(You know you’re Paleo/Primal/Fully-invested-in-being-a-jerk-at-Wegman’s when you knock an old lady over to instagram a picture of “extra virgin corn oil.”)

Just kidding! I’m not on instagram.

I’ve noticed lately that coconut oil is way en vogue. I’ve almost given up finding it at the store. TT has become my CO BFF. Dunno if all the “Paleos” in town are beating me to the supply line, or if Dr. Oz has completed his broken-clock rotation and been right for the second time.

The cooking oil shelves in the “crunchy” section are a veritable Pu-pu platter of safflower, corn, canola and sesame oils. And no coconut oil, save for one sad little jar. I have a problem with taking the last of anything, so I went home empty-handed.

This is what the shelves in the Crunchy section look like (I take minor graphic license).

And – just for the record – this is how the image translates in my brain:

That’s how my head works. (warning: sound)

One of my favorite Real Food bloggers (I think it was Jenny at Nourished Kitchen, but I can’t seem to find the post) recently posed an interesting question. She asked whether this turned-mainstream obsession with coconut oil is going to be sustainable long-term, from an availability standpoint or an environmental perspective. More demand generally means more unscrupulous production practices.

(Then again, maybe there’s some selection bias here. Maybe the non-crunchy section sells out of Canola oil all the time.)

I look at the mainstream acceptance of coconut oil – a highly saturated fat – as generally good news, as folks ditch their sat-fat-phobia. Yet the most sustainable, locally-produceable type of nourishing fat, truly, would be animal fat.

Most of us could technically have a backyard stockpile of nourishment-giving chickens (schmaltz), pigs (lard), and even a cow (tallow). Coconut isn’t native to most of our regions. At the very least, we can get these animal fats from local farmers, so they don’t have to travel across the world to make it to our shelves.

Should we actively push for more animal-fat acceptance? The virtues of animal fats are a major part of my upcoming book.

Thoughts?

The post Coconut oil: do we have a problem? appeared first on Cave Girl Eats.

Remember – If you’re enjoying these podcasts, please leave us a review in iTunes. Thanks!

Episode #69: Talking nutrient synergy with Dr. Chris Masterjohn!

UPCOMING EVENTS: The Balanced Bites Workshop with Diane & Liz!

Saturday, January 19, 2013 | Los Angeles, CA 9am-5pm at DogTown CrossFit Click here to register.

Sunday, January 20, 2013 | San Diego, CA 9am-5pm at CrossFit Elysium Click here to register.

NEW! Saturday, February 2, 2013 | Oceanside, NY (Long Island) 9am-5pm at O-Side CrossFit Click here to register.

Sunday, March 9, 2013 | Washington, DC 9am-5pm at CrossFit Metro Center Click here to register.

Remember that all events are open to the public, you do not need to belong to the hosting gym to attend!

Opening chat: What do we mean by nutrient synergy?

Topics:

• Meal construction before (vegan/vegetarian) and after (WAPF/Paleo)
• Vitamin B12 & how it works with other nutrients, benefits of eating all parts of an animal

• Liver, sacred foods, vitamin A toxicity & nutrient synergy
• Vitamin D toxicity & modern life: should we be worried?
• Fermented Cod Liver Oil vs. Fish Oil

• Enhancing immunity during flu season

LINKS: Chris’s website: Cholesterol and Health
Chris’s blog: The Daily Lipid
Chris’s Special Reports: Cholesterol-And-Health.Com

Special Reports will feature in-depth coverage of the following critical concepts:

• The requirement for essential fatty acids is at least eight times lower than you’ve been told, and even modest excesses can be harmful.
• Crucifers — friend or foe?
• Your most potent weapon against heart disease may be a long-ignored and thoroughly misunderstood vitamin found in the foods in which you would least expect it!
• Iron — oxidant or antioxidant?
• Myths and truths about nutrient density and the critical importance of animal foods.
• The truth about beta-carotene as a source of vitamin A: the nefarious effects in ferrets of dangerous beta-carotene supplements, the virtues of virgin palm oil, and the low-down on liver.

Click here to support Chris’s work and to order his Special Reports!

Click here to download this episode as an MP3. The episodes are currently available in iTunes, Stitcher & Blog Talk Radio.

Thanks for listening!
Liz & Diane

The post Episode #69: Talking nutrient synergy with Dr. Chris Masterjohn! appeared first on Cave Girl Eats.

I get this question in one form or another quite often. Those who are new to this lifestyle (Welcome!) as well as the Old Hats are often perplexed by a few things – like why we all seem so obsessed with things like butter, tequila, and dark chocolate. (Today’s about butter. I’ll get to the tequila and dark chocolate eventually.)

We’ve all been there – if you’ve asked yourself these questions, you’re not alone!

Today I set about putting your mind at ease. I’m going to rub some coconut oil on your worries. (Then, I’m going to douse them in lime juice and soda water, add tequila, and we’re all gonna have a Paleo party.)

. . .

I tend to combine the three food/lifestyle principles “Paleo,” “Primal,” and “Ancestral,” because they’re all concerned with one thing: optimizing health using the most nutrient-dense, nutrient-available foods possible.

Simple, right? Yet somehow, that idea scares the frog-flipping daylights out of folks. It sure freaked the loincloth-loving heck outta me. What could I eat? What could I NOT eat? Where were the cookies?

Here’s the thing: we’ve been conditioned to want a set of rigid rules for improving our bodies and our lives.

• Food (X) is “allowed,” Food (Y) is “not allowed.”
• Food (X) is “good,” Food (Y) is “bad.”
• Eat this; don’t eat that!

Unfortunately, this mind-set can perpetuate the On-Wagon, Off-Wagon behavior that’s been ingrained in our minds since we were young. It can also perpetuate the idea that there’s a set wildly varying Diet Rules for everybody, from people who like math (coughZoneDietcough) to chicks who like to drink their dinner.

“I like parties! Tell me what to eat…Then help me find the back of my dress.”

(Truly, there IS one decent, overarching prescription for everyone: Eat Real Food. Of course, there are intricacies to that too. Which is why I’m writing this post.)

Many of us fell into that obsessive, old-school Diet-minded trap at when we went “Paleo.” We immediately sought the rules list that would guide us to miraculous changes in body and health, without necessarily understanding why we were making these new choices. That’s what I did, and that’s OK. It’s a great start, especially since it means eliminating processed, boxed, bagged or encapsulated Junk Food (yep, even the 40-30-30 kind). But living in that place – in that catalog of “approved” foods –  doesn’t enrich the journey much.

And we find ourselves asking:

Is Butter “Paleo?” (Furthermore, is butter a carb?)
Is Dark Chocolate OK?
Is Kombucha “approved?”

Unconsciously, maybe we want a wagon to fall off of – because that’s what we know. It’s that toxic “Diet” mentality. And I’m here to tell you – it’s bullshit. There are no hard-and-fast “rules.” There is only information and choices. Yes, it’s true that certain foods are nourishing and others simply aren’t. But a list of yes/no rules without an understanding of the “why” means somebody else is still bossing you around. And this lifestyle is about informed self-determination – not blind execution of somebody else’s trademarked Rules.

Information and enlightenment are easily accessible – start by reading The Paleo Solution, The Primal Blueprint, and Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. These are thought-provoking, straight-shooting, reason-providing, perfect texts to get things rolling.

. . .

In a way, I blame the fat-phobia/low-fat craze of the 80’s and 90’s, as well as the Veg@n fad, for making us think that health and well-being depend solely on the total elimination of certain Demonic Natural Things.* Animal fat is bad. Animal protein is bad. Rules. Yes/No. Good/Bad. Unfortunately, it’s not always that simple. Time Magazine was wrong in demonizing cholesterol, and T. Colin Campbell was wrong in demonizing animal protein. (He was also wrong about a host of other things, but I’ll stop there.)

This “Paleo” concept is different. It’s about living well, not being bound by odd, counter-intuitive, or nit-picky rules (violations of which are punished with 40 lashes with a gluten-free noodle). Yes, there are guiding principles, but if you’re really taking control of your own life, you’ll use them as a framework and not prison bars. (Free Willy Will, right?) Paleo principles are useful. They’re rules-of-thumb. They’re easy guidelines to help you as you get to know your body on Real Food rather than Fake Fuel.

Here’s the thing: many of us look at the “Paleo” lifestyle as if it were a re-enactment of the past. If Cave Men didn’t eat it, we can’t eat it. Tie a bow, put the present under the tree, and stop there. Unfortunately, there are flaws in that line of thinking; not the least of which is that tendency to narrow food choices to the stuff we’re already comfortable with (like, say, chicken, broccoli, and coconut oil) rather than looking at the nutrients we now understand were – and continue to be – critical to human health.

(Never mind the fact that Cave Men would’ve eaten anything had it been available. They weren’t concerned with staying “lean” or getting “thin.” Calories meant stored energy to tap in times of shortage and famine. And we have no shortage of supply in the modern world. But that’s a post for another day.)

If I may point out the obvious: showers, automobiles, facebook, and even the modern grass-fed cow aren’t “Paleo.” The modern chicken isn’t “Paleo.” The modern carrot isn’t “Paleo.” The modern Mango isn’t “Paleo.” None of those things existed alongside our prehistoric ancestors – they’re all products of the forward-motion (some might call it “evolution”*) of our world. And we depend on those things.

So FORGET the historical re-enactment. Use the lessons of the past to inform your choices in the present. That’s what the “Paleo” concept is all about.

What we know of our ancestors – whether we’re talking Cave Men or more recent, healthy, native cultures, is that they valued the most nutrient-dense foods above all others. They valued organ meats, bone marrow, fish organs and eggs, and mineral-rich, fat-filled, cholesterol-dense foods because those foods carried the greatest nutrient density. Those foods kept them alive, fertile, and healthy.

These cultures didn’t know why these foods were best. They just knew they were. Another huge difference between us and Paleo Man: we have the ability to figure that stuff out. We know where the nutrients are. (And where they’re not.)

They’re in animal products (especially the “odd bits”), seafood (especially the “fishy parts”), and healthy, natural fats. To a lesser degree, they’re in vegetables, roots, tubers, and fruits.

. . .

So what about this question:

“I thought Dairy wasn’t ‘Paleo.’ Why are you eating butter?” (As a corollary to that question, folks often wonder “where will I get calcium?”)

So here’s my answer.

I eat butter because it’s FREAKING DELICIOUS. And it’s nutrient-dense. And it’s delicious.

Paleo man didn’t eat the same stuff I eat. Paleo man didn’t eat Angus beef, which has a history of just a few hundred years as we know it. Paleo man didn’t eat beefsteak tomatoes – hell, he didn’t even eat heirloom tomatoes. Their meat was different. Their forage was different. What does that mean to us? It means we gotsta think.

No, Cave Men didn’t make butter.  They were likely more preoccupied with staying alive than with domesticating wild animals, milking them, and churning their milk into delicious, creamy, buttery goodness to put atop their roasted sweet potato. So, no – Cavemen didn’t eat dairy as we know it today.

Healthy, traditional, native cultures – like those studied by Dr. Weston A. Price – did eat butter. And milk. And cream. And cheese.

How do we connect those dots?

With a perspective beyond the “dos” and “don’ts.” Yes, folks – we’re gonna get hung up on the details. (Remember when being detail-oriented was considered a good thing?)

. . .

First off, let’s get one thing straight: Modern, factory-farmed, pasteurized, homogenized dairy is likely garbage. This is most of what you find at the store. And, by my observation, it’s most of what’s been studied to be detrimental to humans.

That’s vastly different from raw, grass-fed, full-fat, 100% pastured dairy (I’ll call it “RGFFF100PP” for short) from animals eating their natural diet. Learn more about Raw Milk here.

RGFFF100PP dairy from animals eating their natural diet is nutrient-dense (thanks, science!) and filled with fat-soluble vitamins (FSVs) like A, D, and K2.

Remember what I said before?

What we know of our ancestors, whether we’re talking Cave Men or more recent, healthy, native cultures, is that they valued the most nutrient-dense foods above all others.

RGFFF100PP dairy from animals eating their natural diet IS nutrient-dense. And those nutrients are in the dairy fat (the butter).  Many people swear by its healing properties. Yes, cow’s milk is for baby cows. Yes, milk is cow boob juice. But us top-o’-the-food-chainers have a long history of consuming the various emissions and in-to-out contents of the animals we eat. Just read this book for a whole chapter on recipes using Milk, Eggs, and Sperm.

It’s modern dairy that causes problems. It’s the skim milk we once poured over Fruity Krunchy Pebble Smackers. It’s the Ultra-Pasteurized White Water we once chugged with trans-fat and gluten-filled cookies.  It’s the part-skim pre-shredded mozzarella we once ate in our stuffed-crust pizzas.

Many of the nutrients found in RGFFF100PP dairy – and the nutrients we sought as we evolved – are the same nutrients found in liver, bone marrow, and the fermented contents of animals’ intestinal tracts. Are you gonna eat those things every day?

Probably not. So where ya gonna get ‘em?

. . .

In my opinion, optimizing a Paleo-style plan means seeking those ancestral nutrients. Too often we get stuck in a Chicken-broccoli-coconut-oil-is-Paleo/All-dairy-is-bad existence, and we miss out on those nutrients that were truly responsible for keeping people healthy throughout history.

Interestingly, gut bacteria actually produce Butyrate, a fatty acid also FOUND IN BUTTER, from soluble-fiber carbohydrate (like, for example, sweet potato). You’re gonna get your butter, by hook or by crook.

Stephan Guyenet, PhD, writes about some of the amazing properties of Butyrate here.

Gut Flora: Butter Believers?

I’ll go so far as to say that vitamins A, D and K2 are still deficient in many “Paleo-style” diets, and folks NEED to seek them deliberately and enthusiastically, whether through organ meats, RGFFF100PP dairy, or a blend of Butter Oil and Cod Liver Oil. (I ONLY recommend this stuff. And I’m not paid to do it.)

There are many food intolerances at work in many folks, even to Paleo-friendly foods like eggs or nightshades, so if you don’t tolerate dairy, don’t eat it. Your call. You may find that clarified butter or ghee (butter with all milk solids removed) is tolerated just fine. Whether you incorporate dairy or not, get those FSVs from somewhere. Chicken, broccoli and coconut oil ain’t gonna cut it.

The Paleo lifestyle is one of deep thought, continued learning, and context. In a way, that sucks – we want an easy, rules-based existence. We want a simple Label with simple Laws. And, in a way, this is simple: Eat the most nutrient-dense, nutrient-available foods possible. Eat a variety of them (ie, don’t give up all other sources of nutrition in favor of dairy just ’cause some Cave Girl said it was ok).

Use the lessons of the past to inform your choices in the present.

Eat unprocessed foods - animals, seafood, veggies, roots, tubers, healthy fats, and “traditional foods” when you can. Keep the crap off your body too. Have fun with it.

Did you make it this far? If so, leave a comment. Are you a Butter Believer? Have YOU written on this topic? If so, please share!

. . .

Be sure to check out my Good Nutrition in 100 Words post.

. . .

Here’s some of the stuff I’ve written about A, D and K2, for this blog and for Steve’s Original.
Healing my skin with Traditional Foods
My favorite Super-Food: Cod Liver Oil/Butter Oil Blend
How to do Dairy Right (my post for Steve’s Original)
Paleo Plus – more on K2 (another post I wrote for Steve’s Original)
Get Healthy with Ghee

Here’s some of the stuff people (MUCH smarter than I) have written about fat-soluble vitamins A, D, and K2. (I stole pretty much everything I know from them.)

The Fat-Soluble Activators (Vitamins A and D)
The X-Factor (pretty much everything you could hope to know about K2, by PhD Chris Masterjohn)
Vitamin K2 and the Calcium Paradox 
Is All Butter Created Equal? From Mark’s Daily Apple

The post Troubleshooting the age-old question: “Is it ‘Paleo?’” appeared first on Cave Girl Eats.

When I first started on this “Ancestral Health” kick, I basically combined the early (not current) conventionally-accepted Paleo plan with CrossFit ideas: “Eat [lean] meat, vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, and no sugar.” Canola oil was good to go, salt and saturated fat were not.

In other words, I basically narrowed my food choices – eliminating crappy, healthless foods (even those I once considered “healthy”) and keeping the foods I was already accustomed to (lean meat, veggies, and nuts). See below:

So this was definitely better – even though I probably overdosed on nuts, under-dosed on butter, and overdid the chicken-and-broccoli dinners.

But what I never realized is that for all my talk of “nutrient density” and how a “Paleo diet” provides greater “nutrient density” than the conventional USDA model (duh, obvi) I never really sought new nutrient-dense foods – foods that were out of my paradigm completely.

But the Weston A. Price Foundation changed that. While I’m sure plenty of “Paleo” folk knew and used the following items “back then,” I had not yet heard of the benefits of natural, highly saturated fats (like coconut, ghee, palm oil, butter from pastured cows, and lard, among others); fermented foods like sauerkraut, atchara, and kombucha (I’m currently home-brewing with supplies from Kombucha Kamp); fish roe; or animal-based “traditional foods” like tongue, Cod Liver Oil, liver (here and here), raw dairy, or bone broths.

Now, years after I began my “Paleo/Primal/WAP/Real Food/Ancestral Health/Whatevayouwannacallit” journey, I’ve fallen in love with something that, years ago, I never would’ve thought twice about.

The one “superfood” I recommend to absolutely everyone, whether via the podcast, my practice, or my Skintervention Guide, is the Blue Ice Cod Liver Oil/Butter Oil blend from Green Pasture. The addition of this superfood helped me overcome frustrating skin problems.  It’s a health powerhouse, whether you want to build muscle, overcome fertility problems, or just be healthier overall. I use the blend daily – and I even put a balm inspired by that blend on my skin. (It’s amazing!)

Thanks to the fantastic research conducted by Weston A. Price and the Weston A. Price Foundation, we know that the synergy between vitamins A and D from Cod Liver Oil is basically Real Food Magic. Add butter oil (a rich source of Vitamin K2) and it’s pretty much Health Wizardry.

This is literally my number one favorite super-food.

HUGELY important note: the Fermented Cod Liver Oil/Butter Oil Blend is a whole food that provides concentrated nutrition, not isolated nutrients as with a vitamin or a supplement. Many people confuse this item with fish oil, but they’re totally different things.

Here’s what I mean by concentrated: the FCLO Blend is dense in all the nutrients naturally present in cod livers: vitamins A and D, anti-oxidants, quinones, and a biologically appropriate amount of EPA and DHA; along with vitamin K2 and other constituents from butter oil. Fish oil is an isolated, highly processed source of only EPA/DHA in ratios set and standardized by fish oil manufacturers.

Fish oils, which are processed out of fish meal to make “fish oil,” are fragile and vulnerable. To the degree we need them in our diets, they should be obtained from whole foods sources like Fermented Cod Liver Oil and sardines.

Green Pasture is the only company I know that produces their Cod Liver Oil in a manner that preserves the natural vitamins that are needed for it to produce its intended effect. It’s the ONLY BRAND I RECOMMEND! Sorry, Carlson’s, Barlean’s, and any other brand just won’t cut it. (I make no money off this recommendation.)

I continue to evaluate other potential alternatives, but haven’t found any publicly available sources yet.

The post Superfood: Cod Liver Oil – Butter Oil Blend! appeared first on Cave Girl Eats.

Wow! When I wrote this post YEARS AGO, I NEVER expected it would lead me to write the Skintervention Guide! I finally combined years of research into healing my own skin in one place: 200+ digital pages of nutrition, digestion, AND topical guidance to help anyone who’s suffered like I have to REALLY HEAL and GO NATURAL! Check it out – or read the many (FREE) blog entries on this site for more on my body care journey! 

This post is about my journey from breakout (left) to clarity (right).

I used whole, traditional foods and natural products. It’s a process, but a rewarding one. Read on for the details…

SUPER IMPORTANT: If you’re not familiar with the principles of Paleo/Primal/Real Food Nutrition, you must understand that they are the foundation of any body care routine. My recommendations are meant to build upon the foundations of healthy eating as defined on my “What is Primal/Paleo?” page. For an EXTREMELY detailed digital step-by-step guide, go here.

No amount of oil cleansing can fix a nutritional deficiency, and nutritional deficiencies set the stage for acne, skin problems, hormonal imbalances, and – yes – stinky pits and bad hair. The quality and sources of our food – the only fuel we have – determines how well every single bodily process works.

Best super-food for the complexion, in my opinion? The cod liver oil/butter oil blend from Green Pastures…and LIVER! If you can’t stomach true liver, try the desiccated glandulars from Dr. Ron’s. I like Organ Delight.

Note: I’m using the fermented Cod Liver Oil/Butter Oil blend from GreenPasture. This is the ONLY Cod Liver Oil product I recommend. No other brand I know is processed in a manner that preserves ALL of its naturally-occurring nutrients (and there are a LOT). I’m not responsible for your results using any other brand. I also ONLY recommend the Brewer’s Yeast from Lewis Labs. I enjoy kraut from Picklelicious, Fab Ferments, and Bubbie’s in a pinch.

Original Post:

**Warning: Do NOT read this post with 3D glasses on. You don’t want the goblin in the photos below to jump out at you.**

**Double Warning: Be nice to me, or else. I don’t like putting my pictures on the blog (shy Cave Girl)**

My skin improved greatly a few years back on a Paleo-style diet with a little patience and the Oil Cleansing Method. I finally ditched all the dermatological acne medicines I’d been on – there were at least four, including one oral antibiotic I took long-term and another topical antibiotic (sorry, gut flora). There was also a sulfur-based topical med, topical benzoyl peroxide, and a cast of others over the last decade. (And yes, I tried Proactiv.) At the time, out of sheer vanity, I held on to my topical retinoid. (Wrinkles? Ew!)

image from AllTheCreatures dot org.

I’ve been generally acne-free for awhile now due to good nutrition and a great cleansing routine. But about 3 months ago (note: this post was originally created in April 2011) a few blemishes started to creep in near my neck. A few weeks later, a few more. And then something went completely awry.

My jawline acne flared up again, and with a vengeance. I looked like I was harboring a fleet of angry ticks ready to pop on my jaw. I couldn’t shake it – it wouldn’t go away. Shamefully, I even tried using those antibiotics again. No luck.

So I started researching. I wanted to maintain my “crap-free body care” commitment and keep it natural. I was, as always, led to the wisdom of the Weston A. Price Foundation. (WAP – Weston A. Price. Get it!?) Strikingly, I saw that many of the meds and products I’d used in my quest for non-grossness were based on sulphur, antibiotics, and vitamin A. These were substances NATURALLY PRESENT in ancestrally valued, nutrient-dense food! I also found out about other skin-loving nutrients in my research…

…Sauerkraut is full of sulphur and was valued as a complexion beautifier by traditional Irish cultures.
…Other fermented foods, like carrots and beets, are wonderful too.
…Coconut oil is a natural, powerful anti-microbial…
…as is Vitamin D – adequate serum D is like a natural, internal antibiotic.
…Fermented Cod Liver Oil is rich in real Vitamin A…
…and Butter Oil (found in the Green Pasture Cod Liver Oil/Butter Oil Blend) is rich in vitamin K2, which is wonderful for the entire body (and deficient in even the “cleanest” Paleo-style diet).
…Brewer’s Yeast from Lewis Labs – which is harvested from sugar beets, not from the beer brewing process – is rich in chromium, B-vitamins, and utilization co-factors, which are also thought to improve the complexion. Chromium is believed to help in blood sugar management, which is also a key component of skin health – if you’re at the very beginning of your journey, I highly recommend the 21-day Sugar Detox.

I realized it was time to ditch those last synthetic skin potions; to throw away the antibiotics I’d been saving “just in case;” and to start a targeted skin care routine using only food-based products. I got Brewer’s Yeast from Lewis Labs (available at Whole Foods or online) and drank 1 Tbs with water in the morning. In addition to my Oil Cleansing Method, I began massaging oil into my skin whenever I could – in the shower, pre-makeup, and after cleansing. I began eating fermented foods every day.

(Update: as I’ve learned and continued building upon this routine, I’ve found other excellent skin-care options – see this page for more.) 

These three are serious.

Most importantly, I decided to trust the Weston A. Price recommendation for a daily serving of the high-quality Cod Liver Oil/Butter Oil Blend. This supplies fat-soluble vitamins A, D, and K2, and is purported to have wound-healing properties.

Unlike fish oil, an isolated source of EPA/DHA, the CLO/BO blend is NOT a supplement (although it has some naturally-occurring EPA and DHA). It’s a traditional super-food – one that fell out of favor due to fear of organ meats (liver = Vitamin A) and bad science. (Any worry about Vitamin A and pregnancy are effectively cleared up in this article. Not that this concern applies to me. No Cave Babies on the horizon..But CLO is great for CBs.)

From my research, I believe you absolutely cannot skimp on your CLO brand. You need the fermented kind (most CLOs are heat-processed). Fermentation maintains the Vitamin D/Vitamin A proportion natural to CLO, while heat processing destroys it. (More on that in a post I wrote at Steve’s Original.) At one time I heard a member of the “Paleo” camp comment that the Vitamin D in CLO competitively inhibits the uptake of the Vitamin A. Not true – actually, the vitamin D content raises the toxicity ceiling on Vitamin A. Vitamins A and D are beautifully synergistic. (Never mock synergy.)

So here are the results…BOOM (be nice). Can YOU tell which is before and which is after?

I had everything from large lesions (yes, I picked) to small, hard bumps and the Queen Mother of zits – underground mines – migrating down my neck. Three weeks later, nothing but a few pink remnants from healed blemishes. Astonishingly, during this time I seemed to overcome the pitfalls of being “loose” with  my food due to weddings and family gatherings, as well as the stress of lots of air travel, all of which hold the promise of a few new blemishes. Now, that doesn’t give me leave to be “loose” all the time. I have standards, ya know.

This has been a transformative experience. I will forever sing the praises of the fermented Cod Liver Oil/Butter Oil Blend from the top of my giant pile of money and rainbows (because that’s where I live). I’ll keep kraut in the rotation – because it’s delicious AND pro-biotic. My skin is soft and glowy from the oil cleansing, so that’s a definite keeper. I’ll stick with the Brewer’s Yeast because I appreciate its natural, broad range of synergistic nutrients. (Update: for more ideas and options from my continued journey, check out this page or my Skintervention Guide.)

And all this change after just three weeks of seeking out these skin-healing nutrients. Cross my heart.

What are your questions? Check out the comments, because you may find what you need there. For extra-extra help, I wrote an all-digital, comprehensive guide from my years of research into healing my own skin through nutrition, digestive healing and the right body care routine. My other (always FREE) body care posts may be of help too.

Remember, I update my posts as I learn and try new things! Come back often for the latest info, or sign up for my newsletter. If you need more help after reading my posts, the Skintervention Guide might help.

For more from this (Modern) Cave Girl, join me on facebook!

The post WAP me Pretty. appeared first on Cave Girl Eats.

Eventually the world is going to stop pussy-footing around the fact that saturated (technically, a misnomer – more on that later) & animal fats are not only delicious, but they’re very good for you when sourced appropriately. In fact, I believe that highly saturated fats are the main fats we should be cooking with. I generally cook with coconut oil, sustainably-sourced palm shortening from Tropical Traditions, pastured lard, and ghee from 100% pastured, grass-fed cows. (I use LOTS of ghee.)

Saturated fats are the MOST resistant to oxidative damage (cooking/heat causes oxidative damage, and to drastically oversimplify, consumption of damaged fats is likely a major contributor to modern disease). Modern, highly processed, industrially-produced fats like those from corn, canola and soybean oil, are uniformly bad for you. (Trust me. I’m a Cave Girl). Monounsaturated fats, like those from legitimate, antioxidant-rich Olive Oil, are definitely healthy and delicious, but no more healthy than the varied sources of saturated fats I mentioned. We should be getting those too.

Here’s the problem: the “Mediterranean Diet” train of thought misses a few critical points. It’s pushed, in my opinion, as a safe way to promote more stable fats in the diet without having to admit that animal fats are also superbly healthful. Olive Oil, as a plant fat, fits into a politically-correct box where nobody has to outright admit they were wrong about animal fat all along. Many docs that push the Mediterranean Diet still support the deluded, profit-driven lie that “Whole grains” are also a critical component of the Mediterranean diet - as if that’s what helped make other cultures healthy – while giving half-baked PC credit to the true health food: Fat. Dietary fat is both healthy AND powerful in regulating insulin, appetite, and happiness (see photo below).

I would go so far as to say their Vitamin D-loving sun exposure may have something to do with it as well.

You’ll notice that they’re happy not because they eat whole grains, but because they eat an animal-derived fat source. Interestingly enough, lard is rich in the same type of fat – monounsaturated fat – that olive oil is known for! Unfortunately, just about the only Politically Correct foods nowadays are vegan, so lard is still generally “off the table.” It’s truly a crock of pot. The most nourishing fats, and the fats consistently present in the diets of traditional cultures (cultures who experienced nearly perfect health) were natural, pastured, nourishing animal fats from raw dairy products, marrow, and organ meats, as well as fats like olive oil where they were available. (Incidentally, I love olive oil from Kasandrinos Imports – it’s brought in straight from Greece and it’s insanely delicious.)

Just a note: animal fats aren’t totally saturated anyway – this is the greatest myth of all. See the chart below for some mind-blowing data (via Dr. Enig in Know Your Fats)

Data from Know Your Fats by Mary Enig, PhD.

So, if highly saturated fats are the most heat-stable and oxidation-resistant, and not a true singular cause of CVD, AND if pastured animal fats deliver, in excellent proportion, monounsaturated fat AS WELL AS Vitamin D, why wouldn’t we enjoy that alongside our olive oil (and palm oil, and coconut oil, and ghee?) Why not get a variety of nutrients from fat?

Oh, and I’m delighted to report that we went to Greece. (It was the trip of our dreams, and we’re incredibly grateful to our generous friends and family who made it possible!) We toured the islands of the Mediterranean. And they ate olives and drizzled salads and vegetables with plenty of olive oil. It was delicious. But we were also served LOTS of stewed lamb rich in fat, seafood, fresh yoghurt, raw milk cheese and tzatziki. This meant fat from LOTS of different sources, including animal. We got tons of sunlight, too. (And cuddles. There were also cuddles.)

Olives & Tzatziki

Lamb on the bone, stewed with potatoes. Yes, potatoes. Get over it, PaleOrthodoxy.

For more drool-worthy food porn, check out my post on our Primal Honeymoon.

There are a few folks in the American nutrition community who aren’t afraid of fat. Atkins deflowered me back in college, so I got over my fat-phobia a long time ago. Losing excess “college beer fat” and finally being able to sleep through the night’ll do that to ya. The 3x fat CrossFitting Paleo-Zoners convinced me. My research confirmed things, and my continued health set this knowledge in stone. I’ll keep using olive oil – alongside my delicious animal fats.

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