Download a transcript of this episode
Topics:
1. [3:57] Kefir
2. [10:04] Sleeping positions
3. [12:47] Alopecia areata universalis
4. [16:24] Bodybuilding and paleo
5. [20:23] Time of day for exercising
6. [27:39 ] Insulin response while dreaming
7. [31:24] Paleo hangover food
8. [35:06] Less sleep as we age
9. [41:22] Deadlift grip
Questions:
1. Thoughts on Kefir
Sal says: Hey Robb, I’ve been reading a lot of literature on kefir and the benefits it has for your body. I was wondering your what your thoughts where on adding something like this to the paleo diet. If added would this be something that you would have with meals or something you would just drink post workout?
2. Sleeping Positions
Buschleague Paleo says:
Gentlemen, love the podcast and have listened to them all. After reading Lights Out and listening to the podcasts I cannot recall hearing anything about optimum sleeping positions such as on your back, side, fetal position, or some yoga pose. Also, is it “better” for you in some way to sleep on a harder surface like the floor as opposed to on a bed?
Thanks!
3. Alopecia areata universalis and Paleo
Vincent says:
Hi Robb & Greg,
A few years ago, a dear friend of mine has lost all of her body hair. She has been diagnosed with the auto immune disease alopecia areata universalis. She has been offered treatment with Prednison, but has declined that, mainly because of its side effects but also given the fact that beside the hair loss (which, obviously, has had a tremendous impact on her), there are no severe symptons of the desease. She is 36 years of age, in good health and has a healthy diet. As she is sensitive to bread and diary, she already eats these foods in a very moderate way.
Are there any cases of people switching to the Paleo diet and regaining their hair?
Thanks a lot in advance guys and keep up the good work!
Cheers,
4. Bodybuilding and Paleo
Nate says:
Hey Robb,
I am a competitive bodybuilder and went paleo about a year ago and love it.I am an endomorph/mesomorph body type and find that I gain muscle quite easily, but I need to diet for 20 weeks plus to get into good shape. With paleo now I can keep my body fat in check much easier. My wife and I welcomed our daughter last year so I did not compete at all. My question is coming close to competition how would I carb up in the coming days to the show? Normally, I would begin 7 days out with little or no carbs and high protein and high fat. As the week moves forward the macronutrients shift to mostly carbs and protein on the Friday before the show upwards 500g of carbohydrates when cutting water. So, with the short list of carbohydrates that are considered paleo I would be consuming only a ton of sweet potatoes to fill my glycogen supplies or do I have other options? Is this how I would do something like this or is the carb up a myth? Love the podcast, Evander, you can have 5 fries!
5. Time of day for exercising
Joe says:
Hi Greg and Robb,
My question is on training and the time of the day. I’m curious if there are any net-pros or cons with going to the gym when first waking 5AM up VS going around 6PM after work.
I understand that cortisol levels are higher in the morning, but i’m not sure if this would significantly negatively impact my workout progress. If i work out too late at night I notice it affects my sleep.
If it’s not optimal to workout in the morning, which wold be lesser of two evils? Morning weight lifting or High Intensity Interval Training?
On a side note, i’m curious what your opinion is on nitric oxide pre-workout powders and if there are any paleo-friendly alternatives besides a shot of expresso in the morning. And no I don’t take pre-workout powders before I got to sleep, I’ve done that once, lesson learned.
Thanks guys, keep up the good work!
6. Insulin Responses During Dreams About Sweets
Scott says:
Hey Robb and Greg, congrats on the 2-year mark and still going strong! After listening to all 107 Podcasts, I’ve found a topic that I don’t think has ever been covered on the show explicitly. Here goes:
I’ve heard many experts in the field mention the idea of an Insulin response in the body as a result of just seeing or thinking about food, specifically sugary goodness. I’ve never heard anyone really expand on this idea or explain it more in-depth, but I was wondering if there is any research or science out there backing up the idea that Insulin can be released just with the thought of food? It seems to make sense that it could be the brain’s natural reaction to the anticipation of glucose about to be consumed. If so, could you expand on that?
Secondly, it brings about my curiosity as to what the significance of the Insulin response is and if it can occur during a during a dream state? For instance, I know I’ve had a few dreams that take place at a wedding and it seems the wedding cake is always a focal point. And recently, I’ve had dreams about my upcoming 8-day cruise and it the dessert buffet seems to always be present. While in conscious thought, these foods are not desirable to me as I have no issues or cravings with these foods while awake, but is it possible that I’m producing an Insulin response during these dreams without even knowing it?
Thanks for all you guys do!
7. Best Paleo Hangover Food
Allie says:
Best Paleo hangover food… go!
8. Less sleep as we age — why?
Eric says:
Hi Greg and Rob,
It seems like I haven’t heard you talk about sleep on the podcast in some time. I loved Lights Out and was recently motivated to buy a Zeo Mobile sleep tracking device. It’s been interesting to say the least — it turns out I experience three times more deep sleep than the average person, which makes total sense considering that when I sleep I am pretty much dead to the world. Anyway, on to my question:
Sleep research seems to suggest that people sleep less as they age[1], and their percentage of “deep sleep” decreases too[2]. This seems suspect to me and I can’t find a good explanation for why this happens. Would you hypothesize that perhaps this may be because of some kind of neolithic neurodegeneration? Would paleolithic man experience the same decrease in sleep? It seems like so many age-related maladies are caused by things like AGEs and insulin resistance, so it makes me wonder. I realize there probably won’t be a definitive answer to this question, but I’m curious what you’re thoughts are.
Sources:
[1] http://www.myzeo.com/sleep/knowledge-center/articles/whats-your-zq
[2] http://www.myzeo.com/sleep/sites/default/files/Fabregas_AgeSex_2011_APSS_poster.pdf
PS- Keep up the good work! And congrats to Sarah Fragoso on the cookbook; I think it’s the best one out there right now (I actually use it rather than just looking at the pretty pictures).
9. This one’s for Greg 😉
Aleisha says:
Hi guys,
I’m an avid listener and this whole Paleo jive has totally changed my life and all that good stuff. Your podcasts get me through boring days using Access databases (man, I need a new job). I’ve written in before about medical-type questions, but managed to find a super smart doc via the Paleo physicians network who has been awesome and really really helpful.
Anyway, I have a training question that maybe Greg can help with. I’ve just started some heavy weight lifting with a strength coach. We’re working on building technique but my strength is coming along – I had my second session last week and worked up to a full set of 67.5kg back squats which I was pretty proud of.
However, I’m struggling with my straight leg dead lifts. I don’t like using a mixed grip. I don’t feel secure or confident lifting the weight with my hands facing opposite directions. My coach insists this is the best way. My question is how do I get over this discomfort? Maybe I’m just not built to do dead lifts with a mixed grip. Maybe I just need to keep working at it and eventually it’ll all be ok? Maybe I should just buy Greg’s DVD. Maybe I should just man-up. I dunno, what do you think?
Take care and keep up all the good work!
To add to the bodybuilding and Paleo, here is a cool study regarding vitamin D levels and testosterone. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21154195
Paleo in India. Was that a joke?
For the “carb-up” also try: Cassava, Taro Root, and/or Plantains. Sweet Potatoes can get boring after a while…
Robb love the fact you’re getting the Paleo solution to India. My dad is a religious vegetarian and I put him on a modified paleo diet. I had him eat only veggies cooked in coconut oil or ghee (occasionally) and snack on nuts and eat some eggs or egg protein shake daily. he’s type II diabetic and was on insulin shots. He has gotten his diabetes under control to the point he doesn’t need the shots (unless he goes crazy which is rare) and is slowly weaning off of the pills (metformin). He’s been diabetic for 20 years and hasn’t felt so much better since!!
Good for him and very interesting! Thanks for sharing!
Ayn Rand Jr has some kind words to say about you and Mat Lalonde: http://www.philosophyinaction.com/archive/2011-10-09-Q2.html
If govt subsidies were taken out of agriculture and allowed to run on true free market principles, then I think we’d see a convergence of profitability and sustainability. ie: ‘sustainable’ farming practices would also be -in the longterm- more profitable.
Also, if the govt was doing a proper job in educating the public on optimal health ie: paleo diet, grass fed beef, etc. this would also create more consumer demand for sustainable practices and make them more profitable. The key point though, is LESS govt involvement. Systems will tend to self regulate and find a natural equilibrium. Govt artificially shifts this eqm, also ALL govts tend to bc more corrupt over time.
Hot Doug’s is actually in north city… Anyway, I’ve had duck-fat fries elsewhere, and they are delicious. I would seek them out.
In the north of the UK we cook fries in Beef Dripping (fat), very good.
Im not religious but I find it interesting that to this very day, butter (ghee) and coconut are considered ‘sacred’ in the hindu religion and are used in temple rituals. Also, intermittent fasting (protein sparing fasts also) is also a part of many religious traditions.
I believe the ancients knew of the benefits of fasting and the vital importance of sat’d fats (esp in an otherwise vegetarian diet).
Hey Robb, I’m curious about your answer to the Kefir question. You didn’t really mention anything about kefir itself other than lumping it into the category of dairy and then expounding on the subjectiveness of including dairy into your diet.
It seemed to me like you completely dodged the guys question. Maybe due to a lack of knowledge about kefir in general?
1) Milk Kefir is a pro-biotic created by cultures that feed on the sugars in milk; which makes it far more palatable to the lactose intolerant crowd. Think of it as a drinkable, very pro-biotic yogurt, rather than being simply ‘milk’.
2) Milk Kefir can be successfully cultured with coconut milk instead to completely avoid regular dairy altogether.
3) For those that want to avoid any kind of milk based kefir there are also strains that can be cultured using sugar water instead. (Note that milk kefir will NOT culture in water and vice versa – they’re completely different strains)
I’ve been culturing water kefir for a few months now and have DEFINITELY noticed an improvement in my gut health. I would encourage anyone looking to supplement with some home-grown pro-biotics to check it out.
Jason
Jason – Where does a guy source a water kefir culture? -Allan in WV where the commercial kefir bottles state ‘No one has ever noticed a difference in flavor between growth hormone and natural milk’ (or something like that)
http://www.culturesforhealth.com
Hey Allan – I got both my water and my milk cultures from Cultures for Health. Not sure if I’m allowed to post links here, but if you google just that, they’re the first site to come up in the results.
I’ve started experimenting with flavoring my water culture with dried fruit. The cultures feed off the sugars in the fruit, so it takes away much of the sweetness from the drink, leaving just a tasty fruit flavour behind! Dried cherries are my current favorite. 🙂
Enjoy!
Hey Robb & Greg,
Great podcast, quick question on the Weight Lifting vs HIIT. You mentioned that it “… depends on your goals….” Would it be possible to get a clear indication of when HIIT is more suitable vs Weight Lifting? Specifically with regard to body comp?
Does anyone have a good brand of Phosphatidylserine to recommend? Does it matter if it is derived from soy?
RE dairy and colic – milk is commonly the problem
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10943960
“ll infants exhibited colic symptoms when directly or indirectly challenged with bovine IgG (BGG), suggesting that BGG may play an etiologic role in colic. We propose that a brief intervention with Neocate, coupled with strict maternal avoidance of milk and dairy products under direct supervision of a lactation consultant, may be an effective treatment for colic in some breast-milk-fed infants.”
Did not listen to Robb’s answer on the allopecia question, but chances that a paleo diet can help to at least ameliorate and thusly increase chances of hair regrowth are high, if you asked me…
after all another recent study found that TNF-alpha or more generally inflammation could be the root cause of alopecia areata and should be reduced on a paleo diet
cf.
Indian J Dermatol. 2011 Sep-Oct;56(5):494-6.
Tumor necrosis factor-alpha in patients with alopecia areata.
Kasumagic-Halilovic E, Prohic A, Cavaljuga S.
Source
Department of Dermatovenerology, University Clinical Center of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Alopecia areata (AA) is a common form of localized, nonscarring hair loss. It is characterized by the loss of hair in patches, total loss of scalp hair (alopecia totalis, AT), or total loss of body hair (alopecia universalis, AU). The cause of AA is unknown, although most evidence supports the hypothesis that AA is a T-cell-mediated autoimmune disease of the hair follicle and that cytokines play an important role.
AIMS:
The aim of the study was to compare the serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in patients with AA and the healthy subjects and also to investigate the difference between the localized form of the disease with the extensive forms like AT and AU.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
Sixty patients with AA and 20 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Forty-six patients had localized AA (LAA), and 14 patients had AT, AU, or AT/AU. The serum levels of TNF-α were measured using enzyme-linked immunoassay techniques.
RESULTS:
Serum levels of TNF-α were significantly higher in AA patients than in controls (10.31 ± 1.20 pg ml vs 9.59 ± 0.75 pg/ml, respectively). There was no significant difference in serum levels of TNF-α between patients with LAA and those with extensive forms of the disease.
CONCLUSION:
Our findings support the evidence that elevation of serum TNF-α is associated with AA. The exact role of serum TNF-α in AA should be additionally investigated in future studies.
there is also the auto-immune component where a paleo diet could help
cf.
Forgot to mention. Diet aside the addition of something like curcumin (from tumeric) could be a good idea to calm down inflammation / curcumin is particularly good at that / and help with the underlying autoimmune issues
but don’t underestimate its effect. basically, they are more “drug-like” than “supplement-like” (although I personally feel that the major difference between drugs and the few supps that actually work and do not only fill the bank accounts of their producers is the “seal of approval” 😉
more on curcumin in autoimmunity cf.
Adv Exp Med Biol. 2007;595:425-51.
Curcumin and autoimmune disease.
Bright JJ.
Source
Neuroscience Research Laboratory, Methodist Research Institute, Clarian Health, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA. [email protected]
Abstract
The immune system has evolved to protect the host from microbial infection; nevertheless, a breakdown in the immune system often results in infection, cancer, and autoimmune diseases. Multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, myocarditis, thyroiditis, uveitis, systemic lupus erythromatosis, and myasthenia gravis are organ-specific autoimmune diseases that afflict more than 5% of the population worldwide. Although the etiology is not known and a cure is still wanting, the use of herbal and dietary supplements is on the rise in patients with autoimmune diseases, mainly because they are effective, inexpensive, and relatively safe. Curcumin is a polyphenolic compound isolated from the rhizome of the plant Curcuma longa that has traditionally been used for pain and wound-healing. Recent studies have shown that curcumin ameliorates multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and inflammatory bowel disease in human or animal models. Curcumin inhibits these autoimmune diseases by regulating inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-12, TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma and associated JAK-STAT, AP-1, and NF-kappaB signaling pathways in immune cells. Although the beneficial effects of nutraceuticals are traditionally achieved through dietary consumption at low levels for long periods of time, the use of purified active compounds such as curcumin at higher doses for therapeutic purposes needs extreme caution. A precise understanding of effective dose, safe regiment, and mechanism of action is required for the use of curcumin in the treatment of human autoimmune diseases.
PMID:
17569223
[PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]
You mention “voices of Reason seem to get bypassed…Ron Paul…”
Reason and Ron Paul cannot go together…for ONE “reason” (see what I did there!?)
– Ron Paul claims to be about Peace, personal Liberty, etc…basically, that all individuals shouldnt be aggressed against…
On the other hand, he is wishing to achieve this goal through violence, coercion and aggression (the Government).
Hypocrisy and Reason do not mix.
Similarly; this is why Aynd Rands philosophy cannot be considered “Reasoning”…she too relies on a Government.
Stateless society FTW!
In response to Anne R Key.
What are you talking about?
Out of all the members of congress, Ron Paul would be least likely to use violence, coercion, and aggression to achieve any goal. He fights for limited government and individual liberty.
How does a government protect liberties through violence?
You can read the facts here:
http://www.ronpaul2012.com/
Insulin response from dreaming. Done it. Go to sleep thinking about breakfast or the epic lamb shanks and ham hock in my slow cooker leads to dreams about it, and then sometimes waking up starving. Or not hungry at all, just remembering hunger durin the dream.
There’s this place in Calgary that makes a mean duckfat poutine as a side dish to a massive steak covered in argintinian hot relish…..ohhhh ughghghgh so ogodhg;al
Hey Guys,
Love, love, love the podcast! But I disagree with your sleep theory, Robb. This is the 2nd time I’ve heard you talk about sleeping on a harder rather than softer bed. In the interest of full disclosure, I consider myself the Pied Piper of the Sleep-Number-Bed!
A few years ago I injured myself, long story, was in PT for months, ended up with surgery on a herniated disk, then had scar tissue and constant, debilitating sciatica. Hell. (These were my pre-Paleo days, so I’m sure my diet contributed to serious inflammation, too)
The Doc was recommending another surgery but didn’t have any confidence that it would help. We needed a new bed anyway and took a chance on the SNB. After 6 weeks I was pain free and walking again like a normal person!
While that’s an injury situation, in general now my sleep number is 35 (that’s SOFT) and I think it’s because I have curves! My hipless husband’s number is about 75 (firm). If I slept on a hard surface(on my side)my spine would be completely crooked because I have HIPS. I think the right answer to this question is to sleep on whatever makes you comfortable – so you can really SLEEP!
My 2 cents…Min
I’ve heard Mat Lalonde say he likes the sleep number bed.
This study is pretty cool too http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1119282/
I frequently train in the evenings and depending on the workout will have a hard time winding down to sleep. What level of dosing with the seriphos would be appropriate to help with this? During a cursory Internet search I also noticed that there were 2 forms of the drug (phosphorylated and phosphatic I believe) and was wondering if one form was preferable over the other? Thanks
That was meant to read phosphatidyl not phosphatic (goofy iPhone autocorrection).