Friday, August 20, 2010

NPR.org » Food For Thought: Meat-Based Diet Made Us Smarter

Grass-fed Beef - 3 Sirloin Steaks

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128849908
Our earliest ancestors ate their food raw — fruit, leaves, maybe some nuts. When they ventured down onto land, they added things like underground tubers, roots and berries.
It wasn't a very high-calorie diet, so to get the energy you needed, you had to eat a lot and have a big gut to digest it all. But having a big gut has its drawbacks.
"You can't have a large brain and big guts at the same time," explains Leslie Aiello, an anthropologist and director of the Wenner-Gren Foundation in New York City, which funds research on evolution. Digestion, she says, was the energy-hog of our primate ancestor's body. The brain was the poor stepsister who got the leftovers.
Until, that is, we discovered meat.
NPR has a great series going on right now, The Human Edge.

Check it out.

Also Semi-Related, a Great Book Recommendation:

Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us HumanCatching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Where Can I Find Real (Raw) Milk?

Just a quick Link share....

http://realmilk.com/where1.html

Make sure if you do get Raw Milk, that its from Grass Fed Cows. Raw milk from Sick cows would be scary. Raw Milk from Healthy Natural Cows is ideal.

Looking for Cows with Casein A2, Jersey, Asian and African Breeds. These will have fewer potential allergen response, and tend to be less overbred.


and a reminder,



http://eatwild.com/

to find GrassFed/Pastured Meats!

Have some Butter...

Eat your Butter... Its good for you.



Taste - Honestly who doesnt love butter? It's Betta with Budda.
We personally LOVE Kerrygold, for taste and nutritional benefit, its a Grassfed Butter, we get it at Costco, Sams Club, Kroger or Trader Joes...
Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter - Salted (8 ounce) by igourmet.com

Nutrition - A Great Source of Vitamins A, E, K(will have another writeup on this oft overlooked vitamin), Iodine, Anti-Oxidants, Selenium, Butyric Acid(anti inflammatory)

Vitamins are Fat Soluble  - Your body absorbs vitamins better when it has dietary fat.
What good is eating the Healthy Food without the benefits... make sure you add a Healthy Dietary Fat with every real meal to ensure absorption. If you take supplements(I prefer real food), make sure you take them with a meal, with Dietary Fat!

Heres a Great Writeup over at Weston A Price. 



Quality Saturated Fat. Heart Healthy. and Happy Tastebuds to boot!



Carotenoid bioavailability is higher from salads ingested with full-fat than with fat-reduced salad dressings as measured with electrochemical detection.American Journal of Clinical NutritionBrown, M.J., Ferruzzi, M.G., Nguyen, M.L., Cooper, D.A., Eldridge, A.L., Schwartz, S.J., & White, W.S. 

Carotenoid absorption from salad and salsa by humans is enhanced by the addition of avocado or avocado oil.Journal of Nutrition - Unlu, N.Z., Bohn, T., Clinton, S.K., & Schwartz, S.J..

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Intermittent Fasting: A Primer

Lets get one thing on the table right off the bat... Breakfast is NOT the most important meal of the day.

Your metabolism does NOT start as soon as you start eating. Quite the Opposite!

Your metabolism only slows down when your overall caloric intake doesnt meet your bodies needs for an extended period of time, not a day, but weeks.

If you skip a meal, you wont Starve!!!

We store Fat for a reason. To use later. Its our built in Rechargeable batteries. Why in the world would our system decide if we aren't Constantly charging the batteries that they would not provide the juice to our systems?

The truth is, our body is supplying energy via stored fat almost all the time. Its our go to. Heres the kicker. As soon as you eat, your body stops pulling from stored energy and converts over to using (and storing) the incoming food. Eating also releases Insulin, your "Storage and Growth Hormone", which means your body is charging the batteries, rather than pulling from them...

If weight loss is a goal, the less time in Storage Mode the better.


Hunger is the real roadblock for most. The best I can recommend, until your body is used to running on stored fat for longer periods of time, is to move gradually into it.

Delay Breakfast.
Skip Breakfast
Delay Lunch
Skip Lunch.

personally almost every single day I skip breakfast, its easier. then depending how ive been eating lately, I choose to skip lunch or have a breakfast lunch(eggs and bacon!) at lunchtime. Depends how much ive decided to eat lately and my weight/fitness goals. I eat more when Im working out, I eat less if I notice ive gained some weight. I generally dont eat if im not hungry. Generally a 16-18 hour fast, or the days I skip lunch, a 24hr fast.

Martin Berkham over at Leangains.com has a TON of information about Intermittent Fasting if you want more information to read about.

also below Ill post a Number of studies talking about the weight loss and other benefits, but honestly, the list goes on and on far beyond what im sharing here.




Studies show that meal frequency is unimportant. In addition, eating less often and therefore spiking your insulin less often, results in improved insulin sensitivity. Meaning your body is better able to understand when to start and stop storage, signal when you should eat, control hunger, and give you a lower setpoint.

Meal frequency influences circulating hormone levels but not lipogenesis rates in humans - 
Peter J. H. JonesCorresponding Author Contact Information, Gayle L. Namchuk and Raymond A. Pederson
Effect of meal size and frequency on the thermic effect of food- 
Ph.D.Amy Z. Belkoa and M.A.Teresa F. Barbieri
Influence of Diet Composition on Nitrogen Balance and Body Composition in Meal-Eating and Nibbling Rats1-AYSEL OZELCI, DALE R. ROMSOS AND GILBERT A. LEVEILLE
The Human Body May Buffer Small Differences in Meal Size and Timing

during a 24-h Wake Period Provided Energy Balance Is Maintained1-Ulf Holmba, Arne Lowden,Mats Stridsberg and Anders Forslund

The Effect of Meal Frequency on Preprandial Resting Metabolic Rate-Abby Goodman-Larson, Kristine Johnson & Krista Shevlin
Effect of the pattern of food intake on human energy metabolism-BY WILHELMINE P. H. G. VERBOEKET-VAN DE VENNE', KLAAS R. WESTERTERP' AND ARNOLD D. M. KESTER'




Heres a Study showing Intermittent Fasting lowering Inflammation.

Interleukin-6, C-Reactive Protein and Biochemical Parameters during Prolonged Intermittent Fasting- Fehime B. Aksungara, Aynur E. Topkayab, Mahmut Akyildizc

Alternate-day fasting and chronic disease prevention: a review of human and animal trialsKrista A Varady and Marc K Hellerstein 

Calorie restriction (CR) and alternate-day fasting (ADF) represent 2 different forms of dietary restriction. Although the effects of CR on chronic disease prevention were reviewed previously, the effects of ADF on chronic disease risk have yet to be summarized. Accordingly, we review here animal and human evidence concerning ADF and the risk of certain chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. We also compare the magnitude of risk reduction resulting from ADF with that resulting from CR. In terms of diabetes risk, animal studiesof ADF find lower diabetes incidence and lower fasting glucose and insulin concentrations, effects that are comparable to those of CR. Human trials to date have reported greater insulin-mediated glucose uptake but no effect on fasting glucose or insulin concentrations. In terms of cardiovascular disease risk, animal ADF data show lower total cholesterol and triacylglycerol concentrations, a lower heart rate, improved cardiac response to myocardialinfarction, and lower blood pressure. The limited human evidence suggests higher HDL-cholesterol concentrations and lower triacylglycerol concentrations but no effect on blood pressure. In terms of cancer risk, there is no human evidence to date, yet animal studies found decreases in lymphoma incidence, longer survival after tumor inoculation, and lower rates of proliferation of several cell types. The findings in animals suggest that ADF may effectively modulate several risk factors, thereby preventing chronic disease, and that ADF may modulate disease risk to an extent similar to that of CR. More research is required to establish definitively the consequences of ADF.

Corn Oil and Vegetable Oil...will Run your Car....

Photo courtesy of ethanolpics

Corn and Vegetable Oil can be put in Gasoline and Diesel respectively and run a car...

They are similar chemically and have similar reactions...

Would you cook with Gasoline or Diesel? ...

The Easy Oxidation is the reason these work well as fuels. Its also why these go so quickly TOXIC when you cook with them.

They are one of the worst ways to get Omega 6 fats, a misbalance  or oxidation of which leads to cancer and disease.

Just a little food for thought... tho I wouldn't dare eat it. I don't want my food to eat it either.

White Men can't Jump... because they can't squat.

White Men Can't Jump (Ws)

Besides a mildly humorous premise, When you take a look around the US and how we live and eat... This is true... but its not just White Men... Id say, Americans Can't Jump. Sure we have outliers. but by the time we are in our 30's if we aren't actively participating in sports or specifically training to jump... we just arent able to anymore... our kids don't seem to have a problem.. relative to their size of course.

Craig Weller from T-Nation did a great Article about the Third World Squat. I think its a great read about Sitting, Squatting and what we've forgotten how to do, here in America.

http://www.tmuscle.com/readArticle.do;jsessionid=931E7C67CC4D68CDD14935F00ADDDD39.hydra?id=1856085

The classic North American squatting down to grab something from a low shelf or play with his VCR is going to balance on his toes and shoot his knees forward. He's going to try and make the movement feel as much as possible like his natural environment, which is sitting in an office chair.
Home to many butts.
The hips and ankles are immobilized and because the force is being relegated mainly to the quads, the effect of the posterior chain is minimized. The musculature of the lower back will be overactive in order to support the weight of the upper body without much assistance from the glutes. The thoracic spine will generally be flexed forward into a kyphotic posture.

Our Swahili-speaking friend is going to keep his weight on his heels. His feet approximately shoulder width apart and pointed straight forward, with maybe a small amount of external rotation. His feet are in line with his knees, and he'll squat down placing his kneecaps neatly into his armpits. This isn't a skill that he acquired at some point, but simply one that he never lost due to a lifetime of immobility and office work.
An advanced trainee.
In this posture, the thoracic spine is neutral and can be easily extended depending on where the individual's attention is directed. The hips and ankles are able to move freely and remain mobile. The posterior chain is carrying the weight of the body, rather than the quads. When he stands, the power to do so will be generated through the glutes and hamstrings. The lumbar spine remains stable and is used primarily to transfer, rather than generate, force. 

Carrnivore or Herbivore.

Besides the obvious fatal flaws, Veganism is a Moral choice. Not one I would consider, because as much as I like animals... I like myself and my health more.


Theres just no way around it, our bodies are NOT adapted to eating only Vegetables.


We need Meat. Now don't get me wrong. I want Sustainable, Humane, Quality and Healthy Meat. not the CFA poison either.


Thats why I eat Wild Fish, Grass Fed Beef, Wild Forest Fed Boar, Free Range Non Soyfed Chickens and Eggs.


I look for this food to be local if possible, so that I can see how it lives on the farm. So that I Know whats going into my food.


That being said, I just wanted to leave you with 2000 words... Carnivore vs Herbivore, which would you rather be.


Image courtesy of Ianmichaelthomas

image courtesy of G1!7ch



Personally, Im sticking with a Highly Carnivorous, Nutrient Dense Diet with a Healthy Portion of Vegetables on the side... because thats what my body has adapted to live on.


Whole Health Source: Gluten Sensitivity: Celiac Disease is the Tip of the Iceberg

This link is too important not to share. Given my stance on wheat, this puts things into a little more perspective about whether you think you might have a Gluten Intolerance.

Stephan has a great blog over a Whole Health Source, and alot of great information despite the fact that I disagree with him about eating fermented grains... Id rather avoid them all together.
http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2008/12/gluten-sensitivity-celiac-disease-is.html

I want to point out a few key pieces of information from his post.

It gets worse. Gluten sensitivity is determined in large part by genetics. A gene called HLA-DQ is intimately involved. It encodes a protein that is expressed on the surface of cells, that serves to activate immune cells when certain foreign substances are present. Different versions of the gene are activated by different substances. HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8 are classically associated with celiac disease. Roughly 42% of the US population carries DQ2 or DQ8. According to Dr. Fine, every allele except DQ4 has some association with gluten-related problems! Only 0.4% of the U.S. population carries HLA-DQ4 and no other allele.

99.6% of the population of the US has genes that carry no known sensitivities to Gluten....
Thats good odds.

A betting man would assume they were part of that percentage.

Me personally, ive used the Elimination Test to determine my sensitivity. Eat absolutely no wheat, and I mean super strict, read every label, know everything you put in your mouth for 3 weeks. Then have some wheat for 2-3 days. then stop.

People report eliminating, Acne, Asthma, Weight!, Digestive Issues, Heartburn, Allergies, Fatigue and more! all from eliminating one poison thats directly attacking their immune system.

When you reintroduce it, pay attention to all these things to see if they return.
Personally I had Weight Loss, Better Digestion and much better Energy, all of which backfired when I eat Wheat. In fact, now that my gut is healed... if I eat wheat, I have Digestive Issues!

Stephan also explains why most normal testing doesnt pick up on the Gluten Sensitivity, besides, you can see for yourself the difference.

The immune system can be divided into two parts: innate and adaptive. The innate immune system is a nonspecific, first-line reaction to a perceived threat. The adaptive immune system is a more sophisticated, but slower system that produces a powerful response by particular cell types to a very specific threat. Antibody production is part of the adaptive immune system. Thus, if your gluten sensitivity test is looking for antibodies, it could still be missing an immune reaction to gluten mediated by the innate immune system!

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Thor says, Feed me MEAT.

Thor is a Carnivore.

Just like his 2 Good Friends Nariel and Arwen (our 2 cats.)

They are not Omnivores. No matter how much you want your "pet" to be like you. They are domesticated versions of WILD Animals. Wolves and Cats in the Wild EAT MEAT.

Their digestive systems are not designed to eat vegetables, and the influx of carbs that all these bagged foods include for your pet only make your furry companions health worse. Look at the epidemic of overweight pets... we are feeding our pets much like we are feeding ourselves... horribly.

Your Furry Friends needs Protein and Fat. Thats it.

I cringe everytime I pass by a "Pet Bakery".... expensive poison for your loved companion... wow.


Love your Furry Friend? Share some of your Grassfed Steak, Wild-Caught Fish, Free Range Chicken next time...

and buy food that isnt loaded with carbs/vegetables, that marketing is WRONG.

Chickens are not Herbivores.

Chickens are not Herbivores.

Chickens are Omnivores. Now, don't start envisioning wild packs of chickens roaming the countryside taking down wild boars or a loose cow. They do however, love insects.

As with all other food I recommend, a Free Range, Pastured Chicken is allowed to EAT WHAT ITS SUPPOSED TO EAT. Same as when people won't have optimal health with an all vegetarian diet, neither will your chicken or it's eggs.

Amazingly, when animals eat what they are supposed to eat, just like us.... they are healthier.

I dont eat sick animals.

Free Range Chickens produce higher quality eggs. Darker Yolks, a Much better Omega 3 to Omega 6 Ratio, and they taste ALOT better as an added bonus.

Chickens should not be eating soy, for the same reasons we should not be eating soy... and some of those anti-nutrients are delivered right from the eggs directly into our diets. In addition to the poor fat balance.


Ive found two incredibly tasty commercial brands that are Soy Free and have excellent Omega Balance.

Tropical Traditions
 Organic Soy-free Omega 3 Eggs (4 dozen)
Organic Soy-free Omega 3 Eggs (4 dozen)

and Christopher Eggs(I buy them at the local Kroger (appx 2.70/dz)
The Christopher Eggs have 660mg of Omega 3 to 660mg of Omega 6, or that Ideal 1:1 Ratio.

These are of course barring finding a Local Farm to get Organic Free Range Eggs.(best choice)

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Exercise Should be Fun.

Honestly. I Cringe every time I hear someone complain about going to the gym.

Why go? Seriously. Skip the Gym, Cancel your membership. If you don't Enjoy it, Don't do it.



There are so many ways to get your exercise as entertainment. Why would you pay to torture yourself and then go pay to sit on your butt later and call it entertainment?

Here are some of our Favorite Hidden Exercises. They all require me to use Muscles, Many Build Muscles, All of them are fun.(Subjective)


Aegis: Belegarth/Dagorhir Medieval Combat Fighting.
Thor: Wrestling at the Local Dog Park



Aegis: Ultimate Frisbee
Thor: Catch the Frisbee


Aegis: Nature Hike w/ Tree Climbing, Hill Sprints, Log Jumps, Small Rock Climbs.
Thor: Nature Hike w/ Whats that sound?, Look a squirrel!, Creek Splashing.

Aegis: Tennis/Volleyball
Thor: Fetch the Tennis Ball (and promptly rip off all the fuzz)

Aegis: Swimming in the Pool
Thor: Swimming at the Lake/River/Creek(see Nature Hike)

Aegis: Throwing the Ball with Thor and then chasing them both down...
Thor: Chasing the Ball Aegis threw and then running around with it...

Bike Rides, Kayaking, Tree Climbing,  the list goes on and on.





the writer and editor of Live Smarter, Not Harder takes no responsibility for your lack of grace and balance in tree climbing or other "fun" activities. Any injuries sustained while following their advice is strictly from your own lack of dexterity.

Correlation does not imply causation: The Cholesterol example.


Correlation does not imply causation


Such a simple statement... Yet AMERICA's S.A.D. Diet is completely broken because of a couple simple instances of Assuming Causation based on a flawed and limited Correlation study.

I felt this deserved a post all on its own, since this flaw is why we believe so many things we shouldn't and should be one of the first things you check when concerned about a study.

True Science has a "control" when the control is uncontrolled... the science is flawed.

The more firemen fighting a fire, the bigger the fire is going to be.Therefore firemen cause fire.

We use that same flawed logic to explain Dietary Fat, Cholesterol, Diabetes, and a number of other health issues.
Yet the Firemen are there to help.

Cholesterol is a great example of this.

This is a forum post with great explination of whats going on, with references and more reading

If you havent yet, I Strongly Strongly suggest getting this book:

It is NOT a Diet Book. It is a Review of Science gone wrong, where it went wrong, and why its wrong.
Good Calories, Bad Calories

The Great Cholesterol Con: The Truth About What Really Causes Heart Disease and How to Avoid It

This one is also a good read if Cholesterol is a concern, but the bulletpoints are covered for the layman quite well by Griff in the Marks Daily Apple Forum post that I linked above.











Monday, May 31, 2010

How to get Started.

I've been asked by several people now, How did you get the motivation to get started?
So heres another quick list of steps to get you off the couch and get you started on your own weight loss journey.

Thor Says: Repair your Metabolism.

Go back to one of my first posts about Leptin/Insulin. Metabolic Syndrome (Obesity/etc) is caused by high Resistance with these 2 hormones. Repairing these 2 hormones will cause you body to be able to distinguish WHEN to stop and start eating on its own.

How? Food. Meat, Vegetables, Limited Nuts,  Limited Fruit. In that order. Avoid Vegetable Oils, Sugars, Grains.

Thor Says: Don't Overeat.


this one looks good on paper, harder to accomplish.
Don't clean your plate.
Don't Fill your plate. Its ok if theres extra room.
Don't go back for seconds.
Don't trust that hunger pain... remember, your hormones are damaged, until they are repaired, they dont know whats best for you... but soon.
Don't eat at Buffets.
Don't eat till you are Stuffed, Stop once you aren't hungry, maybe earlier.
Eat Satiating Food. Carbs dont fill you up. They make you hungrier. Protein and Fat fill you up.

Thor Says: Skip a Meal.


It won't kill you, mainstream media tells you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day... or maybe they just want you to buy their processed carbohydrate obesity puffs?
If you're trying to lose weight, skip breakfast, eat a reasonable lunch(of only good healthy food) and a healthy dinner. Suck it up, show some willpower, the hunger cravings are simply a trained response from a broken hormonal system. I promise they will go away. Once your sensitivity to Insulin and Leptin return, you'll find that you can skip an entire day and still feel great when you've had enough to eat.

You will learn that Food is fuel for activities, and when you eat right and your hormones are in balance, you will find yourself with boundless energy and the DESIRE to get up and do things!!!

Thor Says: Walk.

Get everything moving. Don't worry about muscle gain, exercise, Aerobics, Weight Lifting or the rest of the high intensity activities. Once your hormones are repaired, you will WANT to do those things.

Until then, Walk. 30 minutes a day. Just get yourself moving. If you're in a situation similar to where I was, a 30 min walk is a huge workout!!!

Thor Says: Sleep

If you're not rested, you wont have energy. Only you know how much you need. I highly doubt that 5-6 hours is adequate however.
Avoid the Bright lights of a computer or TV before going to sleep. Give yourself at least 30minutes of no bright light before going to sleep and you will sleep significantly better.


Once your Hormones are Repaired, you will no longer need to count calories(you'll stop eating naturally, including skipping a meal when not hungry), you will no longer need to schedule exercise(you will seek it naturally) you will simply have to eat naturally, and avoid the garbage thats prevalent in the SAD. (Standard American Diet)

Thats all it takes to get Started.

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Your Appendix has a purpose!

Not all bacteria are bad. In Fact certain Bacteria are symbiotic and vital to our ability to break down food and nutrients to a form our body can readily use.

There is a constant struggle in our Intestines, one that strongly regulates our overall health.  Thor says: Enjoy a good struggle, but not in your gut!

The Good Bacteria feed on Prebiotic food. Conveniently, the Food they want is what we eat for our own health, Meats, Vegetables, Nuts, some fruit.

The Bad Bacteria feed on Sugars, Grains, and the garbage we shouldn't be eating anyways.
Starve them out!

Your Appendix has a purpose. It has been shown to serve as a repository for Good Bacteria.
When you get sick, diarrhea or other intestinal issues, take an antibiotic(gah!) or otherwise harm your Good Bacteria, The Appendix releases its stores of Healthy Bacteria and resets your system.

Gut Health ties back to such an incredible # of diseases, because it is the primary helper of your immune system. Good Bacteria will help clear out the bad bacteria. A clean system means your immune system can focus on cleaning the rest of your body instead of being tired and exhausted of resources from having to fight in your gut constantly. This is why Sugar and Grains cause you to get sick, Its like sending ammunition to the enemy in the middle of a war, that they shoot back at you!!! Politics aside, this is what we do on a daily basis when we eat Sugars and Grains!

Good Bacteria is responsible for breaking down carbs into short chain fatty acids, which the body can then use. We do not have a process for breaking down starches on our own.


people on the Standard American Diet (SAD) have horrible gut flora. Gas, Indigestion and very very weak immune systems. constipation etc. The list goes on and on.

You need to do 2 things.

Stop sending ammo to the enemy.

Bring in reinforcements.

Probiotics and Prebiotics. Getting alot of news coverage lately, these are the Omega3 of the Yogurt Industry... kinda humorous considering most of the yogurts include SUGAR (Feeding the Enemy) and they usually only contain one strain of bacteria and unknown quantities.

Garden of Life Primal Defense Ultra Ultimate Probiotics Formula, Capsules, 90-Count BottleThe other alternative is popping freeze dried pills. I personally dont know if theyre working, if the bacteria are alive, etc... in addition, the Prebiotics(a fancy way of saying Bacteria Food) arent packaged with them, therefore the newly awoken billions of freeze dried bacteria have nothing to eat and starve or get flushed out before they can setup camp.

The First Choice should be Food. Raw Food in particular, now im not recommending you eat everything raw. Tho I love Sushi and munch on fruit and veggies often... this is the best way to get these bacteria as Heat kills bacteria.


Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture FoodsFermentation. Lacto Fermented Food that hasn't been pasteurized. Homemade Sauerkraut etc. Note: most store bought varieties are mixed with preservatives that fry the good bacteria.
Also look for natural pickles,

Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods
is a great read/recipe book for Natural Fermentation.




Lifeway Original Kefir ( 32 Fl. oz )Yogurt/Kefir - The easiest way to get live active cultures.
If you're buying either, be sure to look for 3 things.

  • Live Active Cultures. Usually 1 or 2 in Yogurt, 10+ in the right Kefir!
  • Low to No Sugar. seriously.
  • Full Fat. Feeds you and feeds the healthy bacteria. Low Fat makes you fat!
I love the Greek Style Kefir, available at most Grocery Stores.



Friday, May 28, 2010

Our Stocked Kitchen - Vegetables

On to Vegetables! I won't be discussing all vegetables, simply the ones we choose to stock in our kitchen. There is such a wide variety out there, and so many that people like and dislike, eat what you love!
As far as Vegetables go, Your Bulk Stores, Costco/Sams carry Organic options but your best bet is almost always a local farmers market.


  • Asparagus - A wonderful Vegetable for Anti-Inflammatory, Promoting Good Bacteria(Prebiotic), Vitamin K(Calcium regulation), Potassium, B Vitamins, etc etc... the list goes on. This is a superfood and we eat it multiple times a week. 
    • Sauteed on the Grill in Coconut Oil/Garlic is my Favorite! Pretty Good in Butter too.
Mary Washington Asparagus 100 Seeds - Veggie

  • Broccoli - another Superfood. Eye Health, Anti Oxidant, Anti Inflammatory, More Calcium than Milk, B Vitamins(including Folic).. .Another Several times a week Staple
    • We love Roasted Broccoli, Toss Broccoli in Olive Oil and Fresh Diced Garlic and Roast in Oven. Super easy.
Green Calabrese Broccoli 500 Seeds-GARDEN FRESH!

  • Onions - A Great source of Prebiotic(feeds good bacteria) Onions also may help prevent colon cancer,  They also have similar sulfides to garlic which have been shown to lower blood lipids and blood pressure. They may also help promote Free Testosterone, great for building muscle.
    • I love Sauteed Onions or just Raw on a Salad. A good fresh Vidalia I have been known to eat like an apple.
FRESH PRODUCE Onions, Yellow, Organic (Pack of 3)




  • Peppers - Green, Red, Hot, Sweet, Mild. I grill them all. Mmmm. More Vitamin C than most Fruits, Peppers are extremely Anti-Inflammatory. Hot Peppers even more so, in fact Capsaicin (the thing in hot peppers that makes them HOT), is one of the most anti-inflammatory things you can ingest! Dont worry, your body adapts to spicy quickly, the more you eat, the easier it gets. Excellent Source of Vitamins A, B, C and Lycopene
    • I love sweet peppers on my salads, Hot peppers with everything, and Bell Peppers in Stirfry/Fajitas/Taco Salad.
Frontier Bulk Bell Peppers, Red & Green, Diced 3/8", CERTIFIED ORGANIC, 1 lb. package

  • Greens - Salad base. Lettuce, Cabbage, Any Leafy Vegetable. Avoid Iceberg, mostly water, the darker the color the healthier.
    • Honestly, for me, these are Salad Base. I prefer the Mixed Salad Greens , many prefer simply Romaine.
      • perhaps a Lettuce Wrap for Tacos/Burgers.

  • Mushrooms - Selenium, Iron, Protein.. Technically a Fungus, not a Vegetable. A potent Anti Oxidant, and may help with Energy Regulation.
    • Grilled or Sauteed, near mandatory addition to any Steak or Meatza Creation!
Portobello Mushrooms

  • Zucchini and Squash- Anti Oxidant, Anti - Inflammatory (noticing a trend?) We prefer these grilled after a lite drizzle in E.V. Olive Oil or Coocnut Oil.

  • Garlic - Potent Anti -Inflammatory, Helps fight cancer, lower blood pressure, improve cardiovascular system and add a ton of flavor to almost any dish, we eat garlic literally Every day.
    • We buy it Pre-Minced for convenience, remember to read ingredients, if it says anything other than "Garlic, Water". Don't get it.
Frontier Minced Garlic,16 Ounce Bags (Pack of 2)-


  • Salad Veggies - Celery, Cucumbers, Carrots, we dont generally cook with these, but they have great vitamin profiles, anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatories, and add flavor and garnish to your Big Salads.

  • Cilantro - in addition to being a super plant all on its own, Cilantro has been shown to be a heavy metal scrub, flushing toxins and heavy metals from your system. Another personal favorite for adding flavor to dishes as well. rounds out our mean homemade Pico De Gallo (recipe forthcoming)
Cilantro Leaves

  • Sweet Potatoes - Not Yams, Don't get the sugary dessert copies. This is one of the few starches I eat, because these Tubers are an excellent source of vitamins and minerals, Vitamin A in particular
    • Baked, with Kerrygold Butter and Saigon Cinnamon... melt in your mouth goodness.

  • Ginger - another great spice, extreme anti-inflammatory, and known to be an amazing home remedy for quelling stomach discomfort and motion sickness (ive personally tested this.)
    • Great seasoning for Fish, Seafood, Stir Fry.

What are your favorite Vegetables?