User eva - PaleoHacks.com

Solutions for Transparent Teeth?

2010-10-15T23:30:45Z

About 2 months after starting paleo, I noticed my front teeth were starting to get transparent on the edges. Since I have lived my entire 40 years without this problem, seems likely my new eating style is implicated. Advice?

If glutamic acid (MSG) is natural, why is it bad?

2011-01-24T02:22:36Z

Glutamic acid is produced naturally in the human and mammalian body. It is naturally present in the meat we eat and is responsible for the pleasurable taste of 'umami' which makes meat taste good. So if this is the case, then why does glutamic acid (aka MSG) cause a negative reaction in some people?

What's different about cooking grassfed?

2010-10-18T03:11:02Z

I got my hands on my first piece of grassfed cow liver the other day. The first thing I noticed was the liver was much thinner/flatter looking than the usual fluffy corn fed liver. I cooked it my usual way, in a skillet with onions. Tasting it, I found it rather dry and dense and with a less strong flavor than the cornfed. THe grassfed was also not creamy textured like the cornfed. I hate to say it, but it just wasn't as tasty as a cornfed liver. I have found that many grassfed items taste better to me than cornfed, but that was not the case with this liver. I am sure it was much healthier though and part of it may just be that I need to change my cooking style. Any advice on cooking these livers or changes that might improve the outcome of cooking grassfed meats in general?

Clear Scientific evidence that fluoride is/isn't good for teeth?

2011-01-08T16:51:32Z

What evidence do we have that fluoride is good for teeth in any way? Is there anything besides epidemiological studies? Do these studies include all data points so they were accurate across all populations? Or were only a few locations used in order to skew the data? We already know that fluoride can actually damage teeth via fluorosis. Seems weird to me that something that is known to damage teeth is supposed to be good for teeth. I have also heard it said that fluoride slows eruption of teeth in children, thus making it look like very young children get less cavities using fluoride. Any one have any links to scientific research behind any of these claims? Is the research behind fluoride good quality is or is more like the research behind the fat-is-bad story?

How much fructose is too much fructose?

2011-02-18T23:28:40Z

Lately I've been looking at how much fructose I eat daily, all of which comes from fruits and vegetables. I've decided to cut back on fruit consumption for a bit. But I am also looking critically towards the vegetables and tomatoes. I like tomatoes but they are technically a fruit (although legally a vegetable) and are considered 'high fructose' by many. I am reading that 1 cup of fresh chopped tomato has 2.5 grams of fructose. And onions have 2.6 grams of fructose per cup (not sure if this is pre or post cooking) Is this considered a lot? What is a good cutoff for amount of grams of fructose per day? I have heard some suggest 4 grams per day as a good number to stay under.

I know lifestyle and goals are going to influence any recommendations. I am curious both from a general scientific standpoint as well as from a personal one. My main goal right now is health and to continue feeling healthy. Paleo (plus magnesium pills) has made me feel probably the healthiest I have ever felt. However, I wouldn't mind losing a few more pounds and so I am experimenting with different macronutrient profiles to see what feels best. On the flipside I feel rather happy now and most of my experimentation is more due to curiosity than anything else. Activitywise, I spend a large portion of each workday walking around. I also like to hike in the mountains about once per week. And erratically I go to the gym and lift weights. So I would say I lead a moderately active lifestyle.

What makes nuts better than legumes?

2010-09-18T03:42:09Z

We were having a discussion at the San Diego paleo meetup today and someone said cashews are legumes instead of nuts and therefore are not paleo. Suddenly I wondered why a legume that looks like a nut would be less healthy to eat than a real nut. All are seeds that do not want to be eaten and all contain phytic acid and lectin and have poor omega 3/6 profiles. So why is it that nuts are considered more paleo and legumes are considered bad? (And for the record, I checked google and see that cashews are apparently considered 'seeds' and not nuts NOR legumes)

Any good paleo ranch dressing products?

2010-08-04T03:55:37Z

I really love ranch dressing. Anyone know of any sorta paleo ranch dressing products? All the ones I have seen have corn oil or canola oil high on the ingredient listing. I don't really mind buttermilk but I'd like to at least get away from the seed oils and long lists of creepy chemicals. And since I already spend tons of time cooking, I really don't want to take on any more cooking projects. I certainly admire all of you that home cook everything, but the intensive home cooking is really the one point of paleo that I could live without. One of these days, I'll just have to get rich and hire my own special paleo chef! But until that day, a decent paleoish ranch dressing would really make my day!
;-P -Eva

What's the best smoothie?

2010-07-20T17:31:23Z

The topic of smoothies sometimes comes up and I LOVE fruit smoothies! I don't mind eating a bit of berries but I need other things to add in as well. I prefer to eat whole foods, not processed stuff like separated whey. Plus I'd like to avoid diary and I am not a big fan of vegetables. I sometimes add a bit of kefir but that stuff is way to sour for me to appreciate as a major ingredient. Smoothies taste excellent with low carb icecream but I'd like to find a healthier but still very good tasting substitute. Any ideas? I have been thinking of trying coconut milk. Recipes are appreciated. My goal is for it to be reasonably healthy and paleo but also to taste REALLY good and a bit sweet.

Why are sweet potatoes better than regular potatoes?

2011-01-13T05:30:45Z

Why are sweet potatoes supposed to be so much better than regular potatoes? So far, the only significant thing I see is that sweet potatoes have a lot more vitamin A, but since I already get megatons of vitamin A from other foods, I'd really rather have less vitamin A than more. And the only other benefit I can see is that sweet potatoes are not a nightshade. But besides that one thing, I am confused why sweet potatoes are supposed to be so much better. I was expecting to see some kind of giant nutrient difference between the two, so I was surprised not to find much. Am I missing something? Is it just the colored antioxidant thing or is there more?

Edited to add: Also, looks like regular potatoes might be higher in iron, magnesium, and potassium.

Are there foods that you don't digest at all?

2010-10-11T03:51:39Z

I noticed when I eat corn kernals, I simply do not digest them in any way. They come out looking exactly the same as when they entered. I thought this was weird until I met someone else who said the same happens with her for any type of corn, even ground up bits of corn, cornbread, etc. I have the same thing with small seeds, like sesame seeds, but I suspect that might be more normal. None of these foods seem to cause any other percievable problems, nor does my digestion seem upset. They simply pass through untouched, but no apparent other side effects. You would think some bacteria in the large intestine would get to work on the corn or something, but apparently not. Anyone else have this with corn, seeds, or some other food?

Experiences with toothpaste substitutes?

2011-01-08T04:15:26Z

After success with other more natural alternatives, I've become skeptical of many mass produced so called 'health' products. Considering that fluoride is a toxin, I haven't found any good research showing that applying it to my mouth is really shown to help anything, and that it's not natural, I've recently ditched fluoride. And I am not sure about glycerin, but my teeth definitely feel different when that is gone as well. All the so called 'natural' toothpastes I have seen seem to be loaded with tons of mysterious or crap ingredients and are expensive, so I've just been using cinnamon powder mixed with baking soda to good effect. According to my mother, in the 'old days' people just used baking soda. I added cinnamon because it is supposedly and antibiotic plus it vastly improves the taste. It might be my imagination but my teeth actually seem whiter and cleaner and my gums healthier. An added benefit is after I went camping and accidently forgot that my wet toothbrush was left ziplocked into a plastic baggy for 2 weeks, when I finally pulled it out, it was not all moldy like it always is if I do the same thing with a brush that had regular toothpaste on it. APparently, mold doesn't like cinnamon and baking soda that much! The only thing in the bag was a nice fresh cinnamon scent. Anyone else using any home brew concoctions instead of toothpaste and what have your experiences been?

How does Glucosamine work to alleviate joint pain?

2010-09-30T17:33:40Z

I used to give my old dog glucosamine. It worked miracles for his joint pain. Others have experienced similar results and clinical trials have back up its efficacy. But does anyone know how/why exactly it works?

Suggestions on substitutes for NSAIDs and the like?

2010-12-02T00:42:54Z

My friend has some serious issues with inflammation and is in heavy use of naproxen. SHe uses that one because compared to other common pain killers, it is less problematical to her stomach. Don't bother with any sermons on the evils of grain as I have already tried that and she is unwilling to give them up. She feels that her stomach is unable to properly digest meat and so she cannot give up the grains. Of course, I have diff opinions on proper course of action but she is not going to listen. So as far as I can see, treating the actual likely cause of her slowly worsening prob will not happen at this time due to her attitude about diet.

However, on a more specific note, she wishes to get off of heavy painkiller use, which right now is naproxen. Her pain is caused by some kind of joint pain issue for which the doctors can't give an explanation, but they say it is not arthritis and may at least partly have something to do with crystals building up in the muscles. The problem is in many of her joint areas, shoulders and fingers being the worst. Not surprisingly, she also has poor intestinal health, probs with constipation, and probs with intestinal pain that preceded the use of the painkillers. Of course, what she wants is a magic pill that will fix everything. What she is currently trying is some herbs to take the place of naproxen. Any suggestions? I try not to take pain killers myself but am curious myself if there are any herbs out there that might be useful for things like headache or menstrual cramp or other common causes of pain.

Latest Study, statins are 'just as good' for women as men?

2012-01-31T21:04:47Z

http://news.yahoo.com/statins-well-women-men-study-161754071.html

I just saw this 'new study' study. ANyone know how they come up with this conclusion? They say, "In an analysis of 18 clinical trials, researchers found that overall, statins cut the risk of heart attack, stroke and death to a similar degree in both men and women" and then they give one set of percentages only, not saying which of the three things, heart attack, stroke, or death, they are referring to. PLus the article is inconsistant in places, saying in one place that some studies showed reduced benefit for woman but that overall, the benefits are the same. I am not aware of any studies that showed improved mortality for women (or elderly for that matter), so I wonder how they came up with this assertion when this 'new study' is apparently just a review of old studies.

What evidence that moderate fructose intake is bad for the healthy?

2011-01-16T18:38:30Z

I have no problem with the concept that excessive fructose intake is probably bad for you and that those with blood sugar problems need to avoid fructose, glucose, starch, etc. But is there any evidence that moderate fructose consumption by a healthy person in the form of whole foods is bad for their health? Should your kid be allowed to eat an apple or an orange at lunch and then later eat a banana? Or is this bad. What evidence do we have on this subject? After all, we do have a metabolic pathway to process fructose so it seems to me that we are designed to process fructose to some extent. Perhaps the problem occurs when that metabolic pathway is overwhelmed by excessive intake? (We are not talking about sodas and candybars here, just whole healthy food intake that also contains fructose).

{Note that this question is different than other similar because I am asking for specific EVIDENCE that MODERATE intake is bad for the HEALTHY. It's a specific set of parameters I am interested in.}

Have your eyes changed color?

2010-12-09T01:21:02Z

My eyes are hazel, or at least it says so on my driver's license. But I've noticed over the last few months, a few people have commented on my 'blue eyes.' When I told them no, they are hazel, those people have given me a weird look (like I was stupid or something). Today I was looking in the rear view mirror when I finally realized, my eyes really are looking rather blue now! THe formerly green edges are now grey blue edges and the amber brown parts in the centers have shrunk down and appear brighter. So my eyes have somewhat changed color now, and I'm not sure what color to even call them. Grey blue brown? Bluish hazel? Anyone else notice their eyes shifting color after going paleo?

Edited to add: And in case anyone might be tempted to assume I'm imagining things, such a result may not really be all that surprising considering scientists actually do not well understand what determines eye color but think it is likely in part related to the density of proteins in the stroma part of the eye: http://www.thetech.org/genetics/ask.php?id=232

Cranial facial structure defects due to poor diet?

2010-10-15T16:38:44Z

The famous Weston Price long ago did a study of 'primitive' people, noting their facial structure seemed different on their native diets than if they had been switched to more modern diets. Synopsis here: http://www.becomehealthynow.com/article/traditional/12/ From a logical perspective, it makes sense to me that humans were not designed to have crowded teeth and cavities. Such would not have been selected for by nature! Over the years, I have often heard it mentioned that there is a trend towards narrowing of the jaws in modern man which is causing tooth problems, but never is an explanation given for why! Does anyone know of any other research on this? Or have any further info? I have also seen that some few dentists have now developed devices to widen jaws to solve tooth problems. Photos I have seen of before and after pictures show that the procedure also results in a less 'weak' jaw and nicer appearing jaw line profile. But these are of course all pictures given by those attempting to sell a product, and thus must be considered with caution.

Have you met other paleo eaters in 'the wild?'

2011-01-13T04:50:12Z

Today my mother came home all excited because at the garden club, she randomly met another person who was a paleo eater. The person was thrilled because paleo eating had cured her ecsema and a few other problems. And my mother was happy to inform me (like I didn't know) of tons of paleo info on the internet that I should look up immediately at "w w w dot com dot paleo...dot... something," and then she told me, "Oh and they have recipes!" My mother doesn't understand the internet, as you can see, and apparently she has no idea where I have been getting all the recipes we have already used. Hehe. But she can still eat paleo and spread the word. However, it made me wonder how many paleo eaters have randomly run into other paleo eaters 'in the wild,' ie not through paleo websites or paleo events, but just at random (and not at crossfit). How likely is a paleo eater to randomly encounter another outside of normal paleo circles? Any others had such experiences?

Did your taste buds change?

2011-01-13T05:47:39Z

Does food taste different to you now on paleo? I was eating a sweet potato today and realized that I now LOVE the taste of sweet potato whereas I used to vaguely not care for it, preferring regular potatoes. And my ability to taste natural sweetness in foods like fruit or carrots is now much enhanced. With the change in my biology has come a very radical change in even the basic functioning of my taste buds. Anyone else notice this?

How do you know if an oil has gone bad/rancid?

2010-10-05T03:17:39Z

I see websites saying butter goes 'bad' after a few months in the fridge. How do I know if my butter has gone 'bad?' To me, it can sit in there for a year and still taste, smell, and look exactly the same as when I bought it. They say it goes rancid in a few days out of the fridge, but I take butter camping (in the winter so it's usually cool out) and it seems the same after 2 weeks of no fridge. What about coconut oil? Seems to me, these saturated fat oils are very stable.

Should I really worry about them going bad or is that just the industry being overly cautious and also hoping I will keep buying more if my stock gets old? Now I could see that for grain oils, that stuff is already compromised on arrival and is already bleached and perfumed, so any additional rancidity would probably be more hidden. But again, I just don't recall ever having seen any detectably rancidity even if it's been stored a long time. THe only time a grain oil has ever smelled rancid to me is after it has been heated and cooled many times, like when used as a fry oil at a restaurant. (Can you imagine the level of degradation and rancidity some of those restaurant fry oils must reach after hundreds of high temp heatings!!!)

How bad is Canola Oil?

2010-11-01T03:03:18Z

How bad is canola oil? Most canola oil is genetically modified. Some is processed using hexane. But it is possible to obtain organic (not genetically modified) canola that is made using only pressure and mild heat (around 100 degrees F which is well below its smoke point). Rapeseed in it's natural version has toxins, but crossbreeding in the 60s (not GMO) was able to produce strains with very little toxin. Many other types of veggies have been similarly cross bred over many generations and are commonly eaten despite low levels of some toxins. The toxins in the canola version of rapeseed are the same toxins that exist in low levels in other mustard plants of the same family like kale, broccoli, etc so it's not like we don't already eat it at times. Canola oil can be extracted from the seed using only mild heat and pressure. No chemicals, bleaching or deodorizing is needed as far as I can tell. Unlike other seed oils, Canola has a good omega 3/6 ratio. It's 32% PUFA but mostly MUFA. Canola will certainly not be on my list of super healthy foods, but I do wonder if a little bit once in a while may not be worth worrying about. The only reason I am thinking about it at all is because there are some very tasty salad dressings made with canola. Opinions? Have I forgotten something? (yes, I know, it's a seeeeeeeeeed!)

Is Salmonella from Beef or is it from Corn?

2011-01-30T03:21:22Z

I heard recently that perhaps current CAFO beef feeding operations that are often blamed for salmonella poisoning, not because cows spread salmonella, but most because cornfed cows spread salmonella. The acidification of their stomachs from all that corn cause them to carry high amounts of pathogens that they would not normally have problems with. One of these pathogens is salmonella. Here is a very interesting interview detailing the life of a cornlot cow from birth until death: http://www.math.uic.edu/~takata/some_articles/FreshAir_Michael_Pollon_on_beef_industry,_hormones,_antibiotics.html

One of the things of note in this article is when they mention that one reason why corn is the feed of choice is because it is subsidized and so is much cheaper, even cheaper to buy than it actually cost to grow. So basically, your tax dollars help pay for the corn these cows eat.

The other thing of note is that the acidification and contamination of cow rumin also breeds acid loving strains of bacteria and disease. And since humans naturally have acidic stomachs as well, diseases bred in acidified cows are much more aggressive and successful in the human digestive tract than diseases bred in the natural neutral PH stomachs of naturally foraging cows.

SO basically, as the article describes, you end up with these sick cows digesting corn and all around them are giant open vats of feces contaminated with salmonella and all kinds of things. (and I can attest to the veracity of how bad these places smell as you can literally begin to smell the horrible stench from 10 or more miles away) But one thing I was told, and I am still looking for info on this, is that because the cornlot cows are fed corn, all the surrounding wild life that likes grain will sneak in at night and try to steal what corn they can get as well. That includes mice, rats, birds, rabbits, deer etc. All these wild animals track through the feces and consume the feces infested grain and because the feces are infected with so many diseases, many of the wild animals can take on these pathogens and also further spread them in THEIR feces. This is how salmonella can easily escape a corn lot and make it 5 miles away to contaminate a lettuce farm. It's not just water runoff that can do it. All the wildlife near a corn lot are infected carriers that infect the entire area. Anyone have any more info on this second bit? It sounds logical but I haven't yet been able to find any info on salmonella and other pathogens passing from cow feces to wildlife.

Is conventionally grown meat really that toxic?

2011-01-14T17:51:22Z

Interesting article here: http://donmatesz.blogspot.com/2011/01/practically-primal-guide-to.html Don tracked antibiotic intake in farm animals and found they only seem to consume similar levels, by weight as humans. Plus said animals must undergo a detox period before slaughter. Testing found pesticide levels as not detectable or MUCH lower than your typical piece of organic cabbage. That's because vegetables contain high levels of natural pesticides (because they don't want to be eaten) whereas animal flesh does not. Hopefully, Don will also have time to address hormones. We have all heard that conventionally grown meat is loaded with nasty toxins, but is it really that bad? I would still feel that grass fed would be ideal, but I do think it might be wise to test our assumptions and overall perspective on the dangers of conventional meat. Grassfed is expensive and not everyone can easily afford it. How much should the average omniverous paleo eater be concerned with the dangers of conventionally grown meat? What good evidence exists for that concern or lack thereof?

Chemical dip for chicken meat

2011-01-30T02:17:07Z

I was speaking with someone this morning who used to be involved in poultry processing. He told me that typically, after a chicken is slaughtered and eviscerated, the meat is then dipped in a chemical bath to kill germs. He also said that warning labels were put on boxes of this chicken meat, but then since the meat is removed from the boxes at the grocery store, the public never actually sees the warning labels. Nice. From google, I found some further info on what types of chemical might be added. Here: http://www.themeatsite.com/articles/762/improving-the-microbial-quality-and-shelf-life-of-chicken-carcases they suggest that lactic acid or trisodium phosphate are often used (I know that in the painting industry, TSP is often used to clean dirty walls prior to painting) Another chemical that comes up a lot on google as a chicken meat dip is chlortetracycline. Yum. Even McDonald's honey mustard is better! Anyone know more about this?

What are the best nutrition dense superfoods?

2010-07-27T18:04:33Z

We hear a lot in the media about this or that being the lastest 'superfood.' Soy is a classic case. However, on inspection, many of these foods do not turn out to be so super after all. Case in point, someone was recently touting purslane (a leafy green weed) to me as a superfood high in Vitamin C and Folate. But when I checked its nutrition data, I found that one cup of purslane only met 15% of my daily Vitamin C needs and 1% of my Folate needs. I guess now I can see why some vegans are forced to eat giant bushels of food each day! So my question is, what do people think are the REAL superfoods packed with vitamins and minerals, healthy fats and proteins, omega 3s etc? What foods are truly superfoods and why?

Answer by Eva for Raw Milk vs Pasteurized Milk - The Fiery Debate!

2012-02-03T17:30:21Z

The problem with statistics is they can be tweaked in so many ways to look like so many seemingly opposite things. In truth, you have to look at both benefits and costs. What is the real percentage of danger from drinking any milk? How many get sick from Listeria from contaminated pasturized milk? Maybe it's 1 persons out of jillions per year. So if raw milk is 7 times more dangerous, that could mean 7 people out of jillions get sick. You could still be more likely to get hit by lightening than sick from raw milk. You have to really look at the raw statistics to understand the situation. ON the reverse, could be that they are not looking at a per capita basis and the chances of getting sick on raw milk are very very much higher because few people drink it but still there are 7 whole cases out of maybe only 10,000 drinkers whereas the pasturized milk number may be coming from a population that is most of the country. "Seven times more likely" means very little unless we know how they chose their numbers in the first place.

Maybe the best solution would be to lightly treat the milk for bacteria but have it come from healthy grassfed cows too. It could be that the masai do sometimes get sick from their milk, but that they are generally strong and healthy and get over it and build immunity and those that couldnt' do that were more likely to die before childbirth. Evolution never stops.

But here in the Unites States, we may often be less healthy and less adapted and less genetically prepared.

Have any childhood and lifelong allergies disappeared?

2012-02-02T17:03:41Z

I've been allergic to uncooked apples and some kinds of fruit since I can remember, at least before the age of 4. I don't suspect this was a leaky gut problem. That was an early age and I did not have digestion problems. As a weakwilled child I would occasionally see an apple on a tree and try it anyway because I like the taste of apples and the allergic response is short lived coughing and irritation but not lifethreatening. Over the years, I mostly gave up trying more than maybe once time per year. A few months ago, there was another apple on my friend's tree and I took some bites and no allergy! I only ate one apple because I was unsure of the side effects but nothing happened. So a week later, I got some off another friend's tree and ate 2! I am usually not a fruit pig but it was such a pleasure to be able to eat them after all these years! I am now apparently no longer allergic to them or any of the other fruits (like breadfruit and mildly to peaches) that I once reacted towards.

I don't think this apple thing was a case of leaky gut causing allergies to commonly ingested foods. Instead, I suspect that maybe it was just a case of overall body response and inflammation changing. Doctors always act like allergies are forever. Anyone else here have gotten rid of childhood and lifelong allergies eating paleo?

Answer by Eva for Acne Won't Go Away, Please Help

2012-02-02T16:48:35Z

One thing that really helped me was to just stop putting any soap or product on my face regularly. What I do now is not wash my face unless it is actually dirty. On most days, I wash my hair with all natural soap and then I rinse it carefully to make sure that minimal amounts of the rinsed soap touch my face. My face is just rinsed from the water only. WHen I get out of the shower, I towel off. The only time I wash my face is if I can see actual dirt on it. Then I wash with all natural soap only and just enough to get the dirt off. LIght dirt will come off with just a wash cloth and water anyway. Excess oil comes off with just water and drying with a towel. Once in a while on very hot sweaty days, my face does look shiny by the middle of the day, at which time I just take a towel or napkin and wipe off any excess shine.

End result is my acne was much less and interestingly, even though I was not making an effort to remove oil from my face, my face actually became much less oily. I wonder if an oily face is from the body's response to try to replace the oils many people keep stripping away with all their soaps. THe body might get in a habit of producing a lot of oil if people are constantly dessicating it with tons of soap. Anyway, all I know is by mostly just rinsing my face, oil production stabilized and my face rarely looks oily even after all day and my skin is much clearer. Natural body oils are naturally antibiotic so that actually makes sense. Improve the health of your skin with better moisturization the natural way and healthier foods and you improve your skin's ability to fight of germs. PLus a constant moderate supply of face oil may help vitamin D production. Body oil is there for a reason, why fight it?

Answer by Eva for Am I Letting my Toddler Overdose on Fish Oil?

2012-02-01T20:34:05Z

I'd just keep it in moderation. ANother question to ask is if the child might be craving more fat in general. Maybe you should consider the child's access to fat from all sources, fatty chicken skins, fatty fish and fish skins, fat on steak, etc. Does the child eat until satiated on those or is he left wanting. Is the child eating all he she would prefer to eat of fat sources in general? Would the child enjoy more fresh fish? Just because the child likes the pills does not mean the pills are the absolute best healthiest source of that which he craves. Personally, I do not trust pills full of old preserved oils as being super healthy. But I would guess they are not harmful if taken in moderation and for many people eating a low fat diet in hopes of being 'healthy' those pills may even be a life saver. HOwever, for paleo eaters, I'd say the best is to eat fresh fish, not pills. Or in this case, don't eat to many of them. Remember that those pills are blood thinners! Some people have had to cut back on fish oil pills because of too thin blood and excessive bleeding problems. It's a mistake to assume that one ingredient (fish oil) taken out and preserved in an unnatural form would be superior or even equivalent to the same ingredient in its natural context (ie fresh fish). Yes, the innuit ate a lot of fish oil. They also ate (in the past) a lot of fresh foods and very little garbage food. And they ate a lot of fish oil because they had no choice. It's hard to say if all that fish oil was truly the very best diet ever for them. COuld be they just adapted to it over time and also lived healther than us in many other ways. Personally, I don't take fish oil pills as I don't see enough evidence that a person eating plenty of other healthy fats also needs pills of oil. But I suspect moderate dosages probably would not hurt. Moderation is a good way to go when you are not sure... -Eva

Answer by Eva for Eating feral hogs

2012-02-01T20:21:08Z

People do eat them. Feral hogs are a staple in many countries. I know in Korea, hunting feral hogs was long done with a small pack of well trained dogs and one hunter with a knife. The dogs would track and corner it and heckle it until it was tired. Then the dogs would try to hold it while the hunter ran up and slit its throat. But these days the hunters use guns instead. Those hogs are very dangerous but they are easier to catch up with than more docile game species and they have a ton of meat on them. I have seen shows on tv where some in the United States also hunt and eat em. They are said to be quite tasty and if the food they ate was not contaminated, then I am sure their meat is quite healthy.

The problem is most people would not hunt one on their own. And they ARE dangerous. And you have to know how to clean and prep and store them and that is a big job. To do it commercially there are umpteen requirements to legally sell meat, including having an inspector at the site of the slaughter. Because of laws, commercial sale of feral hog meat is complicated and expensive. And catching them isn't easy either.
-Eva

Comment by Eva

2012-02-05T17:07:29Z

Jenny, that would be more plausible if people often didn't develop allergies over time instead of just get rid of them. As far as I can tell the concept of "maturing immune system" is another one that, applied to allergies, is kind of a vague unproven statement. It's another explanation that sounds good but doesn't fit the facts well and doesn't really say much.

Comment by Eva

2012-02-04T07:45:30Z

The main issue was why it was not sold. Yes, a butcher will handle it for you, but you can't SELL it without passing a lot more hurdles. This is probably the main reason why it is not commonly sold. Otherwise, it could be had for cheap as you didn't have to feed and raise the critters and in some places, there are a lot of them. But since you have to have onsite inspectors at the kill in order to be legal to sell the meat, that makes it very complicated.

Comment by Eva

2012-02-04T07:43:01Z

I heard that autopsies show that 1 in 2 Americans have had trichinosos in their lifetime. The lesions in the instestines tell the tale. Apparently, most of us are able to control and contain trichinosis outbreaks without even knowing we ever had them. I suspect it's only a few people who really get sick from it.

Comment by Eva

2012-02-04T07:34:21Z

Yes! I was thinking that the other day, I can eat MUCH spicier food now. I can now keep up with my friends who always clobbered me with the spicy food. It took me a while to figure it out. I had just assumed the foods I ate were less spicy, not that my tolerance had actually gone up. Hehe, I kept thinking the restaurant cooks had days when they put less spice in! Spice tolerance was something I had totally never even considered would likely change for any reason.

Comment by Eva

2012-02-04T07:30:52Z

The call it 'growing out' and due to 'many factors' but ironically, they don't seem to know much if anything about what those factors are. I am guessing the 'factors' have to due with inflammation and body balance.

Comment by Eva

2012-02-04T07:29:23Z

Most of my asmtha is gone but will sneak back a bit if I eat crap food.

Comment by Eva

2012-02-04T07:28:51Z

Oh yeah, forgot to mention that. I also had cat allergy but I was one of the types that actually got better with increased exposure. Thus I could have a cat as long as I always had a cat and so did not lose my resistance. One time, I went a long time between cats and it was hell for 3 months till my allergies went back down. But I always did maintain some mild allergy to other people's cats. But that seems gone too now.

Comment by Eva

2012-02-01T20:23:15Z

I think there is a diff when it comes from fresh fish than from pills.

Comment by Eva

2012-02-01T20:13:14Z

Oh yeah and thanx Kamal. Took some time off. I tend to do that with areas of interest. Once I kinda know most of the stuff, I tend to lose interest and do other things. I am still interested in paleo but it is no longer the new thing in my life.

Comment by Eva

2012-02-01T19:06:16Z

It takes a lot of work to dig out a study and dig through it to try to figure out where they got their info and this is a review of many studies. Kresser may just have other things he would rather be studying than another vague pronouncement by big pharma. Still, I wish he would.

Comment by Eva

2012-02-01T19:03:19Z

I guess they forgot the part that incidence of diabetes goes up with statin use.

Comment by Eva

2011-03-05T04:21:03Z

My mother is 73. She ate a lot of crap most of her life but was still in good shape. But what matters to me is after paleo, she was in BETTER shape!

Comment by Eva

2011-03-05T04:19:07Z

Actually, I often think that weight lifters with close to no body fat and all ripped look kinda creepy. As a woman, I'd rather see a more natural look like the muscles that swimmers get.

Comment by Eva

2011-03-05T04:08:58Z

They didn't use to have to look at total mortality but a recent law changed that rule. Now they are required to look at total mortality. And they are required to publish studies even if they are not supportive of the drug. The end result has been that recent published research has been less supportive of statins. And then there was that one big study which they mysteriously ended the study early, perhaps due to the fact that the study group was developing diabetes at a statistically significantly higher rate and the rate of mortality in that group had taken a turn for the worse..

Comment by Eva

2011-03-05T04:02:38Z

I think only two people have the power to close threads. The rest of us can only vote to close it. I put in a vote so hopefully that will get mod attention.