fed. I was raised on a dairy farm for the first 10 years of my life and I’m a *big* milk drinker, so not looking forward to cutting it out of my diet for a paleo diet!!
Wanita,
Not sure what you mean by kidney bleeding. That would be a serious health issue.
It was definitely normal menstrual lining bleeding, I’d say related to pre-menopausal hormonal changes. I didn’t ‘hang onto’ the lining for the week before menstruation and now I do.
Robb, re lack of menstruation – I came this blog post today
http://blog.modernpaleo.com/2010/01/thyroid-update-desiccated-thyroid-and_1021.html
She notes with a high dose of iodine amenorrhea came to an end.
This was linked with hypothryroid admittedly, but might be worth trying, as it is important for ovaries to function properly
http://www.hacres.com/pdf/documents/research-Advances_in_Iodine_Nutrition.pdf
You know you’ve listened to too many Paleolithic Solution podcasts when you hear Andy Deas’ voice in your head as you read the comments on Robb’s blog.
Nik,
As a fellow Kiwi – if you continue to drink milk I would suggest switching to A2 milk – you can get it in the supermarket. It has one problem protein different from the standard A1 milk so should be a bit healthier. I know Mat Lalond talks about it.
I also knew one of the scientists who worked on data around it and he was passionate about changing all our herds to A2 milk producers.
Here’s a link to info – http://www.a2milk.co.nz/index.php/pi_pageid/18
and
http://thebovine.wordpress.com/2009/03/20/the-devil-in-the-milk-dr-thomas-cowan-on-how-a2-milk-is-the-answer-to-the-mystery-of-why-even-raw-milk-sometimes-does-not-seem-to-be-enough-of-an-improvement-over-store-bought/
I wanted to comment on Question number one from Jeff. First of all, I am a Firfighter/Paramedic working what sounds like the same schedule and similar conditions as “Ehayes”, great post-right on brother! I would second the Ehayes post for anyone dealing with sleep issues while training. I also have eight and four year olds, and an eleven month old. I am well aquainted with sleep disturbance, but I wanted to offer a few anecdotal suggestions for Jeff in regards to kids and sleep.
The first was a “duh” moment I had after reading T.S. Wiley’s Lights Out. My kids sleep more soundly in a completely dark room. This goes for the older ones as well as the infant. It was worth the effort to wean them off of the nightlight, cover or remove any little LED’s or clocks, and spring for some decent shades. When we get up with the baby, we also make great efforts to minimize her light exposure, which seems to help her settle back in more readily.
The second is in regards to the baby’s sleep situation. I don’t know what your setup and situation is, but we have the baby in bed with us and she sleeps very well, and so do we. There is, of course, the normal waking, but she seems to go back to sleep easily. I don’t want to start a debate about this subject. I just want to put it out there as a possible solution for Jeff, if he’s not doing this already. Here is the URL to Dr. James Mckenna’s work on Co-sleeping at Notre Dame, It also links to some important safety guidelines; http://www.nd.edu/~jmckenn1/lab/index.html
Best of luck Jeff, enjoy those kiddos!