Why Eating Grains Is Bad for You

Mark Sisson explains why eating grains (bread, cereal, pasta, etc.)  is bad for you.

... Grains. Every day we’re bombarded with them and their myriad of associations in American (and much of Western) culture: Wilford Brimley, Uncle Ben, the Sunbeam girl, the latest Wheaties athlete, a pastrami on rye, spaghetti dinners, buns for barbeque, corn on the cob, donuts, birthday cake, apple pie, amber waves of grain…. Gee, am I missing anything? Of course. So much, in fact, that it could – and usually does – take up the majority of supermarket square footage. (Not to mention those government farm subsidies, but that’s another post.) Yes, grains are solidly etched into our modern Western psyche – just not so much into our physiology. Read more

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Posted in: graom consumption,nutrition,paleolithic diet

"Thug Workout" at the Local Park

This is a simple version of the popular "Thug Workout" that can be done at the local park. All it takes is ten minutes!

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Posted in: bodyweight exercise,calisthenics,street workout,thug workout

Simple Home Remedies to Stop Snoring

If you notice your spouse is sleeping more frequently on a different room, you’re probably making disastrous music while you’re asleep. This music may be keeping you asleep but this kind of music will drive your spouse nuts.

This music you’re making while you’re asleep is called snoring. The musical instrument you play with this kind of music with is your throat muscles. Snoring can ruin your relationship with your spouse. It is a fact that some people in the United States have filed divorce cases on the grounds that their sleeping partner is always snoring.


Not only will snoring ruin your relationship with your sleeping partner, but it can be a sign that your body is malfunctioning. Studies have found that snoring is a sign that you have diabetes, you are obese, and you may also have undiagnosed serious heart condition.

Another complication of snoring is that aside from not letting your sleeping partner sleep soundly, you will also wake up and shift your bed position in order to stop snoring. You may not know it but snoring may wake you up from deep sleep. The human brain needs enough oxygen to function and also to prevent brain damage. Since snoring will obstruct your airway, your brain will go on full alert and wake your body up from deep sleep and make it shift to another sleeping position in order to open the blocked or partially blocked airway. You may not know that you wake up but your sleep-deprived sleeping partner will be a witness to the events that you will always wake up from your sleep and shift sleeping positions.

Snoring will result to lack of sleep, morning headaches, lightheadedness, and also irritability throughout the rest of your day.

These are the reasons why you should take all the necessary steps to stop snoring or at least minimize it. Today, there are various ways on how you can prevent snoring.

However, you have to know what causes snoring first. As mentioned before, snoring is caused by your throat muscles. If the throat muscles are too relax when you are sleeping, or if it is full of fatty tissues, then the throat muscles will obstruct your airways. The air coming in and out of your airway will cause the relaxed muscles to vibrate and will cause the sound that you will call snoring.

Now that you know why people snore, you now have to know how to stop yourself from snoring.

The primary cause of snoring is being overweight or being obese. Fat tissues will build up around your throat and will cause your throat muscle tissues to sag. So, in order to prevent yourself from snoring is to go on a diet. Exercise and tone those throat muscles down.

By losing weight, you will eventually stop snoring or at least minimize it to a level that will be tolerable to your sleeping partner.

Here are other home remedies that you can consider in order for you to free yourself from snoring:

•    Stop smoking. Smoking before going to bed causes your throat muscles to relax.
•    Stop drinking alcoholic beverages. As with smoking it will also cause your throat muscles to relax.
•    Stop eating heavy meals before bedtime. It will also cause your throat muscles to relax.
•    Stop taking sedatives. Also relaxes your throat muscles.
•    Sleep on your side. Light to moderate snorers will be more silent when sleeping on their side.
•    Get rid of large pillows. It’s comfortable but it’s a snore contributor.
•    Raise your bed. Elevating your bed from the upper torso will stop snoring. Get an old book and elevate the legs of the head of the bed with it.

These are the simple yet effective home remedies that can free yourself from snoring. By following these simple steps, you can be sure that you and your sleeping partner will have a good night sleep and you as well.

Get the best sleep you've had in years with proven snoring remedies in a step-by-step guide that quickly and easily cure snoring permanently. To find out how to reinvigorate your love life, restore your energy, and regain the healing benefits of sleep for a more relaxed and stress-free you, click here!

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Posted in: better sleep,insomnia,snoring

Get Ready for More Government Flu Hysteria

This year's propaganda and vaccine will be more dangerous than ever, says Joseph Mercola.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the swine flu pandemic officially over on August 9th. The swine flu, which we were warned would kill millions, if not tens of millions of people, turned out to be a complete "dud" as far as pandemics go, but health agencies and governments around the world still managed to create massive fear of this hybrid flu virus.

And, of course, vaccine makers made millions off their novel H1N1 vaccines.

For those in the southern hemisphere, like Australia, the flu season has already begun, and the health hazards of this year's seasonal trivalent vaccine have already become evident.

For the rest of you, the flu season is nearing, and another round of advertisements for flu vaccines are about to hit the media. Read more

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Posted in: flu,flu vaccine,H1N1 swine flu

10 Tips on Surviving a Trip to the Hospital

Hospitals are dangerous. Michael Miles gives ten tips for surviving a trip to the hospital.

... Given the scope of this subject, I will focus primarily on food. If food is important to you (and if you are reading this blog it most likely is very important), you must have an advanced strategy in place should the day come you have to make the trek. Below are ten ways to protect yourself before a hospital visit.

10 Tips On Surviving A Hospital Stay


1. Have a like-minded friend present at all times.

This is extremely important if you make an emergency trip to the hospital and don't have control of all your cognitive faculties. You will need an ideological nutritional soul mate running interference to make sure your best interest – not the doctor or the hospital – is always first and foremost.

Ideally this would be your wife, husband, significant other, or your family, but I know many of my readers are lone warriors in their quest for health, and may need to seek out a friend to help them. Problem is, while family can often get their way with hospital staff if they know what to do and are obstinate enough, a non-relative will find the going extremely difficult. So this is something you will need to work out beforehand in detail.

My suggestion: your non-relative immediately becomes your relative in the event of a hospital stay. A cousin, an uncle, even a fiancé can work. Whatever you do never let on otherwise, or your friend will have no impact in the nutritional ideological sterility that characterizes most hospital environments. Read more

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Posted in: hospital dangers,medical malpractice

Diet and Lifestyle Determine Longevity More Than Genetics

Though genetics is one factor that determines longevity, diet and lifestyle play a bigger role, says Dr. Joseph Mercola.

... Death is surely inevitable, but I do believe you can live far longer than the average life expectancy, which, in the US, is around 78. Genetics may play a role, but is NOT the final determining factor for whether you'll live a long healthy life.

Barring an accident, your lifestyle has everything to do with your longevity. It's already been established that diet can override genetic predispositions for disease, for example, so don't fall into the trap of believing your health and longevity is somehow the inevitable result of what's in your gene pool.

Please understand that the list in the summary above is from US News and World Report and it is THEIR concept of what contributes to aging. Of course you don't get the newsletter for their views so I am going to use their list as a springboard to provide you with my thoughts on the topic. Read more

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Posted in: anti-aging,diet,exercise,longevity

6 Common Mistakes of Atkins Dieters

The Atkins diet is one of the simplest weight loss plans to follow. Although the principles are clearly set out in the books, there are some common misconceptions that occur for dieters. These mistakes can make a big difference in the amount of weight you lose and effectiveness of the diet overall. If Atkins isn’t working for you, or you find yourself suddenly gaining weight after weeks of effective dieting, make sure you aren’t making any of these common mistakes.


First, make sure to be patient with your weight loss. If you lose eight poundss per week on the Induction phase and then slow down once you enter ongoing weight loss phase, this is perfectly normal. The level of carbohydrate grams that are acceptable on the Induction portion of the diet are not meant to carry you through the rest of your dieting experience. Induction is meant to break you of carbohydrate cravings and detoxify your body from sugar. Starting with the ongoing weight loss phase, you will begin introducing small levels of carbohydrate grams each week. This may slow down weight loss a bit from the level it was at during Induction, but this is completely normal.

Also, people are different and react differently to the diet. Some people lose weight in spurts, and other lose weight more steadily. A plateau can last for a few weeks and then voila, you’ve lost five pounds in a matter of a few days.

Make sure you are avoiding caffeine in all of its forms as well as aspartame, a common artificial sweetener. Both of these chemicals can impact blood sugar levels negatively. Look out for caffeine in coffee and diet sodas. Watch out for aspartame in diet sodas and sugar-free gelatin. These can cause cravings for sugar and take your body out of ketosis after just one serving.

Watch your daily intake of cheese. Although cheese is on the acceptable foods list, it does have small amount of carbohydrates. Your best bet is to limit your cheese intake to 4 oz per day. You can have more on special occasions, but it should not be used as your mainstay for protein. Meats, eggs and tofu are much better choices and don’t contain carbohydrate grams.

Remember to emphasize vegetables during Induction and beyond. Your carbohydrate grams should be primarily derived from leafy, green vegetables and other acceptable vegetable choices. Vegetables fill you up without spiking your blood sugar. They provide essential fiber and nutrients that help your weight loss efforts and overall health. After induction, you should have 3-4 cups of salad and 1 cup of cooked vegetables each day. Make sure the vegetables you are using are on the acceptable foods list. Eliminating vegetables from your diet can shut down your metabolism and cause your weight loss to stall.

It is also very important that you eat regularly while you are on the Atkins plan. Never go more than five waking hours without eating a combined snack of protein and fats. Two things happen when you skip meals. First, you cause a blood sugar drop that will have you craving carbohydrates like bread and sugar. Secondly, continued periods of not eating will slow down your metabolism and make it even harder to lose weight.

Finally, make sure you are drinking enough water each day. Water has a myriad of benefits for every human being, not just those on the Atkins diet. Thirst can sometimes be masked as hunger, so staying well hydrated will keep you from craving foods you shouldn’t be eating. Water also helps you avoid constipation, which is an occasional side effect of the Atkins diet. Drinking 8 eight ounce glasses of water per day will also help you flush out the toxins from your system that are produced when you burn fat.

These six common mistakes can make people frustrated with the Atkins diet when there is no need to be. If you are just starting out on the diet, make sure to prepare yourself for these mistakes. If you’ve been on the diet for some time, evaluate your eating habits and make sure you are following the program correctly.

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Posted in: Atkins diet,nutrition,Weight Loss

Is Your Workout Helping You or Huring You?

Your workout may be hurting you more than helping you if you believe any of the following three misconceptions about fitness.

Working out should be something that is both fun and beneficial. The body responds almost immediately to proper training, but it also responds to improper training. Improper training can lead to aches and pain down the road, or even muscles tears. Are you working out the right way?

Misconception #1: The Longer, The Better

Contrary to what you have heard from old school bodybuilders, a longer workout does not lead to better muscular gains. In fact, a longer workout can be detrimental to your muscular gains. Read more

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Posted in: exercise,fitness misconceptions,fitness myths

The Cholesterol Con

Was the myth that high cholesterol causes heart disease invented just to benefit Big Pharma?

Cholesterol could easily be described as the smoking gun of the last two decades.

It's been responsible for demonizing entire categories of foods (like eggs and saturated fats) and blamed for just about every case of heart disease in the last 20 years.

Yet when I first opened my medical practice in the mid 80s, cholesterol, and the fear that yours was too high was rarely talked about.

Somewhere along the way however, cholesterol became a household word – something that you must keep as low as possible, or suffer the consequences.

You are probably aware that there are many myths that portray fat and cholesterol as one of the worst foods you can consume. Please understand that these myths are actually harming your health.

Not only is cholesterol most likely not going to destroy your health (as you have been led to believe), but it is also not the cause of heart disease.

And for those of you taking cholesterol-lowering drugs, the information that follows could not have been given to you fast enough. But before I delve into this life-changing information, let's get some basics down first. Read more

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Posted in: cholesterol myths,heart health

The Pros and Cons of the Atkins Diet

The Atkins diet is one of the most popular low carbohydrate diets on the market today. Its popularity has sparked dozens of imitators who center on the same principles of high-protein, low-carbohydrate eating. However, the Atkins diet is one of the few with a long, proven record of success.

Studies have shown that low-carbohydrate eating has many benefits. There have been scientific results that low-carbohydrate diets like Atkins do create significant weight loss without having to restrict calories. People who use the Atkins diet have also reported this. There are studies that show that low-carb eating improves triclycerides, reduces blood glucose for diabetics and pre-diabetics and increases good cholesterol (HDL). Low-carbohydrate dieting has been scientifically proven to improve insulin sensitivity, decrease blood pressure and lower blood insulin levels. When compared with low-fat diets, low-carb dieters lose less muscle mass.


Although not scientifically proven, there are many common benefits reported by Atkins dieters and other low-carb dieters. These include an increase in energy, a reduced craving for sweets, better concentration, improved mood and an lessening of depression-type symptoms.

However, there are also some benefits that are specific to the Atkins diet. If you have been a low fat dieter in previous years, you’ll enjoy eating all of those “forbidden foods” that you once had to go without. Steak, butter, and cream are a regular part of Atkins dieters’ meals. There is a certain pleasure that goes along with eating foods that were once off limits. Atkins dieters are encouraged to eat their full of rich meats, cheeses, and fats and oils.

Atkins is also simple to use, compared with some other low-carb diets on the market. There are some basic food carbohydrate counts that you’ll need to learn, but after that, you are free to eat from the acceptable food lists.

Dr. Atkins also emphasized finding your own personal carbohydrate level. Different people have different levels of carbohydrate tolerance. While some gain weight on just 90 carbohydrate grams a day, others can live comfortably at 120 carbohydrate grams. During the ongoing weight loss phase and pre-maintenance phase of the diet, you will learn your personal carbohydrate count that will help determine your carbohydrate goal for life.

The popularity of Atkins is a double-edged sword for dieters. There is a lot of information available on the diet, which makes it easy to find resources and support. There have been many, many Atkins books written, and there are endless amounts of websites that offer tips and group support. However, everyone has heard of Atkins and probably has an opinion on it. There are some big misconceptions out there about the nature of the diet, and you’ll no doubt have to defend your new way of eating from time to time.

There are some other minimal downsides to using the Atkins program. You do need to count carbohydrates in everything you eat to make sure that you are staying within your personal carbohydrate range. There is also the issue of Induction, the most hotly debated aspect of the plan. Induction can be difficult to get through if you’ve had a diet that centers on carbs and sugar. Also, many people try Induction and mistakenly believe that this is the way that the whole diet is going to be. They end up quitting before they get into the actual Atkins plan.

Sometimes, although it is not common, people will experience a carb crash on the 3rd to 5th day of the diet. This reaction is a result of their body finally experiencing ketosis, or running on fat instead of carbohydrates. The effects are transient, but many people have sworn off low-carb diets entirely because of this happenstance.

Overall, with the minor drawbacks considered, Atkins is one of the most popular low-carb diets for a reason. It works. Thousands of people have had success with the Atkins approach to the low-carb way of living.

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Posted in: Atkins diet,nutrition,Weight Loss

Are Push-Ups Necessary If You Have Access to Free Weights?

Rusty Moore explains why bench presses should supplement push-ups in your workout, not replace them.

People who have trained in the gym for years often look at something like the simple push up as a beginner's exercise. I mean, why would they want to perform push ups when they can get a "real" chest workout with heavy sets of bench presses. This is a big mistake, and one that I have been guilty of. It is easy to look at the simple push up as working the exact same muscles as the bench press, but with less resistance. I would like to talk about why you should include the push up in your routine, even if you are someone who trains with free weights. Read more

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Posted in: bench press,push-ups

Use Natural Solutions and Styling Tips for Hair Loss

If you're suffering from hair loss, it may be due to the toxic hair products that you're using.  Natural alternatives may prevent hair loss and balding.

Scalp inflammation, poor diet, dehydration, stress, genetics and hormone imbalances are factors that can cause hair to fall out. Toxic hair products and over-styling can also damage the hair, causing it to thin. Incorporating vitamins and whole foods and choosing all natural hair products can prevent hair loss, thinning and balding. Read more

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Posted in: baldensss,balding,natural remedies,reverse hair loss

Atkins Diet Basics

I get quite a few questions from readers about how to lose weight. My answer is the Atkins diet. The Atkins diet is not a new phenomenon. The diet first appeared in the late 1970s and has grown popularity in recent years in response to the low-fat diet craze. As dieters had trouble with low-fat plans, they searched for a new solution, and Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution book found a new audience.

What are the basic principles of the Atkins diet?

The Atkins diet is based on a theory of why we get fat. According to Dr. Atkins, the overconsumption of carbohydrates and simple sugars leads to weight gain. The way your body processes the carbohydrates you eat have more to do with your waistline than the amount of fat or calories that you consume. In his book, Atkins outlines a phenomenon called “insulin resistance.” He theorizes that many overweight people have cells that do not work correctly.


When you eat excess carbohydrates and sugar, your body notices that sugar levels are elevated. Insulin is released from the pancreas in order to store sugar as glycogen in the liver and muscle cells for extra energy later on. However, your body can only store so much glycogen at once. As soon as your body reaches its limit for glycogen storage, the excess carbohydrates are stored as fat. This happens to everyone who eats too many carbohydrates.

However, insulin-resistant individuals have an even harder time of using and storing excess carbohydrates. The more insulin that your body is exposed to, the more resistant it becomes. Over time, the pancreas releases more insulin and cells become insulin resistant. The cells are trying to protect themselves from the toxic effects of high insulin. They create less glycogen and more fat.

As a result, insulin-resistant individuals gain extra weight. The carbohydrates get converted into fat instead of energy. Other side effects include fatigue, brain “fog” (the inability to focus, poor memory, loss of creativity), low blood sugar (which can leads to hypoglycemia), intestinal bloating, sleepiness, depression, and increased blood sugar. There is much more than weight at stake when you are insulin resistant.

The remedy for people who are insulin resistant is a diet restricted in carbohydrates. The crux of the Atkins diet is a limitation of carbohydrates in all of its forms. The foods restricted on the Atkins plan include simple sugars (like cookies, sodas and sweets) and complex carbohydrates (like bread, rice and grains). Even carbohydrates that are considered healthy, such as oatmeal, brown rice, and whole wheat bread, are restricted on the program.

The diet has you restrict your carbohydrate intake to less than 40 grams a day. This will put your body in a state of ketosis. While in ketosis, your body will burn fat as fuel. According to Dr. Atkins’ research, the ketosis state will also affect insulin production and it will prevent more fat from being formed. Your body will begin using your stored fat as an efficient form of fuel, and you’ll lose weight.

Another benefit of the Atkins plan is that ketosis will end your cravings for carbohydrates. If you’ve been living on a carb-heavy diet, you may have found that you simply cannot get enough carbohydrates. With carbohydrate restriction and ketosis comes a reduction in carbohydrate cravings. People who have been on the Atkins diet for some time report that they do not crave carbohydrates as they once did.

Although the initial phases of the Atkins diet are rather strict, the program teaches you to restore balance to your diet in the long run. People who use the diet slowly reintroduce minimal amounts of carbohydrate into their eating until they find a comfortable balance between their health and carbohydrate use.

The basic principles of the Atkins diet have been adapted to many other low-carb diet plans. However, Atkins popularity still remains strong as one of the most effective low-carbohydrate solutions for those who are insulin resistant.

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Posted in: Atkins diet,nutrition,Weight Loss