This paleo chili recipe is one of my absolute FAVORITE meals.  You can tell from the amounts that I make plenty to have the day after

If you love bacon, meat, and spices, I’m sure you’ll be a fan of Viking Chili too

(With the Super Bowl coming up, this is a great main course for your football party…)

Here’s the ingredient list:

• 1.5 pounds uncured bacon
• 2 onions
• 6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 5 pounds ground beef (grass-fed is best)
• 6 tablespoons chili powder
• 1.5 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1.5 teaspoon paprika
• 2 14.5 ounce cans chopped tomatoes with liquid
• 1.5 tablespoons pure cocoa powder
• 1.5 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Optional:

• Dashes of tabasco sauce
• Cayenne pepper
• Sea Salt
• Turmeric

Now, step-by-step instructions:

Set a large pot (I use an 8 quart stainless steel or le creuset) on the stove and start at medium-low heat.  Use scissors to snip the bacon right into the pot.

Uncured bacon is by far the best choice (reasons why here: Sodium Nitrites Are Bad).  Trader Joes has uncured bacon “ends and pieces” for $2.99 a pound.

Why you’re waiting for some fat to render out of the bacon, chop your onions.  Pictured are one white and one purple onion, but the choice is up to you

When the chopped bacon has started to brown, and there is some delicious bacon fat in the pot, add onions and stir

While that is going, coarsely chop some garlic (Or, if you’re lazy, get minced garlic at the grocery store)

When the onions have turned translucent cooking in the bacon grease, add the chopped garlic

Cook a few minutes longer.  Now, add the ground meat to the pot and stir until no pink remains

Your best choice for beef is to use grass-fed.  Other options include beefalo, bison, elk, venison, and ground turkey.  (I wasn’t a fan of the ground turkey, but some of my friends are)

With lower fat meats (venison, bison) you might need to add a little beef or chicken broth.  But with higher fat meats (beef, turkey) you might want to drain some of the fat out with a ladle:

Once all the meat is cooked through, add the spices (EXCEPT for the cocoa and vinegar) and tomatoes and stir well to combine

Cover the pan and simmer on low heat for an hour, stirring every 15 to 20 minutes.  Adjust the temperature up or down if necessary.

An hour later, add the vinegar and cocoa powder and stir well.  Then let it simmer uncovered for another 20 minutes.

Now try a little taste and add some sea salt, to taste.

I garnished this chili with some European grass-fed sour cream and sharp goat cheddar with some chopped green onions and cilantro.  To go more fully paleo, forgo the dairy and use some diced avocado instead.

Serve and enjoy!

Servings: Twelve

Did you know…

• In 1850 sugar consumption was just 20 lbs per person per year; in 2007 the average person ate 160 lbs per person per year
• The average person in the USA eats 6 oz or 1/3 lb of sugar per day
• High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is the #1 source of calories in the American diet
• Increases in chronic disease, including cancer, diabetes, obesity, and heart disease directly correlate with HFCS hitting the market in the 1970′s
• The average American eats 4,000 lbs of sugar in a lifetime (imagine a dump truck full!)
• Ninety cents of every grocery dollar is spent on processed food full of HFCS
• High Fructose Corn Syrup is metabolized into fat faster than other sugars
• HFCS has significant traces of the neurotoxin mercury

Here is some more info from Wold Fitness about sugar:

99 Ways Sugar Is Poisoning You

The Sweetest Scam Of All Time

Sugar Cravings Taking Over Your Brain!

Soda makes people fat.  I thought everyone already knew that, but a Dutch study published less than 2 weeks ago (abstract) found that drinking soda leads to enhanced risk for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.

But besides making people fat, soda can really tear you up inside.  To illustrate, here are 34 ways you can use soda around the house.  Read them and then decide if something that melts rust off of chrome is really something you want going into your body…

CLEANING

1. Clean Car Battery Terminals. There’s acid in almost all carbonated drinks. And that helps strip corrosion from car battery terminals. Pour some soda over the battery terminals and let it sit for a while. Wipe off the residue with a wet cloth.

2. Clean Your Dirty Toilet Bowl. Got bad stains, a date coming over in an hour and no toilet cleaner? Pour a can of soda into the bowl. Let it sit for an hour to let the phosphoric acid work on the stains, then brush to loosen the dirt and flush clean.

3. Remove Rust Spots From Chrome. If you have an older car that has real chrome trim, chances are there are some small, and some not so small, rust spots developing on the chrome. Take some crumpled aluminum foil, dip it in some cola and rub the rust off the affected area.

4. Remove Rust Stains in Your Tub. Remember how the phosphoric acid worked to clean the toilet bowl? The same acid will remove rust stains in your tub. Soak a sponge (preferably one with an abrasive side), in some cola and go to work on the stain.

5. Clean Grout. Got some mold and mildew ruining the look of your shower? Soak a sponge with Coke and work it into the grout. Rinse with water.

6. Remove Grease From Clothes. Been working on the car all weekend and greased up more than just the engine? Pouring a can of cola into your washer, along with your regular detergent, is said to help loosen and wash away those grease stains.

7. Remove Milk Stains From Clothes. Got milk? Soak the stain with Coke for about five minutes, then wash normally. It should get the stain out.

8. Remove Blood Stains From Clothes. Ruin your favorite shirt when you nicked yourself shaving? If you soak the stain with cola for five minutes then wash in your machine, the blood should come out. Even dried blood that’s been there for a while.

9. Clean Coins. Got a thing for shiny pennies? Collecting state quarters and want them to sparkle? Place your coins in a small dish and soak in Coke for a few hours. Rinse and wipe to a bright shine.

10. Clean Grease From Glass. Even Eyeglasses. That same handy phosphoric acid removes grease and grime from glass. Even dried hairspray from mirrors. Just rinse thoroughly with water after.

11. Clean Oil Stains From Garage Floor or Driveway. Pour soda over the stain, let it soak in for a while, then scrub and rinse off with a hose.

12. Clean Burnt Pans. Forget a pot on the stove and now whatever was in it is seared to the bottom? If scrubbing won’t get it off, try this: boil some Coke in the pot and the burnt-on mess should lift right out.

AROUND THE HOUSE

13. Loosen Clogged Drains. If your sink is draining slowly and you don’t have any drain cleaner in the house, pour a 2-liter bottle of cola down the drain and let the acids go to work on the clog.

14. Loosen Rusted Nuts and Bolts. Soak a rag in cola and wrap it around the rusted-on bolt for a few minutes. The acids and carbonation will help loosen it.

15. Make Flowers Last Longer. Got your girl some flowers and you want them to survive through the week? Pour about 1/4 cup of clear soda, like Sprite or 7-Up into a vase full of water. Sugar helps them last longer.

16. Strip Paint From Metal Patio Furniture. Want to refinish some outdoor furniture? Do it the right way and strip off the old paint first. To make it easier, soak a towel in Coke. Let it sit on the furniture for about a week, adding more Coke whenever the towel starts to dry out. The paint should strip off easily.

17. Kill Slugs and Snails. If these pests are invading your lawn and garden, pour a little Coke into shallow dishes or jar lids and spread them throughout your yard. The sugar attracts them, and, just like you remember from when you were a kid, the acid kills them.

18. Greener Lawn. It’s rumored that spraying Coke on your grass will keep your lawn greener into the fall months.

FIRST AID AND EMERGENCIES

19. Relieve Nausea or an Upset Stomach. According to The Doctor’s Book of Home Remedies, the syrup in Coca-Cola can be used to cure upset stomachs. Just let leave the can or bottle open for about 30 minutes first, until the soda goes flat. The carbonation could have an adverse effect on your stomach.

20. Prevent Diarrhea. Also found in The Doctor’s Book of Home Remedies, if you’re traveling through a country with a questionable water and/or food supply, drinking coke could keep you from making constant “runs for the border”. The acids in the soda help reduce the amount of E. Coli bacteria in your intestines. This inhibits the production of toxins that can cause diarrhea.

21. Relieve Constipation. If you are, as the Germans say, Farfrompoopin, the caffeine from a can of coke can have a laxative effect. Much like that morning latte.

22. Stop an Asthma Attack. Just as an asthma attack comes on, down a couple of cans of coke. Some sources say the caffeine can help prevent an asthma attack.

23. Ease a Sore Throat. By gargling with soda you can loosen the phlegm causing the irritation.

24. Stop a Jellyfish Sting From Stinging. The acids in cola seem to neutralize the venom in the sting. And pouring Coke over the wound is better than having your buddy pee on it.

25. Get Gum Out of a Kid’s Hair.  Come to the rescue with your can of Coke. Soak the kid’s hair for a few minutes, then rinse. The gum should come right out.

26. Strip Dye From Hair. If your girl comes over crying that her new dye job turned her hair green, wash her hair with Diet Coke. Apparently Diet Coke has the ability to strip and/or fade bad dye jobs.

27. Get Rid of Skunk Odor. Pissed off Pepè Le Pew and now you aren’t allowed in the house? Sponge down with some cola and hose yourself off. Again, those handy acids work to neutralize the stink.

28. Use As a Moisturizer. Mixing a capful of cola with unscented lotion is said to enhance the moisturizing effects.

29. Keep People From Slipping on Slick Floors. If you’re having an outdoor get together and you’re worried about guests slipping on your back patio, try this old stagehand trick: use a mop to spread a thin layer of Coke on the slippery surface. It’ll dry slightly sticky and tacky.

DUBIOUS USES

30. Give Your Hair Shine. Pour a can of coke over your head, work it into your hair, then rinse. It’s said your hair will be incredibly shiny. And impervious to slugs and snails.

31. Mousse Alternative. Mix equal parts coke and water in a spray bottle and mix well. After you shower, spray a light coat of the mixture into your hair, then style. (I’m sure having sugar in your hair all day won’t attract flies or be uncomfortable at all.)

32. Prevent Flatulence. Adding a can of coke to a pot of pinto beans when cooking is supposed to neutralize the gas-causing compounds.

33. Get a Darker Tan. There are those who say rubbing plain coke all over your body gives you a deeper tan. (There’s caramel coloring in there, but I question the evenness of the result, and how long it will last.)

34. Shell Hard Boiled Eggs. Apparently, if you soak hard boiled eggs in Coke the shells will dissolve, eliminating the need to actually have to peel them.

This post is for those of you out there who have heard about the paleo diet and want to give it a shot.

It can seem like a huge huge HUGE deal to switch over to paleolithic foods from a modern diet, but I’m willing to bet you’ve already eaten paleo and just didn’t realize it.

Ever have a veggie stuffed omelet for breakfast?

Ever had a salad with sliced chicken and nuts for lunch?

Ever had steak and a salad for dinner?

Yeah?

Now just do all three of those on the same day and you’re eating paleo.

Coooool

And here are 5 little tips to help you make the transition even easier:

1) Remember why you’re doing it.

Switching to paleo will eliminate most modern health problems (diabetes, obesity, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, etc) and make losing weight a snap.

Reminding yourself of the terrific improvements you’re going to make in your health and well-being will make switching to the paleo diet… exciting!

Whenever you need a reminder, look at all the success stories posted on Mark Sisson’s website (author of the Primal Blueprint): Paleo Success Stories

2) Don’t worry about getting your carbs.

With years and years of a high-carb diet being pounded into our brains, beginning paleo eaters freak out about not having enough carbs to fuel their bodies.  Don’t worry – we actually aren’t designed to eat grains or legumes, and they’re making us sick.

If you feel weak or light-headed and worry your brain isn’t getting enough fuel though, you’re probably right.  Most people drastically under-eat when they go paleo.  Just think, if you’re used to getting 100 grams of carbs from grains at each meal and then just drop the grains, you’re going to come in 1200 Calories low at the end of the day.

The trick to avoid light-headedness during the switch is to eat wayyy more protein and fat then you’re used to on a modern diet.  That way you get enough calories from good sources and never get the dreaded “low-carb flu.”

3) Learn how to cook.

I had a 43 year old mother of three join my boot camp a while back.  Here’s the thing… she had never learned to cook!

She raised her kids on microwaved meals and fast food.  Period.

I had to help her find youtube videos of how to scramble eggs, and guided her on cooking chicken.

The more you cook, the better you look.

Cooking is an adventure.  Learning how to prepare delicious paleo meals feels great!

I used to HATE cooking.  I mean, food is just fuel, right?  Who cares as long as it’s edible.

Well, I’m glad to say that since embracing paleo eating I now LOOOOOVE to cook.  It makes you feel awesome when you make a delicious meal from scratch and can say, “wow, that was freakin’ delicious!”

You don’t have to go all Julia Childs, either.  A cast iron skillet is about all the tools you need.  Start small if you’ve never cooked before.  Scramble some eggs.  Barbeque some chicken.  Do more as you grow more confident.

Always remember this rule: The more you cook, the better you look.

4) Clean out your pantry.

If it’s in your house, you’re going to eat it sooner or later.  (Probably sooner)

Get rid of snacks and treats first.  Then do a deeper cleaning and get rid of anything made with grains, sugar, dairy, soy, or legumes (beans).

Give it to your friend’s kid in college, students will eat anything.

And now…

5) Stock up on the good stuff!

Have plenty of choices.  Don’t try going paleo with an empty fridge.

Make it a rule to try one new vegetable a week.  (Smaller markets are great for this)

Try meats you’ve never had, like elk or duck.

Experiment with new (old) fats, like macadamia nut oil, avocado oil, or duck fat.

Get lots of meat and always have some cooked for when you’re hungry, so you’re not tempted to go out and find a bad-for-you snack.  Here’s a list of sample paleo snacks that you can use for ideas: Primal Snacking Rocks

Transitioning to paleolithic eating from modern eating isn’t that hard, all it takes from you is the decision to do it!

Ok, the study I’m going to share with you here is pretty cool…

The researchers fed their subjects a control diet for four weeks and measured body fat mass and metabolism.

Then, they took 6 grams of fat out of the diet and replaced it with 6 grams of fish oil.

So, exactly the same calories, exactly the same fat.  Only change was swapping out other fats for fish oil – and only 6 grams of it at that.

What do you think happened?  Even though metabolism remained unchanged, the subjects LOST FAT!

The control group who kept on the original diet lost 0.7 pounds over the next 3 weeks.

The fish oil group lost 2.2 pounds (over 3x as much) in the same amount of time.

Diet was the same.  Calories were the same.  Exercise was the same.  The only difference was the switching in of fish oil, and they lost 3x as much fat.

What does this mean for you?

Start taking some freaking fish oil!!

I take 12-15 grams a day.  I recommend at least 6 grams a day.  Start with 2 grams, one capsule with breakfast, the other with dinner.  If you stomach still feels ok, add another capsule every few days until you reach six.

SPOILER ALERT:  This next paragraph is gross.

You’ll know when you’ve reached your temporary maximum dosage because your poop will turn grey and runny.  Back down a gram or two if this happens.  As your system adjusts over a few weeks, you can start adding again.

To keep fish burps to a minimum, take your capsules with food, get enteric coated capsules, take lemon-flavored fish oil, or keep your capsules in the fridge (good idea anyway).

If you’re interested in the study, here’s the citation:

Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 1997 Aug;21(8):637-43.
Effect of dietary fish oil on body fat mass and basal fat oxidation in healthy adults.
Couet C, Delarue J, Ritz P, Antoine JM, Lamisse F.
Laboratoire de Nutrition et Clinique Médicale A, J.E. 313, Université François Rabelais, 37000 Tours, France.

And here’s a link to the abstract: Fish Oil Is Awesome

DEPRESSION IS NOT A PROZAC DEFICIENCY!!

Mental illness has become an extremely profitable business in the United States.  Annual sales of anti-depressants keeps growing and growing.

In fact, major depression is expected to become the secondmost cause of disability worldwide by 2020.

Anxiety, panic, and depression steal from the experience of life and cast a dark cloud over everything.

Eating clean and exercising definitely help to fight both depression and anxiety, but sometimes you need a little bit extra to balance things out.

That’s where natural supplements come in.  Below is a list of nutrients that will help you take control:

1.  A low carbohydrate diet, with no grains or sugars.  (For more info on sugar check out these blog posts: Sugar Cravings Taking Over Your Brain and 99 Ways Sugar Is Poisoning You)

2.  Plenty of water.  A dehydrated brain doesn’t work right.

3.  B-complex supplementation.  The B vitamins all work together, if you’re missing just one, none of them work.

4.  Full-spectrum Sea Salts.  Sea salts are full of the trace minerals you need to keep yourself in balance.  I personally like to get a salt from a different area every time I need some more.  This week it might be Celtic salts, next week Himalayan salts.  Doing this helps me be sure that I’m getting a wide variety of trace minerals.

5.  Magnesium.  Try to get 600-800mg a day.  Magnesium glycinate is very easily absorbed by your body.  Since magnesium can be taken in through your skin, Epsom salt (magnesium sulphate) baths or magnesium oils can be a good magnesium boost when you’re feeling down or overworked.

6.  Zinc.  Zinc can be rough on an empty stomach, so I take my zinc and magnesium right after breakfast.  If I’m feeling beat down from tough workouts or super-stressed, I take a second dose after dinner.

7.  L-tryptophan.  This amino acid is what people talk about in turkey dinners – it doesn’t make  you sleepy, don’t worry .  Typtophan is useful for fighting off both depression and anxiety and is a direct precursor to serotonin.

A good way to take tryptophan is 500mg on an empty stomach and note how you are feeling.  If you don’t improve your sense of general well-being within a half hour, take 500mg more, and continue.  When you start feeling better, that is your dose.  (Note: Do NOT take is you are also taking anti-depressants.  Talk to your doctor first)

8.  Theanine.  This amino acid is useful for combating anxiety paired with mind racing and physical tension.  Begin with a low amount on an empty stomach and find your personal prescription the same way you did with L-typtophan in #7.

Theanine can be found in black and green tea and is the precursor to the calming neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid.

Theanine shows positive effects on both serotoning and dopamine.  Small doses can raise your energy, while larger amounts are very relaxing.

More benefits include lowering high blood pressure (maybe through the calming effect) as well as being neuroprotective against alzheimer’s and dementia.

9.  Gamma-aminobutyric acid.  This is the neurotransmitter supported with theanine.  It can also be taken as a supplement itself.  It is used by naturopaths for issues with anxiety, physical tension, and racing thoughts.

10.  L-tyrosine.  This amino acid becomes norepinephrine and dopamine – both neurotransmitters linked to depression.

Figure out the dose the way you would with theanine or tryptophan.

Tyrosine is stimulating and so you shouldn’t take it if you have a problem responding to stress, it might set you off.  Also, since tyrosine is a precursor to melanin (skin pigment), so you shouldn’t take it if you have melanoma.

Don’t use tyrosine if anxiety is your problem, only for depression.

11.  Taurine.  Famous for being an ingredient in the energy drink Red Bull, tyrosine is good for fighting anxiety related problems.  It helps take care of nervousness without being sedating.

Taurine is an antioxidant, helps support bile functions, and helps take care of the electrical system in your brain and heart.

Work out your dosage the way you would with other amino acids (small amounts on an empty stomach).  Very high doses might have a diuretic effect (you’ll pee more), but aren’t toxic.

12.  DL-phenylalanine.  Another amino acid precursor to tyrosine, norepinephrine, dopamine, and endorphins.  Read about tyrosine above, DL-phenylalanine has the same warnings.

DL-phenylalanine is very helpful people with strong addictions towards pleasure seeking.  (Ever seek pleasure or comfort from foods?  Check out these posts: End Emotional Eating and Do You Use Food As A Reward?)

13.  Sunshine or Light Boxes.  I prefer sunshine

Using a light box for 15-30 minutes in the morning can shut down melatoning production during the day, which lessens fatigue and depression as well as raising serotonin levels.

Spend as much time outdoors as you can without burning to get the most you can out of “light nutrients.”

Oh, and don’t wear sunglasses when you walk on your lunch break.

14.  Vitamin D.  Vitamin D is another supplement I take daily.  Deficiencies in vitamin D can lead to not only depression and anxiety, but a whole host of other health problems.  (A lack of vitamin D has been shown to be a big cancer risk)

15.  Fish Oil/Omega 3s.  Fish oil helps you with EVERYTHING.  Depression, anxiety, weight loss, you name it, fish oil can help.

There you have it, 15 natural supplements to help fight depression and anxiety.

Long term, your best defense against both depression and anxiety are a healthy low-carb diet, exercise, and a strong social support network – your family and friends.

It’s no secret to my friends that THE MIGHTY THOR is my hero

Chris Hemsworth, the actor who played Thor in the recent movie, had to build some serious muscle to fill out his armor:

Now, I don’t normally write about GAINING weight, but I’ve received a few questions from guys who want to put on a little muscle and the Chris Hemsworth nutrition example is a good starting guideline.

Breakfast:

4 eggs
Bowl of porridge
Piece of fruit

Morning Snack:

Handful of nuts and a piece of fruit

Lunch:

2 Chicken Breasts
Big Salad
1 serving of potato or rice

Afternoon Snack:

Handful of nuts, piece of fruit, can of tuna or 6 deli meat slices

Dinner:

Huge serving of steak or fish
Big Salad

Evening Snack:

Protein shake

If you look at the food choices, you can see that Chris ate following a nutrient timing plan: starchy carbs only early in the day.

This diet bulked Chris up so quickly he actually had to try and LOSE some muscle when they started filming because… he was too big for his costume!  Cool!

About the only thing I’d change about this eating plan would be to choose different sources of starchy carbs.

Oats, for instance, have a negative effect on blood sugar, digestion, and nutrient absorption.  Chris could have made an oatmeal replacement out of banana chips (recipe: http://www.paleo-project.com/paleo-recipes/breakfast/paleo-oat-free-oatmeal/), or added some healthy fats and made an “oatmeal” out of nuts, eggs, and almond milk (recipe: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/no-oat-oatmeal-its-no-atmeal/)

And instead of rice or a regular potato, you could switch to sweet potatoes or Okinawan Blue potatoes to increase the nutrients in your food and to put on muscle without putting on fat.

If you want to add some muscle, use Chris’s Thor diet to give you some ideas and then get cooking!

Why would you want to add more lean muscle?  Check out this post on Wold Fitness: Get Some Firmness On Your Frame

“The more you cook, the better you look”

Learning how to make healthy meals tasty and interesting is one of the best things you can do for your physique and your health.

Today I want to share some of the recipes from here on Wold Fitness. (WARNING!  Not all of these recipes are pure paleo)

First, check out this post: Six Dumb Things You Do In Your Kitchen

You’ll get a breakdown of simple things you can do to improve your healthy eating

Now, on to the recipes!

Smoked Salmon Salad

Paleo Peach And Pecan Scramble

Beef And Pepper Kabobs

Grilled Salmon And Peach Salad

19 Primal Snacks

Apple Pie Scrambled Eggs

Coconut Milk Ice Cream

Asian Turkey Burger

Bacon And Brussels Sprouts

Lentil Fruit Salad

Smoked Salmon Wrap

Hyper-Veggie Breakfast Scramble

One of my favorite paleo/primal eating books is: NeanderThin: Eat Like a Caveman to Achieve a Lean, Strong, Healthy Body by Ray Audette.

In Neanderthin you can find the Ten Commandments of Eating Like A Caveman.  They are…

Thou Shalt Eat:

• Meats and Fish
• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Nuts and Seeds
• Berries

Thou Shalt Not Eat:

• Grains
• Beans
• Potatoes
• Dairy
• Sugar

If you want a few ideas of what to eat and what to avoid, I’m going to list a few options from each of the “commandments.”

Meat and Fish:

Beef, veal, lamb, pork, venison, chicken, turkey, ostrich, duck, pheasant, quail, rabbit, buffalo, moose, elk, seal, bear, squid, octopus, goose, oysters, clams, mussels, lobster, crayfish, hlibut, cod, salmon, eel, trout, bass, carp, sardines, tuna, whitefish, orange roughie, all other wild fish

Fruits:

Apples, cherries, pears, peaches, melons, cucumbers, tomatoes, bananas, avocados, plums, olives, figs, dates, mangoes, kiwi, star fruit, pineapple, plums, pomegranates, passion fruit, peppers, watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, oranges, lemons, limes, tangerines, tangelos, citrons, nectarines, papaya.

(Note: If you’re eating paleo-style to lose weight, minimize your fruit intake)

Vegetables:

Lettuce, cabbage, kohlrabi, kale, rhubarb, cauliflower, flowers, broccoli, asparagus, parsley, spinach, celery, carrots, onions, mushrooms, greens, tea leaves, radish, arugula, leek,endive, dandelion, brussels sprouts, artichoke, mint, basil, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme, fennel, onions, garlic, shallots, bay leaves, cloves, saffron, and any other part of a plant that is edible raw.

(Here are some of my favorites: http://woldfitness.com/2011/06/8-salad-boosting-greens/)

Nuts and Seeds:

Almonds, walnuts, pecans, Brazil nuts, acorns, hickory, filberts, macadamia, flax, sesame, poppy, coriander, celery, anise, caraway, chervil, cumin, dill, fennel, mustard, and any others that are edible raw.

(Note: Peanuts and cashews aren’t on the list!)

Berries:

Grapes, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, acai, boysenberries, strawberries, currants, and any others that are edible raw.

And now the FORBIDDEN FOODS, bwahahahaha!

Grains:

Corn, wheat, barley, rye, rice, oats, millet, and all products made from them.

(For more about the problems with wheat, check out:

Grains SUCK!

How To Make Paper Mache In Your Gut)

Beans:

All varieties of hard beans, lima beans, green beans, wax beans, peas, peanuts, chocolate, soy, fava beans, and all products made from them.

(More on soy: Soy, My Nipples, And Your Health)

Potatoes:

All varieties of potatoes and yams, beets, taro, cassava (tapioca), turnips, and all products made from them.

Dairy:

Milk, cheese, yogurt, whey, butter, and all products made from them.

Sugar:

Fructose, sucrose, maltose, dextrose, lactose, corn syrup, molasses, and all products made from them.

(For further reading: 99 Ways Sugar Is Poisoning You)

I hope these lists get you started thinking in some new directions next time you hit the grocery store or farmer’s market!

Neanderthin is out of print, but you might be able to find a copy on Amazon:

I’ve written about my personal experience with soy overdosing here: Soy, My Nipples, And Your Health.

And a friend of mine just sent me this study on soy: Soy food and isoflavone intake in relation to semen quality parameters among men from an infertility clinic

Researchers looked at “subfertile couples” undergoing treatment at fertility clinics and found that there is an inverse relationship between soy intake and sperm concentration.

Translation: The more soy you eat, the lower your sperm count.

Uh-oh.

Soy’s natural defense against being eaten isn’t thorns or poison, it’s much more subtle than that.  When a soy plant is eaten, it makes the animal (humans in this case) sterile to prevent any future eating.

Diabolical, isn’t it!

So the take-home message for today is: Soy really messes up your health.

If you want to find more studies on soy, google any of the abstracts on this page: Survey Says… Soy Is Bad News!