Here’s a great tip for when you’re just starting out on your diet: Choose just two breakfasts.
In the first few weeks of a new eating plan, we get all excited and enthusiastic about how great things are going to be. We study all of our options and make a beautiful, varied, delicious menu for the week.
Stop it right there!!
Enthusiasm is great, but don’t sprint start only to run out of energy from all of the planning, shopping, and thinking of it all.
See, sometimes tons of choices just make things more difficult.
You can find a way to make it simple, delicious, and interesting all at the same time… Without losing your mind keeping track of everything.
Just choose two breakfasts from your new plan and practice them.
Alternate them or have them a few days in a row, either way is good.
What DOES matter is that these two breakfasts will become a part of your new eating mindset. Something that happens almost automatically so that you don’t have to expend any energy thinking about it, you just eat a healthy breakfast.
You can vary your choices once you’ve become a pro at breakfast – changing with seasonal foods or as your tastes change.
Eventually, you’ll have a few good breakfast choices that work for YOU and your eating plan. This makes planning and shopping easy and stress-free.
Since people always want to know what I eat, I have essentially the same thing for breakfast every day:
6-8 eggs scrambled (local, free-range, organic)
3-4 cups of sauteed greens (usually kale or chard, with dandelion greens mixed in)
Now, obviously I’m a big guy, and very active, so this breakfast would be too much for most people, what’s important here is that I don’t have to plan a complicated menu, and don’t have to expend any mental energy on preparation.
On weekends – when I have more time – I go ahead and experiment with new recipes. Pork loin and apples, exotic sausages (ostrich, anyone?), paleo muffins with local honey. These experiments are fun, but during the hectic week I stick with the basics.
The take-home message for today is to: Find a breakfast or two that you like, and hang with it – don’t make things complicated early in the day
Why take supplements like a multi-vitamin if you’re eating a great and varied diet?
Even with a perfect nutrition plan, it’s likely that you’re going to be lacking in some vital nutrients.
For example, soil depletion means that even locally raised organic veggies have one-tenth the amount of nutrients that they used to. (For a scary look at what soil depletion has done to the value of our food, read Empty Harvest by Dr. Bernard Jensen)
Eating a less-than-perfect diet for a long time can lead to deficiencies that need to be built back up. A fast-food junkie with a severe shortage of omega-3s who starts eating wild salmon in her 30s will still need big doses of omega-3s to make up for 35 years of suboptimal eating.
Medications can cause nutrient absorption problems, so supplementation is necessary to keep a balance.
And finally, certain types of exercise can lead to nutrient deficiencies due to overtaxing your biochemical systems.
Here are some medications/drugs that can cause deficiencies, if you take (or have taken) any of them, supplementation may be the final key you need to start getting your health and body right where you want them.
Drugs And Nutrient Deficiencies
Drug: Clenbuterol
Used For: Asthma, Weight Loss
Deficiencies Caused: Taurine, Magnesium
Drug: Anabolic/Androgenic Steroids
Used For: Muscular Growth, Immune Disease, Athletic Performance, Wasting Disease
Deficiencies Caused: Vitamins B-6, B-9, B-12, C, & D
If you are taking or have taken any of these drugs, a simple supplement to address any deficiencies will allow your system to start working the way it is supposed to, making health and a healthy weight MUCH easier to maintain!
Imagine going from being a tae kwon do champion to having stage two multiple sclerosis and being confined to a wheel chair.
Now add in chemotherapy and extensive drug treatments only to keep getting worse…
What if you could fix yourself and reverse your disease with… food?
That is exactly what Dr. Terry Wahls did.
This video is definitely a must-see if you want to take care of your health, your energy, and your vitality.
Please check it out:
I watched it twice, the second time to take some notes for you:
2000 diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis
Took the latest drugs.
By 2003 it had progressed to stage 2. She took the chemotherapy and got a motorized wheelchair.
Tried more drugs, became more diasbled.
Afraid of becoming disabled.
Found out that brains with MS shrank.
Started finding more research about shrinking brains, found that the mitochondria don’t work well, which leads to shrinking brains.
Found studies that showed mouse brains and mitochondria had been protected by using fish oil, creatine, and co-enzyme Q 10.
Slowed her decline by translating the mouse-sized doses into human sized ones.
Was happy, but was still declining.
There are a billion cells in our brains, with trillions of connections. All of those connections must be insulated by myelin.
In order to make myelin, your body needs B vitamins, especially B1, B9, and B12. It also needs omega 3 fatty acids and iodine.
For your body to make neurotransmitters, it needs vitamin B6 and sulfur.
The energy for each cell in your body comes from mitochondria. Without the energy from your mitochondria, you would be no larger than bacteria.
In medical school, Dr. Wahls learned all about mitochondria, but she wasn’t taught what her body could make compared to what she needed to consume to make those mitochondrial systems run properly.
She found that out mitochondria need lots of B vitamins, sulfur, and antioxidants in order to thrive.
First, she added in the nutrients with supplements, then came to the realization that getting her nutrients from foods would provide her with hundreds, maybe thousands of trace compounds also needed for health.
Medical and nutrition textbooks didn’t tell her food sources, but internet research led her to design an eating plan that would support her brain and mitochondria.
She then quizzes the audience on how many fruits and vegetables they ate.
Then she shows how Americans are eating too few nutrients and too many starches.
“We are all starving ourselves. We are alive because of complicated chemical reactions. If you’re not providing the building blocks – that is the vitamins, minerals, essential fats – those reactions cannot happen properly. Leading to the wrong stuctures being made… or structures simply not being made at all, which sets the stage for chronic disease.”
Due to lack of nutrients children are born with smaller brains and smaller jaws that lead to crooked teeth.
This is why blood vessels become stiff as you age.
This is why children will become obese or diabetic as children or young adults.
This is why the number of children with learning problems and behavior problems are becoming more common each year.
For 2.5 million years humans ate what they could hunt and gather – leaves, berries, meat, and fish.
Hunter-gatherer foods were locally obtained, fresh, in season, and of course, organic.
People in the arctic ate differently than people on the savannah, but both groups exceeded the RDA of nutrients by 2 to 10 fold.
“These ancient peoples know more about eating for optimal health and vitality than we physicians and we scientists.”
The hunter-gather diet has more nutrition than any modern health diet.
Dr. Wahls started on a paleo diet, but she structured it to make sure she was supporting her mitochondria and brain health.
Here is her diet: 3 cups of green leaves, 3 cups of sulfur rich vegetables, 3 cups of bright color, grass-fed meat, organ meat, and seaweed.
3 cups is a dinner plate piled high.
Greens are high in vitamins B, A, C, K, and minerals. Kale has the most nutrition per calorie of any plant.
Plus, a plate full of greens will dramatically lower your risk of cataracts and macular degeneration.
3 cups (plateful) of sulfur-rich vegetables every day to support your brain, mitochondria, and to remove toxins.
The cabbage family is rich in sulfur – cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussells sprouts, turnips, rutabegas, radishes, and collards.
Onions, garlic, leeks, mushrooms, asparagus, and chives are also all rich in sulfur.
3 cups (plateful) of colors, preferably different colors.
Colors are flavonoids and polyphenols. These support your eyes, mitochondria, brain cells, and toxin removal.
Get colors from vegetables like beets, carrots, peppers, and red cabbage.
Or get your colors from berries and brightly colored fruits.
Eat high quality protein that is rich in omega 3 fatty acids. This will help build the myelin to insulate your nervous system and is essential for proper jaw formation (straight teeth).
Good sources are wild fish – salmon and herring in particular – and grass fed meat.
Ancient societies all valued organ meats. Organ meats are good sources of vitamins, minerals, and coenzyme Q.
Organ meets are very potent for supporting your mitochondria.
Seaweed is a valuable source of iodine and selenium.
Your brain needs iodine to make myelin.
Iodine also removes toxins – particularly mercury, lead, and heavy metals.
Plus, iodine lowers risk of breast cancer and prostate cancer.
80% of Americans have low iodine, so eat seaweed at least once a week.
Eat the fruits and veggies BEFORE you eat any grains or starches.
Eating fruits and veggies will dramatically lower your risk of food allergies.
Grain and dairy allergies are associated with a wide variety of health problems including excema, asthma, allergies, infertility, irritable bowl, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, arthritis, chronic headache, neurological problems, and behavior problems.
It will cost more to eat veggies and berries. But you’re going to pay the price either way. Wither you’ll pay the price now for food that restores your health and vitality or you will pay the price for doctor visits, prescription drugs, surgeries, time off work, early retirement, and nursing home care. The choice is yours.
With 3 months on the hunter-gatherer diet Dr. Wahls could walk with only one cane.
A month after that, she could walk without a cane.
After 5 months on the paleo diet, she got on a bike for the first time in a decade and rode around the block.
Nine months into paleo and she rode her bike 18 miles.
Most people don’t know that omega-3s are the most deficient nutrient in the American diet. This lack of omega-3 fatty acids has been linked to almost every major disease, weight problem, affective disorder, and learning disability.
When I say omega-3s, you might think “fish oil.” Or if you’ve been studying healthy eating, you might say “salmon” or “grass-fed beef.”
But the omega-3 story doesn’t start with the fish, cow, or bison… it actually starts in a part of leafy green plants called the chloroplast.
Inside these chloroplasts is something called alpha-linoleic acid, the source of the essential fatty acids we call omega-3s.
And they truly are essential, we can’t make omega-3 fatty acids in our bodies, so they must come from the foods we eat (or supplements we take).
When plankton is eaten by a fish or grass is eaten by a cow, metabolic conversions take place to turn alpha-linoleic acid into EPA and DHA. (eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexanoic acid respectively)
So here’s the story:
plankton -> krill -> salmon ->you
Or:
grass -> cow -> you
Why Do You Need Omega-3s?
Well, they are essential to your hormonal functioning, which you need to get in balance if you want to be healthy and lose weight. (Check out this post for more on hormones and fat storage: Hormones Are Tricky Devils)
And the news has labelled fish oil capsules as “smart pills” because omega-3s make up the highest percentage of fatty acids in the brain, and if you’re not getting enough, your brain isn’t going to work right. Omega-3s are needed for visual and cognitive functions in your brain.
Plus, omega-3s form the receptors for neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, both of which make you feel good. No omega-3s to form receptor sites, no happiness. This is why fish oil is routinely prescribed to people with depression. (Depression is not a prozac deficiency! See this article: Natural Nutrition To Fight Depression And Anxiety)
There’s no way for your body to work right if you are low in omega-3s.
So, making sure you get enough omega-3s is very important. Raise your metabolism, reduce anxiety and depression, healthier skin and hair, and stay healthy.
But, the magic isn’t just in taking omega-3 supplements or eating more fish/grass-fed beef. To really cause amazing changes in your body and health you need to try and bring omega-3s into the right ratio with omega-6s.
Back in human history, we consumed a ration of 1:1 to 1:3 of omega-3 to omega-6. Today, even the healthiest people are at least 1:20, most are at 1:50, and the worst offenders are at 1:100. The ratios have totally skewed toward omega-6s and it is causing weight gain and health problems left and right.
Where omega-3s come from leafy green plants, omega-6s come from seeds (grains, nuts).
Not only have we moved from eating lots of leafy greens to eating staggering amounts of grains, we have moved our livestock down the same path. Remember, you are what your food eats!
Eating grains changes the fats in cattle and fish from omega-3s to omega-6s, further throwing us out of balance (and one of the reasons we are now so deficient in omega-3s)
Now, you might not get all the way down to a 1:1 ratio like our paleo ancestors, but you will transform your body as you bring the ratio closer and closer.
What Do You Do Now?
The first, and easiest step is to start taking fish oil. Keep it in the fridge (capsules will turn cloudy… don’t worry, it’s normal) if you have a problem with fish burps. Spread it out during the day. Maybe start with one capsule with breakfast and one capsule with dinner.
If you start taking a lot of fish oil from day one, your poop will turn squishy and gray – not fun. Ramp up your dosage slowly.
Eventually, you should aim for one gram of fish oil for every 15 pounds of your body weight. Weigh 150 pounds? 10 capsules a day.
I know this sounds like a lot, and it is. But you are fighting poor farming practices, depleted soil, and years of being out of balance.
Step two, start reducing your intake of grains. This includes whole wheat, rice, corn, etc. Your goal is to completely get rid of all the grains from your diet.
Step three, start eating wild caught fish and grass-fed meats.
Step four, YOU start eating more leafy green vegetables! You won’t get much omega-3s from the plants, but they will greatly help you absorb more of the omega-3s from your main sources.
These four steps will improve your health, help you lose weight, make you happier and more energetic, and improve the appearance of your skin, hair, and nails.
A bonus step is to start taking other sources of omega-3s. I personally take fish oil, salmon oil, and krill oil to make sure I am not relying too much on any one source.
If you’re ready to start experiencing real health and fast weight loss, start taking omega-3s today!
Since you have to focus on nutrition in order to lean out and shape up, I put together a list of 7 foods that should be in your food plan if you want a fit body as fast as possible…
Carson City Bootcamp Lean Muscle Food #1: Almonds
Almonds not only raise your metabolism, they are a great source of antioxidants as well.
See, almonds are a perfect source alpha-tocopherol vitamin E, the form that your body absorbs best.
When you exercise hard, you want the muscle-saving power of almonds to prevent free radical damage after your workouts.
The less damage you get from free radicals, the faster your muscles will recover and be prepared for your next adventure at boot camp
As an added bonus, your body stores “bad stuff” in fat… things like pesticides, plastics, and food additives. When you lose fat, this bad stuff is released into your body. This is why it’s especially important to include antioxidant foods such as almonds in your fat loss food plan.
If that wasn’t enough, eating good natural sources of vitamin E (not just supplements), can lower your Alzheimer’s risk by up to 67%.
And don’t worry about the nuts making you fat – just keep it in moderation. A study from Toronto University found that adding an ounce of almonds a day (about 24 nuts) won’t lead to any weight gain.
I’m watching you though, no double handfuls of almonds mixed with chocolate chips and dried fruit
Carson City Bootcamp Lean Muscle Food #2: Salmon
Salmon is a great source of quality protein and omega-3 fatty acids. I’ve written about the benefits of fish and fish oil for fat loss before:
But the omega-3s and protein are essential for lean muscle as well. Protein, sure. But why do omega-3s help?
Omega-3s decrease muscle protein breakdown after your workouts, so you will recover faster. This means you will store muscle protein faster than you break it down.
When choosing salmon, always ALWAYS get wild, not farm raised. Farm raised fish is fed corn and other grains that change the fats and proteins in the meat so that you lose the benefits you were going for.
Carson City Bootcamp Lean Muscle Food #3: Water
All right, water isn’t really a food, but it’s essential for fat loss and lean muscle building.
80% of your muscle IS water. If your muscle cells are fully hydrated, they will make muscle proteins faster. The converse: If you’re dehydrated, you’ll build muscle more slowly.
Being dehydrated as little as 1% can negatively affect your exercise performance, so if you want to maximize the results you get from your gym time, make sure to drink plenty of water BEFORE your workout – not just during when you get thirsty.
If you’re not sure how much to drink, start with the old-school recommendation of 8 glasses of water a day.
For bonus points, aim for drinking your weight in pounds in ounces of water. Weigh 150 pounds? Drink 150 oz of water.
Besides helping you build muscle and lose fat, drinking water will also help lower your risk for a fatal heart attack – just five glasses of water a day will reduce your risk by 54% compared to drinking 2 or fewer.
So drink up!
Carson City Bootcamp Lean Muscle Food #4: Olive Oil
Yeah, my bodybuilding friends rub olive oil on their bods to show off their muscles, but that’s not why they’re lean and toned. For best results, eat the olive oil, don’t rub it on your skin
The monounsaturated fats in olive oil are “anti catabolic”, which means they help prevent muscle breakdown.
Plus, these fats also help prevent muscle weakness, so you’ll get more out of your workouts on low energy days.
Now, while all olive oil is high in monos, extra-virgin is your best bet. It has more of the antioxidant vitamin E than other varieties. But beware, not all brands labeled “extra virgin” really are. Out of the big chain stores here in Carson City, Costco’s Kirland Organic gets the best grades, according to a report from UC Davis. (You can see the whole report here: Olive Oil Standards)
Olive oil is best used as a dressing/topping over salads or meats, if you use it for cooking the heat of the skillet changes the structure of the oil and takes away almost all of your benefits.
If the muscle protecting benefits of olive oil aren’t enough to convince you, olive oil has been shown to lower risks of heart disease, colon cancer, diabetes, and osteoporosis.
Carson City Bootcamp Lean Muscle Food #5: Coffee
Powering up your workouts with a jolt of caffeine can help you build more muscle and lose more fat.
A study published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise found that men who drank 2 1/2 cups of coffee a few hours before an exercise test were able to sprint 9 percent longer than when they didn’t drink any. (It’s believed the caffeine in coffee directly stimulates your muscles)
Since sprinting and weight-lifting are the best muscle building, fat burning exercises, doing better means more muscle and less fat.
You should always choose organic coffee, and stay away from decaf (decaf coffee has been linked to higher cancer rates). As an added bonus, coffee drinkers have a 30% less risk of developing Parkinson’s Disease than non-coffee drinkers.
Carson City Bootcamp Lean Muscle Food #6: Eggs
The protein in eggs has an incredibly high biological value… which means you need less protein from eggs to build muscle than you would need from other sources.
And don’t be scared of the yolks! The yolk is a great source of vitamin B12 which you need for muscle contraction and fat breakdown.
Besides B12, yolks contain riboflavin, folate, vitamins B6, D, and E, and iron, phosphorus, and zinc.
When it comes to choosing eggs, terms like all-natural, cage-free, and free-range are basically meaningless, as there is no hard line defined by the government. Anyone can print these on their egg cartons.
Organic and omega-3-fortified eggs are a little better, but still not the best.
The front-runner for healthy eggs is local farm-raised from chickens allowed to run free and eat bugs and weeds and stuff.
Below is a picture of an organic egg in the same bowl as a pasture raised egg:
You can easily see that the pasture raised egg on the right has a much darker yolk. The color comes from all the nutrients that the chicken has eaten and then passed along to its egg. Always remember, you are what your food eats.
Carson City Bootcamp Lean Muscle Food #7: Beef
I might be prejudiced about beef because I come from a cattle-raising family, but there really are tons of benefits from eating beef.
Yes, that delicious steak has tons of protein that will help you build muscle and lose fat, but it is also a great source of iron, zinc, and selenium – crucial muscle building nutrients.
(Selenium also helps protect the prostate. A study found that men with low levels of selenium are 5 times more likely to develop prostate cancer)
This might scare some people here, but it shouldn’t: beef is also a good source of creatine.
Don’t worry, every though creatine supplements are advertised in muscle magazines and most people think it is some sort of steroid, creatine is nothing more than a cellular energy source. In fact, it’s the main fuel your body uses for explosive exercises.
So if you want to really get some work done on your next trip to the gym, start fueling yourself with beef!
When it comes to purchasing beef, you want to go with grass-fed/grass-finished as much as possible. When the cows have lived on grass, their protein and fats are top-notch for your health.
If going with normal organic beef that has been fed grains, you want to get the leanest cuts possible (feeding cows grain changes the structure of their fats – not good for your body).
Ask your butcher or look for “rounds” and “loins”. These are the leanest cuts.
Or you can try the “flat iron” cut. It’s the second most tender cut of beef and very lean. Win-win for your taste buds and your bod.
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There you have it! If you want to add some lean muscle to change the shape of your body and ramp up your metabolism, add these 7 foods to your Carson City Bootcamp eating plan!
The study’s conclusion says: Daily intake of sugar-sweetened beverages for 6 months increases ectopic fat accumulation and lipids compared with milk, diet cola, and water. Thus, daily intake of soda is likely to enhance the risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
If you’re interested in the study, here is the citation:
Am J Clin Nutr. 2012 Feb;95(2):283-9. Epub 2011 Dec 28.
Sucrose-sweetened beverages increase fat storage in the liver, muscle, and visceral fat depot: a 6-mo randomized intervention study.
Maersk M, Belza A, Stødkilde-Jørgensen H, Ringgaard S, Chabanova E, Thomsen H, Pedersen SB, Astrup A, Richelsen B.
Department of Endocrinology and Internal Medicine MEA, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark.
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.
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!
by Dr. Bernard Jensen)
