Carbs: The Gift that Keeps on Giving

How Thoughtful of You!
Earlier this week I addressed the question of ideal weight and the research that suggests people in their later years benefit from a few extra pounds. But just as I cautioned that a little goes a long way, new research shows that older men and women, particularly those who eat more carbohydrates, [...]

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Fox News and Low-Carb Diet Talk

I was featured on Fox News 11 Los Angeles this morning as a health expert discussing the benefits of a low carb lifestyle. I’ve gotta say it was pretty fun. Any chance I can get to spread the word about living a healthy life is (almost) always a blast. After the interview I stuck around [...]

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Dear Mark: Healthy Body Weight?

Dear Mark,
What do you think about the claim that being heavier doesn’t necessarily mean you’re less healthy than someone who’s thin?
Thanks to reader Corey for his question and for sending the New York Times article that highlights recent research.
The article references a study published in this month’s Archives of Internal Medicine.
It’s true that [...]

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Dear Mark: What’s Wrong with Juicing?

Mark,
In your last “Dear Mark” post you said “…why drink your veggies and fruits in concentrated form when you can eat them? I’d just be careful of overdoing the juices.” What is wrong with juicing? I’ve always thought that making fresh juice is extremely healthy for you. Am I right to think that juicing [...]

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We Were Hacked!

I just want to give a heads up to all MDA readers who may have been a little frustrated with their experience on MDA in the last week or so. Last week our server was hacked and it has been a huge headache. You may have noticed times when MDA was loading slowly or not [...]

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Dear Mark: All Things Sweet (Plus Cheese and Gut Health)

This week instead of focusing on one reader question and giving a lengthy, detailed response I thought I’d change it up a bit by publicly addressing a number of reader questions with quick responses and links to archived posts. Let me know if you like the format. That is, do you prefer an in-depth analysis [...]

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What’s Wrong With The Zone Diet?

Dear Mark,
I just watched your video about the 2 minute salad; simple, fast, and no measuring. I agree with the primal way of eating and I’m torn between the freelance style of PB and structure of The Zone. What is your opinion of The Zone?
First, let me thank Rob for his question. I’ve had [...]

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Dear Mark: Fiber, Fat and Fasting

Weekly Reader Mail
Dear Mark,
I have two questions. My first regards training and rest days. Simply, how many days of complete rest should I take for an entire week? I someone who’s been overweight for most of his pre-teen and teenage life, and who was able to lose that excess weight at 17 (I’m 20 [...]

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30-Day Primal Health Challenge Final Results

Just the Beginning…
The 30-Day Primal Health Challenge to act “as if” has come to a close. From the updates I have received - from the few that were kind enough to send in weekly results to the dozens of emails I have been sent over the course of the last month from other challenge participants [...]

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Mark’s Daily Apple 2008-08-01 14:52:02

This month we analyzed everything from dark chocolate, low-carb fruit, and how to eat healthy when you’re in a financial bind to health marketing schemes, drugs in sports and the context of calories. Be sure to check out any post you missed and stay tuned for the final results of the 30-Day Primal Health Challenge. [...]

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The Definitive Guide to the Primal Eating Plan

Do the Math
In my recent Context of Calories post, I explained how the different macronutrients we eat at each meal (fats, proteins, and carbohydrates) have different effects in the body. I suggested that, despite their raw calorie values, it’s far more important to get a lasting intuitive sense of how much of each macronutrient you [...]

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Should We Allow Drugs in Sports?

Dear Mark,
I know you used to be involved in triathlon sports administration. I see so much written about “banned substances” and “cheating” going on in the world of professional sports these days, especially with the Olympics looming. What do you make of all this?
Ray

Ray, my position hasn’t changed on this issue in a long [...]

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Dear Mark: Best Fruit Choices

Dear Mark,
Right now there are so many kinds of fruit in season at the local farmers’ market. I know that we should limit fruit consumption and that some fruits offer more nutrition and higher antioxidants than others. I live alone and can’t afford to fill my small fridge with 20 different kinds of [...]

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High Fat and Healthy: The Maasai Keep on Walking

These feet were made for walkin’…
Reader Peter emailed this new study today after he saw a discussion in which I was participating on Rusty’s site (fitnessblackbook.com) regarding the Maasai diet. Investigators in this new study suggested that one reason that the Maasai (African nomadic cattle farmers) have lower rates of heart [...]

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Unrestricted Low-Carb Diet Wins Hands Down

Dig In
The New England Journal of Medicine has just come out with perhaps the most definitive comparison of low-fat, Mediterranean and low-carb diets ever, and the findings dovetail very nicely with what we’ve been discussing here recently about the merits of the Primal Blueprint. I think it also addresses some of the concerns shared about [...]

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2 Minute Salad

Most readers here understand the concepts behind the Primal Blueprint, but some seem to be concerned about the amount of time it must take to prepare PB-style meals every day. Nothing could be further from the truth. My 4-egg breakfast or protein shake take but a few minutes. My evening lamb-chop or grass-fed porterhouse with [...]

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Dear Mark: Low Energy on Primal Challenge

Dear Mark,
I’m finding that I have low levels of energy in the evenings only. Could this be because my body is still adapting to primal living and adjusting to less carbohydrate intake? How long does this usually last? I’m also finding that after my sessions of intense Muay Thai training, I don’t have the [...]

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Is All Chocolate Created Equal?

One of My Favorite Sensible Vices
My wife and I tend to receive a lot of chocolate, usually as holiday or dinner party gifts. Friends and business associates know we’re not dessert people but that we indulge in chocolate and red wine on occasion (i.e. those Sensible Vices). As a result, I’ve gotten to try a [...]

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The Context of Calories

200 Calories is 200 Calories. Right?
“What’s that in the road ahead?”
vs.
“What’s that in the road!? A head!?”
Context is important.
Many people think weight loss is simply about cutting calories. But context counts here, too. Calories do have context and that’s what I want to explore today. Is a calorie from fat the same as a calorie [...]

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The Beginning of the End?

Driving my daughter Devyn to the airport yesterday morning at 5:30 (she’s off to a summer-school program in Florence) I was stunned by what I was hearing on my radio. Apparently, the American Academy of Pediatrics is now recommending much more aggressive cholesterol screening for children and urging that kids as young as eight be [...]

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Dear Mark: Primal Compromises for Athletes

Post-Marathon Carb Mountain
I’ve been getting a slew of emails lately from marathon runners and other endurance athletes among our group, many in response to our 30-Day Primal Health Challenge. Questions have run the gamut but generally get at how to combine endurance training and Primal Blueprint methodology:
How do I combine a low carb diet with [...]

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