Primal Health Chef: Using Food For Health

It’s Monday, everyone! And that means another Primal Blueprint Real Life Story from a Mark’s Daily Apple reader. If you have your own success story and would like to share it with me and the Mark’s Daily Apple community please contact me here. I’ll continue to publish these each Monday as long as they keep coming in. Thank you for reading!

I’m a Certified Executive Chef by the American Culinary Federation. I have about 20 years of experience in the field.

During my training as a Chef and years working in kitchens for all kinds of outlets (Restaurants, Hotels, Employee Cafeterias, Dining Services of Universities), I learned and then implemented the knowledge that a balanced nutritional plate is supposed to have 3 components: a protein, a vegetable and a starch, and how to control the amount of fat used to produce this plate.

I moved from Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Columbus, Ohio, USA, to finish my Chef training. The possibilities of success here were much better, so my wife and I decided to make it our place to grow our family.

After several years working in a great restaurant, I started to have episodes of headaches that would end with me throwing up and having to leave work. This would happen at least once a week. I ended up going to the doctor and found out that I had very high blood pressure (180/150 mm Hg), so the doctor started me on BP medicine. My BP was under control for several years until one of my yearly visits to the doctor. After my vital signs were taken and the blood work came back, the doctor told me that he needed to increase my BP medication and that I had become pre-diabetic. He said that in the next visit he would probably have to prescribe some diabetes medicine to me. I refused to believe that I was becoming a diabetic person and have never been very friendly to take drugs, so I asked the doctor if I had any other ways to turn this around. His answer was that all of this was hereditary and there was nothing else I could do about it.

I decided to look for a second opinion. I was lucky to find a functional doctor. Before the visit, there was a questionnaire. I remember that one of the questions was something like “write down what your goal is for when you retire.” That made me realize that I really wanted to be able to see my kids graduate from college, get married, have kids, and be around when my grandkids graduate from college. Considering that my kids were still in elementary school at this time, I had to stay healthy for a long time.

This new doctor presented me with an elimination diet that I started the same day I was inspired by the question from the questionnaire. At the end of my visits I was presented with the Paleo Lifestyle, which (without knowing) I always had a sense was the right thing to do. After about a year, I was almost out of the BP medicine and had lost 30 lbs. I also never had to talk about diabetes as my blood work was pretty good—until I left a job of 7 years and let myself go back on eating grains and sugars while looking for a new job. When I went back to the doctor for my yearly check up, my blood work results came back as the worst I ever had. It only took 6 months to reverse all the good this lifestyle has done on myself. I realized that I had done wrong, and started back with even a stronger belief that the right thing was to avoid all grains, legumes and sugars. After 3 months my blood work was back to almost perfect.

About this time I started listening to the Primal Blueprint Podcast (it was sometime before the launch of The Keto Reset Diet. I had read The Paleo Solution and Wired to Eat from Robb Wolf, but had never read anything from Mark Sisson. I really liked Mark’s approach and also liked the podcast. Something about it started making me think about wanting to help others to improve their health, so after doing some research on the different coaching programs that existed at that time, not too many, I decided that the Primal Health Coach Institute was the best option. Now I’m a certified PHC. So far I had only one client that requested a menu with easy recipes to be able to follow the program.

As I’m a Chef who has been training young students in University environments as new kitchen employees—and being aware that most people in the States don’t know how to cook and are afraid to be in their kitchens—I decided that my best option is to help people to be re-introduced to their kitchens, creating simple recipes and teaching them how to cook.

As we believe that 80% of our health is what we eat I strongly believe that everyone needs to learn the kitchen basics to be able to cook and better understand how to make special requests in restaurants when eating out, eventually making an educated decision when picking a restaurant.

My motto is:
Food for Health
Because you are worth it

I still love cooking and I have a project that is on the final stages of a loan application to build a Primal Food Truck in Columbus Ohio. I’m hoping to have it ready for Spring 2019 to start the Food Truck season here in Columbus. The name will be PH Chef, PH has to do with Primal Health and also to ph balance as I relate that to the balance food gives you when you eat right.

I’m sharing with you the menu that I’m planning to start with, probably with some changes as I have time to keep playing with food.

Appetizer

Baked Egg on Avocado
Pork Belly and Avocado Dressing

Salad

Romaine Heart
Big Ass Salad
Jicama Slaw

Proteins (all grass-fed, pasture-raised or wild-caught)

Kombucha Smoked Pulled Pork
Pulled Braised Beef
Pulled Roasted Chicken
Baked Sockeye Salmon

Sides

Braised Red Cabbage
Sweet Potato Hash
Smashed Cauliflower
Pico
Buttered Green Asparagus

Liquids

Mate and Hibiscus Kombucha
Mate Cocido
Bone Broth
Fresh Water

My website is https://www.theprimalhealthchef.com/.

Joel Linik

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Weekly Link Love—Edition 9

Research of the Week

Having the genetic predisposition for type 2 diabetes also predisposes men to erectile dysfunction. Preventing the former could prevent the latter.

Trypsin inhibitors found in wheat worsen non-alcoholic fatty liver.

Why our sense of smell declines with age.

The average Facebook user would need $1000 to deactivate their account for a year.

Women are more likely than men to punish promiscuous women.

Italian scientists are developing technology to regrow foreskins.

New Primal Blueprint Podcasts

Episode 301: Dr. Lindsay Taylor: Host Elle Russ chats with Dr. Lindsay Taylor about all things keto. Dr. Taylor is the Senior Writer and Researcher at Primal Blueprint, and her upcoming Keto Passport cookbook is going to be incredible.

Each week, select Mark’s Daily Apple blog posts are prepared as Primal Blueprint Podcasts. Need to catch up on reading, but don’t have the time? Prefer to listen to articles while on the go? Check out the new blog post podcasts below, and subscribe to the Primal Blueprint Podcast here so you never miss an episode.

Media, Schmedia

The placebo effect of DNA test results.

Before the “Impossible burger” can come to market, the FDA must first approve heme as a color additive.

Interesting Blog Posts

An unconventional but effective path to happiness.

It’s only a matter of time until we can use gut bacteria to diagnose (and perhaps prevent) IBS and IBD.

Social Notes

How the Keto Reset is different.

Everything Else

Watch a spider spin its web.

The plague was already in Europe much earlier than previously thought, almost 5000 years ago.

Ireland has great dirt.

What can’t gelatin do?

An American just crossed Antarctica on his own, on foot.

Small producers fight to save the Mexican tortilla.

Things I’m Up to and Interested In

Development I applaud: Office managers begin mapping business hours to employee chronotype.

Article I found inspiring: “Running Up Mountains at Age 97.”

Image I found both unsettling and beautiful: The one of the blood clot in the shape of a lung passage.

This is a Mediterranean diet I could get behind: Check it out.

The march against red meat proceeds: Cambridge University will only serve red meat once a week.

Question I’m Asking

There are a ton of food products incorporating CBD—the non-psychoactive marijuana cannabinoid that has anti-inflammatory, anxiolytic properties—geared toward athletes for recovery. Has anyone tried using it, and if so, what was your experience?

Recipe Corner

• Shrimp-stuffed mushrooms.
• Eight Paleo Thai recipes for the price of one.

Time Capsule

One year ago (Dec 23 – Dec 29)

• What Collagen Does For Performance – How gelatin can help you in the gym.
• 10 Alternative Therapies for ADD & ADHD – What to try before Ritalin.

Comment of the Week

“Mark, I’ll be on the lookout for the Primal Kitchen duck egg with barberry extract mayo … coming soon to a store near you. ”

– The metformin mayo was actually what got us over the hump with Kraft-Heinz, Smay.

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Instant Pot Short Ribs With Sweet Potatoes and Spinach

Short ribs are an underappreciated cut of meat. Slow cooking brings out their full potential, but the added time is worth the wait. Juicy, succulent and flavorful, short ribs can be paired with any number of vegetables for stews (often a more fork-tender choice than traditional stew meat) or served separately with salads or sides. We’ve got two recipes highlighting the versatility of short ribs. (Check back next week for the second….)

For this recipe, the ribs are paired with sweet potatoes and spinach for nutrient-rich one-pot meal. And we’ve sized the recipe for a double batch of short ribs with instructions for when and how to set them aside. The result? The ease of two delicious dinners with less time and prep.

Servings: 4 (plus extra 4 servings of ribs alone)

Time in the Kitchen: 35 minutes (plus 25 minutes cook time)

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds bone-in beef short ribs (about 2 inches thick) (1.5 kg)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (7.4 ml)
• 1 tablespoon Primal Kitchen® Avocado Oil (15 ml)
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste (15 ml) (save the rest for recipe #3)
• 2 cups beef bone broth (475 ml)
• 8 ounces frozen spinach (230 g)
• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces (2.5 cm)

Instructions:

Season ribs with salt.

Select the sauté setting on the Instant Pot. Add oil and sear the ribs for about 2 minutes per side, so they are lightly browned. This will have to be done in batches since all the ribs won’t fit in the pot at once.

In a small bowl, whisk together the tomato paste and bone broth.

Set all the browned short ribs aside on a plate and pour the bone broth and tomato paste into the pot. Add the garlic cloves. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape up any bits of meat that have stuck to the bottom of the pot.

Add the short ribs.

Secure the lid and make sure the pressure release valve is set to “sealing.” Select the “manual” setting and set the cooking time for 25 minutes on high pressure.

After 25 minutes, quick release by moving the pressure release valve to “venting” (watch out for the release of hot steam)

Remove half of the ribs and liquid from the pot. Put this half of the ribs and liquid in a food storage container. Store it in the refrigerator for another meal (check back next week for that recipe!).

Add the spinach and sweet potatoes to the Instant Pot with the remaining short ribs and liquid. Mix well so the meat, potatoes and spinach are mostly covered with liquid.

Secure the lid and make sure the pressure release valve is set to “sealing.” Select the “manual” setting and set the cooking time for 5 minutes on high pressure. After the cooking time, do a quick release by moving the pressure release valve to “venting.”

Remove the meat. Use a knife to slice/shred the meat from the bones.

Serve the short rib meat in bowls with the sweet potatoes and spinach. Add sea salt to taste.

Nutritional Info (per serving):

• Calories—372
• Net Carbs—14 grams
• Fat—21 grams
• Protein—28 grams

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My Evening Routine: How I Manufacture a Great Night Sleep

Over the years, I’ve gotten a lot of questions from Mark’s Daily Apple readers about how I do my day. What do I eat each day? What are my favorite snacks? What do I do for exercise? How do I work out when I’m on the road? What supplements do I take (and how often)? Even what personal products I use… I feel like I’ve covered about everything there is, but then I’ll get something new. In this case, some readers over the last year have asked me about my bedtime. Do I have a routine? Just what do I do to get a good night sleep?

Quality sleep isn’t in any way optional for good health. In fact, it’s a Primal Blueprint Law. That means I consider the hour or two leading up to bedtime as important as my workout time.

Here’s my nightly ritual rundown. As you’ll see in the video, it takes advantage of the relaxing effect of heat along with the Grok Tip of finishing cold—a theme I continue with attention to the ambient temperature of my room. Check out how I wind down my day (and even what I’m reading before bed) below.

Thanks for stopping in today, everybody. Do you have a question for me to answer in a future video? Shoot me a line below. Otherwise, be sure to share your favorite tips for enjoying a great night sleep. Have a great week, everyone.

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Happy Holidays!

Good morning, everyone. The staff and I are taking a day off to be with friends and family, but I didn’t want to miss the chance to wish you all Happy Holidays—wherever and however you might be celebrating today.

I put together a video message below (from my new home in Miami) to give you a sneak peek at what 2019 holds for Mark’s Daily Apple.

I’m grateful to each of you for being here and for making this great community what it is. Health and happiness to you and yours this holiday, and the very best for the coming new year!

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I’m Able To Train Harder and Recover Better

It’s Monday, everyone! And that means another Primal Blueprint Real Life Story from a Mark’s Daily Apple reader. If you have your own success story and would like to share it with me and the Mark’s Daily Apple community please contact me here. I’ll continue to publish these each Monday as long as they keep coming in. Thank you for reading!

My Primal Story begins with myself being an athlete most of my life. I am 37-years-old, have had 4 back surgeries, and currently consider myself an endurance runner. I only began running in 2012. As I have increased my mileage and ability, my body has changed. I never used to think about my diet and how it affects my health.

Recently, I mean this past November 2016, I knew I needed to make a change. I was always in GI distress during and after my longer races or harder efforts of training runs or shorter races. I was referred to the Primal Diet by a friend and it all began making sense.

After implementing these methods, the change was remarkable. After three weeks, my body responded very well. I was able to recover sooner (zero ibuprofen when I used to take it a few times a week) after my long runs or races. My GI distress disappeared…I mean gone! My skin cleared up where I used to have minor blemishes on my face and back. I dropped 8 lbs—173 to 165. That doesn’t seem like much, but I didn’t have a lot to lose and my goal was not to lose weight. It was mainly, in my opinion, bloating, water retention, and a general cleansing of my system that lost me the 8 lbs.

I am able to train harder, recover better, and my energy levels are through the roof. I am so pleased with my transformation that I find it very hard to even think about “cheating” with my diet and really do not have an urge to anyway. I don’t take a lot of photos or use social media that much, but attached are a couple of photos. Again, my transformation is not that much in the physical appearance category, but overall health in general. I am the guy in the green shirt in the picture on the bridge. The other picture is of my daughter and myself before our daddy daughter dance.

Thank you,

Jason G.

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Weekly Link Love—Edition 8

Research of the Week

Preliminary evidence shows that restricting calories prunes weak gut cells, thereby improving overall gut permeability.

Prediabetes (shockingly common) impairs fertility.

It’s never too late to lift and make gains.

Great apes are great problem solvers.

GMO houseplants remove air-borne toxins.

THC alters the genetic profile of sperm cells.

New Primal Blueprint Podcasts

Episode 300: Melanie Avalon: Host Elle Russ chats with Melanie Avalon, an actress and author of What When Wine: Lose Weight and Feel Great with Paleo-Style Meals and Intermittent Fasting (and some wine).

Each week, select Mark’s Daily Apple blog posts are prepared as Primal Blueprint Podcasts. Need to catch up on reading, but don’t have the time? Prefer to listen to articles while on the go? Check out the new blog post podcasts below, and subscribe to the Primal Blueprint Podcast here so you never miss an episode.

Reader Question

Mark, what’s your take on this study (https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article-abstract/108/6/1264/5239906)? Do whole grains reduce liver fat after all?

This is a sneaky one.

They pitted refined grains against whole grains. Eating 98 grams of refined wheat each day led to a 49% increase in liver fat over 12 weeks, while eating 98 grams of whole wheat “prevented a substantial increase in liver fat.” What’s that saying, exactly? Did the whole grains prevent all increases in liver fat, or just substantial increases?

As it turns out, the whole wheat also increased liver fat, albeit “only” by 11%. That the whole wheat mitigated the catastrophic rise precipitated by the same portion of refined grains is something, I guess. Or you could just not eat any wheat at all.

And 98 grams of anything isn’t much. That’s a couple of slices of bread. Be careful!

Media, Schmedia

I can relate.

I agree with this cancer researcher.

How far will you go, citizen?

Interesting Blog Posts

How customer service reps for DNA analysis companies end up playing therapist to customers shocked by results.

An extremely important post by Dr. Malcolm Kendrick, who was recently removed from Wikipedia for questioning the cholesterol orthodoxy. Is Fathead next?

How the carnivore diet might work.

Social Notes

Enter this contest to win our three new sauces: Steak Sauce, Classic BBQ Sauce, and Golden BBQ Sauce.

Everything Else

Extinct red wolf DNA appears in wild canines living on Texas island.

The kids are all right.

Don’t do it, Harry.

Things I’m Up to and Interested In

Speculation I found interesting: Carnivore Mikhaila Peterson’s cholesterol will rise as she gets healthier.

Article I found interesting: “Iron is the new cholesterol.”

Paper I enjoyed: The mundanity of excellence: an ethnographic report on stratification and Olympic swimmers.

In case anyone has forgotten, here’s a reminder: The case against salt remains weak.

Blog post I’m reading: Can Ketogenic Diets Work for Bodybuilding or Athletics?

Question I’m Asking

I recently read a quote—“It is incorrect to believe that top athletes suffer great sacrifices to achieve their goals. Often, they don’t see what they do as sacrificial at all. They like it.”

Do you agree with this regarding top athletes and top performers in other fields?

Recipe Corner

• Instant pot cowboy chili, perfect thing to make out on the range. Just bring an extra long extension cord.
• Egg and nut-free snickerdoodles (hey, it’s the holidays).

Time Capsule

One year ago (Dec 16 – Dec 22)

• Kitchen Tips for Primal Holiday Entertaining – How to have a good time.
• Grok’s Favorite Things: 14 Gifts for Yourself (or Other Primal Types in Your Life)– A few more ideas for the last minute shopper.

Comment of the Week

“Focusing on neurotransmitters when it comes to happiness is the same trap we’ve been falling in for decades: Treating symptoms instead of the cause.”

– Nice and succinct, Colin.

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