SuperSlow Update: The Second Sheet

As you might recall, I quit doing CrossFit for SuperSlow in May for the reasons detailed in this post. (SuperSlow means resistance training to failure of major muscle groups using slow movements once per week.) In October, I posted my first progress report based on 16 sessions of training. Now I'm past due for the second progress report... so here it is!

I completed this 16-session sheet in early January. (Click to enlarge.)



Here's a summary of my progress on various movements, starting from Session 16 from Sheet 1 to Session 32 on Sheet 2. All the machines are Nautilus, except the the lower back, the torso rotation, and the funky ab cruncher hold machines, which are MedX. My trainer added a few new machines, so now most movements are done every other session. (In fact, only Leg Press and Lower Back are done every session.) Also, the order is switched around with every sheet, and that makes a huge difference in my ability to progress on a given machine.

Every week:

• LB: Lower Back: 150 to 160 lbs. I'm happy with my steady progress. I like being able to increase by 2 lb increments on this machine. (The Nautilus machines increment by 5 lbs only.)
  
  
• LP: Leg Press: 225 to 260 lbs. The leg press is definitely my focus with every workout. During this sheet, I had to really focus on staying calm, as I was tending to panic as I reached failure. As a result, I made some speedy progress in the middle of the sheet. Overall, I'm pleased with my progress, but mostly, I'm eager to get to 300 lbs!

Every other week:

• Hip AB: Hip Abduction: 75 to 90 lbs. I made good progress in the beginning, but I leveled out in the last few sessions.
  
  
• Hip AD: Hip Adduction: 105 to 115 lbs. Okay progress.
  
  
• Lower Back (see above)
  
  
• Leg Press (see above)
  
  
• Row: Row: 50 to 65 lbs. I alternate between pulling and a 2 minute static hold. I've made progress, but I still need to work on my form.
  
  
• CP: Chest Press: 55 to 65 lbs. I was stalled on my first sheet due to my seat position being too high. My trainer corrected that, so I've made some progress on this sheet. I'm pleased about that, but I want to do more.
  
  
• PD: Lat Pull-Down: Steady at 115 lbs. This movement was near the end of my workout on this sheet, and I just couldn't make any progress whatsoever.
  
  
• Ab C: Ab Crunch: Steady at 15 lbs. This movement is not only last, but also makes me feel like I can't breathe. Fun!

Every other week:

• Rot T: Rotate Torso: 38 to 48 lbs. Every other week. My form is better, and I'm pleased with my progress.
  
  
• New MXCP: (Funky MedX Ab Cruncher Hold): 65 to 75 lbs: Okay progress.
  
  
• Lower Back (see above)
  
  
• Leg Press (see above)
  
  
• New: Bicep: 30 lbs to 40 lbs: Some progress, but I want more!
  
  
• New: Tricep: 65 to 80 lbs: Good progress!
  
  
• LE/LC: Leg Extension: Steady at 50 lbs. This movement was at the very end of my workout, and I struggled with it. The contraction hurts, just due to the nerve endings in the muscle, and I've been working on staying calm despite that. (LC is a 90-second Leg Curl of progressive intensity against a stable frame.)

I've learned a few things in these 16 sessions of training.

• Sleep matters to my performance... hugely! I need to have a few good nights of sleep under my belt for a good workout. (Sleep is hugely important to my adrenal function too.)
  
• The order of machines has a huge impact on whether I make progress or not on any given machine. If I have a strong performance on the leg press, I might not be able to make any progress on any machine after that.
  
• I can often go for a rep or two beyond what my trainer supposes. I love doing that. Once, I was telling my trainer that I thought I might have been able to do another rep on the leg press, and as I got out of the machine, I fell to the ground because I was literally unable to hold up my own weight. That was pretty awesome.
  
• At the end of my first sheet, I was having some problems with being ridiculously exhausted after my workout. I've solved that problem in two ways. First, I run any errands before my workout, so that I'm not attempting to haul around 60 pounds of meat from Costco just after the workout. Second, I take 15 to 20 minutes to sit down in the waiting area after my workout. I drink my coconut water, and I chill out. That really helps.

A number of people have told me that they'd like to do SuperSlow, but they've not been able to find a gym in their area. That's definitely a problem, and I'm lucky to have such an awesome SuperSlow gym just 30 minutes from home. (For me, that's nearby!) If that's your situation, then I'd recommend trying to find a personal trainer willing to do the SuperSlow / Body by Science method. Sure, it's possible to work on your own, but I wouldn't have made nearly the progress that I have without a trainer to push me to my absolute limit.

Also, if you decide to try my SuperSlow gym in south Denver, please tell them that I referred you!

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Snowboard Girl, Powered by Bacon

Last week, I had a great four days of snowboarding in Beaver Creek, then one final day of skiing. Much to my delight, the third day offered six inches of glorious powder -- and that much powder transforms snowboarding from "yay fun!" to "OMG OMG OMG THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER!"

My snowboarding skills are definitely improving with every day on the slopes. (These were days five through eight on a snowboard.) My turns are much better: I can do pretty flat s-curves down the milder slopes, and I can do turns on steeper slopes now too. I'm able to get off the lifts reliably, thank goodness. I'm only falling on occasion now too.

Interestingly, I'm pretty much ambidextrous on the snowboard. I'm goofy-footed, mostly because the inflamed nerve (morton's neuroma) in the ball of my right foot is happier when strapped in full-time. However, I'm happy to go down the slope with left or right foot forward, and my turns are equally good (or bad) on either side. That flexibility is good: I can face whichever way makes the most sense given the terrain, not based on my own body's preferences.

I snowboarded or skied for four to five hours every day. I was tired by that, but not wildly exhausted. (The only exception was the first day, but that involved waking up early and driving three hours to Beaver Creek, then snowboarding.) Also, I was sore after the first day or two in my quads, but that faded. That tells me that my 20 minute SuperSlow workouts once per week are keeping me in as good shape as CrossFit did.

By the time we went home, the only thing that hurt was the backs of my knees. I couldn't figure out why... until I realized that the problem was likely my construction-style knee pads, because the main strap wrapped around the backs of my knees. I've ordered knew knee pads, so hopefully those will work without causing strain.

Finally, due to my still-super-strict elimination diet, I cooked all of our meals in the kitchen of the condo. We usually had bacon and grapefruit for breakfast. (Hence, the caption on on the picture!) Paul had coffee, and I had my cinnamon hot cocoa. I packed some meat (ham or leftovers), plus sweet potato for lunch. Then we had yummy dinners: slow-cooked pork ribs, roast chicken, pork roast, and so on. That worked really well: I kept strictly to my diet, and I enjoyed what we ate. Also, we probably saved a few hundred dollars, since eating out anywhere neat Beaver Creek is ridiculously expensive.

Overall, I'm really happy that I took up snowboarding this season. I'm enjoying the challenge of learning a new snow sport, particularly that difficult process of forcing myself by sheer will to overcome my fears. (I hope to write more about that later.) Mostly...

YAY FUN!

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Elimination Diet: Weeks 1 and 2

I'm pleased to report that I'm doing very well on my elimination diet with nearly two weeks completed.

Here are all the foods that I've eaten so far:

• Pork
  
• Chicken
  
• Salmon
  
  
• Zucchini
  
• Carrot
  
• Coconut
  
• Sweet Potato
  
• Spinach
  
  
• Banana
  
• Orange
  
• Apple
  
• Raspberry
  
  
• Black Pepper
  
• Cinnamon
  
• Cocoa
  
• Mustard
  
• Oregano
  
• Paprika
  
• Parsley
  
• Cumin

That's not much, but other than longing for the delicious salty crunch of macadamia nuts on occasion, I'm pretty content.

My angry gut symptoms have disappeared. I've only reacted to one food: Whole Foods' 365 Uncured Applewood Smoked Bacon. I've done okay with Applegate Farms and Coleman bacon (uncured, of course). The Whole Foods bacon has some kind of unknown "spices" in it -- not the very forbidden onion and garlic, since those must be listed separately -- but something else. I want to try eating it again, then if I react again, I'll contact Whole Foods again about the ingredients. (Whole Foods was good and Applegate Farms was awesome when I inquired about ingredients in their products.)

I've lost a few pounds too, plus an inch off my waist. That's good too, because I've had major trouble shedding the weight I gained due to my hypothyroidism. More importantly, my hunger sensations seem to have reset themselves, so I'm not inclined to eat and eat and eat beyond satiation.

This upcoming week will be a bit of a challenge, food-wise. Despite the crappy snow conditions, Paul and I are going out to Beaver Creek for a few days. (He's snowshoing, and I'm snowboarding and maybe skiing too.) I can't possibly eat out on this elimination diet. If I could eat beef, I'd be golden: I'd just order a plain steak or bunless burger. That's just not possible with other meats. So... what will I do? Well, we'll be eating in, just like at home. We've reserved a condo with a full kitchen, and we'll bring a hefty cooler of tasty food. So I'll continue to cook as usual, which will suit us just fine.

The only change that I need to make concerns pork: basically, I've probably been eating far too much of it. I'm supposed to rotate foods, but pork is so convenient for breakfasts and lunch in the form of pork loin, uncured ham, and uncured bacon that it's hard to forgo. I'd better just eliminate it from my diet entirely for a week. (Oddly, I find it far easier to just eliminate something that I like from my diet than to eat it in moderation.) I won't do that this upcoming week because sticking with the elimination diet while away from home and on the slopes will enough trouble. But after that, no bacon for a week for me!

So far, the elimination diet has been a success. At this point, I don't feel deprived... I'm just happy to be feeling better!

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My Elimination Diet

On Monday, I began a serious elimination diet. Why? Some unknown foods don't seem to agree with my gut: I feel bloated and pained for a day or so after eating them, and while I'm in that state, my hunger sensors seem to be broken, and so I overeat. Also, some tests that I've done with our own Christian Wernstedt of Vital Objectives show gut inflammation, plus high sensitivity to certain foods. If I have problems with leaky gut, that could be a contributing factor in my autoimmune hypothyroidism, as well as my adrenal insufficiency. If so, I want that fixed!

My basic strategy for this elimination diet is slightly complicated because I want to make sure that I'm not just wasting my time by introducing confounding factors.

First, the results of my "MRT" food sensitivity test labeled foods as "green" (little reaction), "yellow" (moderate reaction), and "red" (severe reaction). I've started with just a few "green" foods -- like pork, zucchini, and bananas. Over the first two months, I'll gradually add more "green" foods. After two months, I'll try eating some of the "yellow" foods. After three months, I'll try eating some of the "red" foods. Hopefully, my gut will have healed enough by the time that I reintroduce these foods to be able to tolerate them, but if not, then I'll have to cut them permanently from my diet.

Second, I'm eliminating common autoimmune triggers -- particularly nuts, dairy, nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and eggplant), and eggs -- for at least a month, even if they're "green" by the MRT test. I'll also not drink any alcohol for that first month, nor consume any added sugar. I've been eating strictly gluten-free for ages, so that's a given. I'll also avoid all forms of soy. (I eat wheat-free soy sauce on rare occasion.)

So what does that mean for my diet? What's on the menu... or not?

Red Foods: Eliminate for Three Months

• Beef
  
• Mushroom
  
• Garlic
  
• Onion
  
• Cabbage
  
• Corn
  
• Avocado
  
• Watermelon
  

With a half freezer full of delicious grass-fed beef, I'm not too enthused to give that up for three months. Plus, not being able to eat beef means that I won't be able to eat out, since a plain steak or hamburger is off the menu. I'm also mighty unhappy that onion and garlic are on the list -- as they're two of my favorites. However, last week I made a ground beef dish with lots of onion, garlic, and tomato, and I was miserable for two full days. Since then, I've been more reconciled to this three-month deprivation!

Alas, I just saw that my favorite breakfast meat -- the Italian Pork Sausage by Boulder Sausage -- has garlic powder in it, so that's not an option for three months. GRRRR! I wonder whether the "spices" listed on my Whole Foods 365 bacon and Applegate Farms Canadian bacon include garlic or onion. I'll have to inquire.

I do like mushrooms, cabbage, and avocado too, but I can live without them for a while. The watermelon result seems strange to me, since I eat watermelon about once every three years! Corn, however, doesn't surprise me, as I've had some serious belly aches from that.

Yellow Foods: Eliminate for Two Months

• Basil
  
• Broccoli
  
• Cottage Cheese
  
• Lemon
  
• Mint
  
• Peach
  
• Scallop
  
• Tuna
  
• Yellow Squash
  
• Cashew
  
• Green Pea
  
• Papaya
  
• Pear

Happily, there's nothing too exciting on this list, nothing that I'll really miss.

Green Foods, But Eliminate for One Month

• Bell Pepper
  
• Tomtato
  
• Potato
  
• Eggplant
  
• Walnut
  
• Almond
  
• Pistachio
  
• Pecan
  
• Hazlenut
  
• Sunflower
  
• Yogurt
  
• Cheese
  
• Milk
  
• Eggs
  
• Sugar
  
• Honey
  
• Maple

Mostly, I'll miss my morning cup of tea, which absolutely requires cream. I'll also miss the eggs, tomatoes, and bell peppers. I'll definitely miss the cheese too, but I know that I eat too much cheese, so that's probably for the best.

So, you might be thinking, what's left? What can I eat?

Green Foods

• Pork
  
• Chicken
  
• Lamb
  
• Turkey
  
  
• Salmon
  
• Crab
  
• Shrimp
  
• Tilapia
  
  
• Zucchini
  
• Carrot
  
• Olive
  
• Sweet Potato
  
• Spinach
  
• Beet
  
• Lettuce
  
• Cauliflower
  
• String Bean
  
• Leek
  
• Asparagus
  
• Celery
  
• Cucumber
  
• Coconut
  
  
• Orange
  
• Apple
  
• Grapefruit
  
• Strawberry
  
• Cantaloupe
  
• Cherry
  
• Mango
  
• Pineapple
  
• Raspberry
  
• Grape
  
• Blueberry
  
• Honeydew
  
• Apricot
  
• Cranberry
  
• Plum
  
• Banana
  
  
• Coffee
  
• Tea
  
  
• Black Pepper
  
• Cayenne
  
• Cinnamon
  
• Cocoa
  
• Cumin
  
• Dill
  
• Ginger
  
• Mustard
  
• Oregano
  
• Paprika
  
• Parsley
  
• Tumeric
  
• Vanilla

That's a pretty good variety of foods, so I won't be terribly bored with meals for the next few months.

Also, I'm back to keeping a food diary, and I'm cutting out my bad habit of snacking. Oh, and if I cheat, I plan to confess it here, so as to keep me on the straight and narrow!

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Video: The Morality of Giving Away Unhealthy Food

In Sunday's Philosophy in Action Webcast (Nov 6th), I discussed giving away unhealthy food. The question was:

Is it immoral to give away food that you regard as unhealthy? Assuming that one believes (as I do) that candy and sweets are harmful to health (especially in quantity), is it immoral to participate in trick-or-treat by giving children candy when they come to your door? Or, is it immoral to "dispose" of an unwanted gift of, say, a rich chocolate cake by leaving it by the coffee machine at work to be quickly scarfed up by one's co-workers (as an alternative to simply discarding it)? Is the morality of these two cases different because in one case the recipients are children while in the other case they are adults?

My answer, in brief:

If I give a person something, it's because I value them. So I'd rather not give people something damaging, particularly if they're oblivious to its dangers. Ultimately, however, people are going to make their own decisions about what to eat.

Here's the video of my full answer:

If you enjoy the video, please "like" it on YouTube and share it with friends in e-mail and social media! You can also throw a bit of extra love in our tip jar.

All posted webcast videos can be found in the Webcast Archives and on my YouTube channel.

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Hip Fracture Update: 10 Weeks

I recently had my 10-week postoperative check for my left hip fracture. As you can see from the image below, the fracture shows considerable healing and improvement from the earlier 6-week image (click on image to see full size):



The image on the left is the most recent 10-week image; the image on the right is the earlier 6-week image. The arrows point to the fracture line.

For reference, here is the matching CT scan of the hip just prior to surgery (click on image to see full size):



In particular, the fracture shows good bony union on the 10-week image. There is no breakdown of the fracture repair site, and no bending or deformity of the three titanium screws which would indicate abnormal stress at the repair site.

Nor is there any sign of the complication known as "avascular necrosis" or AVN, which is when the bone of the femoral head starts to die off due to inadequate blood supply (a known risk from certain types of hip fractures). If I had developed AVN, then this would have meant that the attempted repair failed and I'd likely need a second surgery for artificial hip replacement.

My orthopedic surgeon (Dr. Steve Morgan) has now given me the green light to get rid of the crutches and start walking with cane. I'm continuing my physical therapy and am now much more mobile. He'll continue to monitor my progress over the next few months, but for now everything is looking good.

Diana deserves tremendous credit for putting up with my relative immobility these past 10 weeks, including doing all the unpleasant household chores that I used to do (like cleaning up the kitty litter).

And we'd like to extend our thanks to all our friends who have offered their support and encouragement during this challenging time!

Earlier posts on this topic:

"My Hip Injury", August 31, 2011
"Hip Injury Aftermath", September 6, 2011
"Open Letter to Apple: My iPad and My Hip Fracture", September 7, 2011

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Alas, Four More Weeks

Yesterday, Paul had his six-week check-up with his orthopedist. The good news is that nothing has gone wrong so far -- although he's not out of the woods yet. Unfortunately, the femoral head fracture is still plainly evident in the x-ray, and the doctor wants him to stay off that leg for another four weeks. Basically, as with the last six weeks, he can only put a wee bit of weight on that leg for balance.

That came as a major disappointment to us, as we'd hoped and expected that he'd be able to switch to a cane and start bearing some weight. However, we were surely just expecting too much. So we're bummed... but we'll manage.

The good news is that the doctor has lifted Paul's restrictions on his range of motion with that leg. So that will make some daily tasks easier, including showering, getting in and out of the car, and even putting on his own left sock. Overall, Paul is much better able to drive himself to and from work than before, so that's good.

I'll be so freaking happy when Paul is back to his old self. It's been a hard slog for both of us.

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SuperSlow Update: The First Sheet

In mid-September, I completed my first "sheet" with my SuperSlow gym in south Denver. That's a milestone of sorts -- 16 sessions in 16 weeks. Since I know that many people are curious about how I like SuperSlow compared to CrossFit, now seems like an excellent time to blog an update.

As you might recall I'd done CrossFit for a year as of May. I enjoyed it at the time, but I grew weary of it for all the reasons outlined in this blog post. In early June, I started SuperSlow -- meaning resistance training to failure of major muscle groups using slow movements once per week.

So... here's my sheet of 16 weeks. You can click for a larger version. The weight is in the top-left of each box, while the time under load is in the bottom-left. As you can see, I'm doing more movements than just the Big Three or the Big Five.



Here's what I've done, with my progress in load from the first good failure weight (usually at week 3, 6/20) to week 16 (9/19). All the machines are Nautilus, except the lower back and torso rotation, which are MedX.

• LE/LC: Leg Extension: 50 to 60 lbs. Meh on progress. I find this machine extraordinarily unpleasant. (LC is a 90-second Leg Curl of progressive intensity against a stable frame.) Only done every other week, alternating with Hip AB and Hip AD.
  
  
• Hip AB: Hip Abduction: 55 lbs to 75 lbs. Good progress. Only done every other week, alternating with LE/LC.
  
  
• Hip AD: Hip Adduction: 90 lbs to 105 lbs. Okay progress. Only done every other week, alternating with LE/LC.
  
  
• LB: Lower Back: 108 lbs to 150 lbs. Good progress! You can see that I went from 128 lbs to 170 lbs to 150 lbs from 8/22 to 9/7. The 170 lbs was a mistake: my trainer forgot to adjust the machine. It was the day of Paul's hip dislocation and fracture, and we were all a bit distracted. After that, we realized that I could do much more than what I had been doing, but 170 lbs was too much, so we went down to 150 lbs.
  
  
• LP: Leg Press: 190 lbs to 225 lbs. Good! I love the leg press, and I hate the leg press.
  
  
• PD: Lat Pull-Down: 85 lbs to 115 lbs. Good progress, particularly given how difficult I find this movement.
  
  
• CP: Chest Press: 50 lbs to 55 lbs. Boo, almost no progress! I've not made much progress on the chest press, and we just realized that that's probably because my seat was set too high to fully engage my pecs. That's been fixed, so we'll see how I do in future weeks.
  
  
• Row: Row: 40 lbs to 50 lbs. Okay on progress, given that I've had a terrible time with proper form on this movement, but I'm finally getting the hang of it. Alternating pulling with a 2 minute static hold every week.
  
  
• Ab C: Ab Crunch: 10 lbs to 15 lbs. Okay progress. Only done every other week, alternating with Rot T.
  
  
• Rot T: Rotate Torso: 30 lbs to 38 lbs. Okay progress. Only done every other week, alternating with Ab C.

Overall, I've been very pleased with the SuperSlow method and with my SuperSlow gym. The competitor in me wants to make progress faster, but I'm pretty content, knowing that I'm pushing myself as hard as I can every week. (My absolute favorite thing to do is to tell my trainer that I can do one more rep!) Plus, I know that I started SuperSlow with a pretty darn good fitness base from my year of CrossFit.

Now that I've got 16 weeks under my belt, let me review my bullet points from my original post on switching from CrossFit to SuperSlow:

1. Measuring Progress: I never bothered doing much measuring or recording in CrossFit because writing anything down would have taken time away from my workout. I'm pretty sure that I stalled out in the last few months of doing CrossFitting, but I couldn't tell for sure. With SuperSlow, I like that my progress is clearly measured and recorded, but that my trainer does the measuring and recording for me. It would just be too hard to do myself in the midst of muscle failure. I've actually fallen to the ground after getting off the leg press machine. No, really.
   
   
2. Time at Gym: I love going to the gym only once per week. That's definitely helped me recover from my adrenal fatigue. CrossFit was not doing me any favors in that regard, not with its periodic "metcon beatdowns."
   
   
3. Sports for Pleasure: I'm happy to be doing the sports that I love, whenever I please, without trying to squeeze them into my CrossFit schedule. I don't just save the time of two hour-long CrossFit workouts per week, but also I don't suffer from periodic bouts of horrible muscle soreness. I'm usually a tad sore and weak for the day or two after a SuperSlow workout -- and that's it. Life is so much more bearable that way!
   
   
4. Exhaustion after Workouts: Overall, I've been much less tired after SuperSlow workouts than after CrossFit workouts. However, for the past few weeks, I've found myself completely exhausted by my workouts for some hours afterwards, to the point of wanting to rip someone's head off and then crawl in a hole. That's not good! I think that's happening in part because I'm getting better at pushing myself to full capacity in my workouts -- which is hard, because your brain has been hollering for you to stop for a good 15 seconds by that point. So I'm more exhausted, but then I've added other stressors on my workout days, like not eating right away, shopping at Costco afterwards, and/or feeding all the beasts and making dinner immediately upon on arriving home. That needs to stop! So in future, I'll do any errands before my workout. Then, afterwards, I'll sit in the waiting room for a half hour, munching on some snacks. Once I get home, I'll sit down for a bit if needed. That will help me feel reasonably good in my post-workout evenings, I think.
   
   
5. Injury Risk: I love that I have zero injury risk. Zero. Think about that as you're doing box jumps, oh my CrossFitting friends! (Seriously, I do worry about you!)
   
   
6. No Summer Heat: I've enjoyed the air conditioning and fans in the SuperSlow gym all summer long! My trainer freezes herself for us -- and I so appreciate that.
   
   
7. Cost: I'm still saving money compared to CrossFit. Cha-ching!

I will say, however, that SuperSlow is damn hard, even harder than CrossFit in some ways. The last minute on every machine is seriously awful, and the last 15 seconds is pure agony. You have to learn to ignore that, knowing that you're not doing yourself damage, so that you can push through to full failure. That's not easy!

In getting to that point of utter failure, I benefit hugely from working with a trainer, rather than attempting to do the workout on my own. As with CrossFit, I just couldn't push myself alone sufficently: I'd give up somewhere between 50% and 80% effort. If you don't have a SuperSlow affiliate in your area, you might be able to find a personal trainer willing to use the SuperSlow methodology with you in private sessions. That's really worth the cost, I think.

Overall, I'm extremely pleased with my current level of fitness on SuperSlow, particularly given that I'm only putting in 30 minutes per week. I've not done any test runs or rows to compare my capacity yet, but I suspect that I'd do as well with those as when I was CrossFitting. I'm able to easily carry two 40 lbs bags of horse feed a few hundred feet into the barn. I can sprint without getting winded. I'm very secure in riding, largely due to working my inner thighs. (That was wholly lacking in CrossFit.) So I can comfortably work my horse Lila for over an hour without stirrups, which is something!

Mostly, I feel healthy and strong -- without inflicting any wear and tear on my body. And that's really, really good!

Note: If you decide to try my SuperSlow gym in south Denver, please tell them that I referred you!

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Three New Modern Paleo E-mail Lists: PaleoCooks, PaleoFitness, PaleoParents

I'm delighted to announce the launch of three new Modern Paleo E-mail Lists: PaleoCooks, PaleoFitness, and PaleoParents. These new lists are just gathering subscriptions now. They'll open for discussion on Monday, September 19th.

• PaleoCooks: PaleoCooks is an informal private mailing list for people who eat a broadly paleo diet to discuss paleo-friendly cookery. Its basic purpose is to facilitate communication about cooking and eating paleo -- such as favorite recipes, better and worse ingredients, good suppliers, useful techniques, and more. Its broader purpose is to help paleo-eaters eat more a healthy, varied, and delicious diet. PaleoCooks is managed by Julie Campbell of the crankin' kitchen. For more information and to subscribe, click here.
  
  
• PaleoFitness: PaleoFitness is an informal private mailing list for people who eat a broadly a broadly paleo diet to discuss paleo-friendly fitness. Its basic purpose is to facilitate communication about fitness from a paleo perspective -- such workout methods, lifting techniques, pre and post workout nutrition, preventing and healing from injuries, enjoyable sports, and more. Its broader purpose is to help paleo-eaters enjoy productive and enjoyable workouts. PaleoFitness is managed by Tammy Perkins. For more information and to subscribe, click here.
  
  
• PaleoParents: PaleoParents is an informal private mailing list for parents and others interested applying a a broadly paleo approach to nutrition, fitness, medicine, and supplementation to kids. Its basic purpose is to facilitate communication about paleo as applied to kids and families -- such as pregnancy, breastfeeding, kid-friendly recipes, dining out, supplementation, kids sports, and more. Its broader purpose is to help paleo parents raise healthy and happy kids. PaleoParents is managed by Kelly Valenzuela of Mother of Exiles. For more information and to subscribe, click here.

Of course, Modern Paleo's three other e-mail lists are open to new members any time. Those lists are:

• PaleoBloggers: PaleoBloggers is an informal private mailing list for bloggers who adhere to and advocate a broadly paleo approach to nutrition, fitness, medicine, and supplementation. Its basic purpose is to facilitate communication about matters of mutual interest -- such as blogworthy links, the paleo carnival, upcoming events, posts of interest, and best blogging practices. Its broader purpose is to help paleo bloggers more effectively advocate and promote the paleo approach. PaleoBloggers is managed by me, Diana Hsieh of NoodleFood. For more information and to subscribe, click here.
  
  
• PaleoThyroid: PaleoThyroid is an informal private mailing list for adherents of a broadly paleo diet with diagnosed or suspected thyroid disease. Its basic purpose is to facilitate the sharing of information, resources, and experiences about thyroid problems amongst independent-minded people already eating paleo. PaleoThyroid is managed by me, Diana Hsieh of NoodleFood. For more information and to subscribe, click here.
  
  
• SousVide: SousVide is an informal private mailing list for people who cook sous vide, particularly home cooks. Its basic purpose is to facilitate the sharing of information, resources, recipes, and tips related to cooking sous vide. (This list is not limited to paleo-eaters.) SousVide is managed by Shea Levy of Shea's Blog. For more information and to subscribe, click here.

Non-paleo lurkers are welcome on all of these lists, except PaleoBloggers.

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Hip Injury Aftermath

After my earlier left hip fracture, I underwent successful surgery to repair the broken femur head. The surgeon was able to get a good repair, and here's a post-op image:



For comparison, here's a matching pre-operative CT image:



For the record, those were definitely the three most expensive titanium screws I have ever purchased! But of course, I wasn't just paying for the screws but for the highly customized, personalized, urgent delivery method as well.

I'm now home for a few days of Medical Leave before I return to work. Fortunately, I should still be able function pretty well at my job at a computer work-station, although I won't be able to perform invasive procedures (or anything that involves prolonged standing) for a little while.

I do have a few observations in this immediate post-operative period:

1) American medical care is really really good. My care at all steps from the ambulance to the ER to the pre-op to surgery to the surgical aftercare was superb. Again, I want to give my kudos to the Level 1 Trauma Center where I was treated.

2) It's very easy to think that this superb medical care "just happens" and grows magically on trees. But knowing how bad care can be in other countries with socialized medical systems, I appreciate the current semi-free American system even more than ever. And I want to continue to fight to keep it as free as possible.

3) Some of the various personnel at the hospital knew I was a physician on staff there, but many did not. For those who didn't, I deliberately didn't mention the fact that I was a doctor just to see how they treated a "regular" patient. They were consistently competent, courteous, and professional -- and that makes me feel much prouder about where I work.

4) It's amazing how much one's life changes when one has restricted mobility on a single hip. Even simple ADLs (activities of daily living) such as sitting in chair, taking a shower, going to the bathroom, etc., become much more challenging. Fortunately, part of my patient education included some extremely helpful training sessions with the Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy teams to prepare me for functioning at home.

5) The first shower at home after surgery feels really, really nice!

6) Some of the postop physical therapy exercises are a real b*tch!

7) Having an iPad was a huge boon throughout the entire process, staring in the ER, then at home prior to surgery, then in the hospital immediately postop, and now at home. Being able to reply to e-mails, keep up on the news, interact with friends via Twitter/Facebook, look up medical literature, read my Kindle books, etc., was an enormous morale boost. A laptop would not have been as convenient or portable for someone like me with limited physical mobility.

Finally, Diana has been a tremendous help during this challenge. She's been unfailingly cheerful despite now having to do twice as much work around the house as before. Certainly, if you value her work on NoodleFood or the Rationally Selfish webcasts, please feel free to be extra-generous with the tip jars!

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My Hip Injury

As many of you know, I sustained a fluke hip fracture yesterday. Basically, I was crossing the street to my office when I tripped on something in the intersection. I'm not sure if it was a rock or a crack in the asphalt or what. I landed hard on my left hip and had a classic, "I've fallen and can't get up". My left hip was twisted in an unnatural position and I couldn't put any weight on my left leg.

To get out of the road, I had to crawl out of the intersection to the traffic island. A passer-by alerted 911, and the paramedics took me to Swedish Medical Center, which is top-tier level 1 trauma hospital that my radiology practice helps staff.

The emergency team there was superb, including all the docs, nurses, EKG techs, radiology techs, etc.

My initial x-ray showed a dislocated left hip:



The "ball" of the femur is out of place, no longer sitting within the "cup" or acetabulum socket.

Here I am looking at my x-ray on the ER physician's laptop:



The ER team then arranged for a "closed reduction" (relocation) of the hip. For this, they had to heavily but briefly sedate me, both so I wouldn't experience the pain and to help relax my muscle spasm. I don't remember much of this portion, but I do recall the IV sedation was very rapid acting. Then a lot of blurriness, then a resumption to groggy-consicousness with the ER doc telling me the hip was now back in place.

So that first step was went okay!

(Note from Diana: I was in the room for the reduction, and it wasn't easy! Paul required three doses of the sedative to keep him under. His ER doc wasn't able to do the reduction himself, despite a valiant effort, so he called another very muscular ER doc who was able to do it in short order. The whole procedure was a bit hard to watch, but I was glad to be there.)

The next step was a CT scan to see how much damage there was to the ball and/or socket. Unfortunately, I do have fractures of both portions, as you can see below:





Presumably, the force of the dislocation also caused the fractures.

Yesterday evening, while still in the hospital, the orthopedic surgeon reviewed the images, discussed various options, and recommended surgery. He decided that I was sufficiently stable to be able to go home on crutches, and surgery is planned for tomorrow.

One of my partner radiologists -- who is also an orthopedic trauma radiologist like myself -- has already filed my images in his list of "interested cases". Basically, you never want to be someone else's "interesting case"!

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Paleo as a School of Thought

On occasion, I've noticed some consternation in the paleosphere about what constitutes a truly "paleo" approach to diet. Undoubtedly, I've got my own share of pet peeves. I'm annoyed when paleo advocates disparage saturated fat, recommend canola oil, or insist on lean meats. I don't like that many people equate paleo with low-carb, as if potatoes are on par with wheat. I regard talk against "processed" or "industrial" foods as seriously misguided, since foods are not rendered more or less healthy by mere processing or mass production per se. I'm not concerned with whether cavemen ate some particular food or not.

However, I try not to get too fussed over my disagreements with other paleo eaters and advocates. That's because, in my view, paleo is a school of thought based on early science. Let me explain what that means and why that matters.

First, "paleo" is a nutritional school of thought, not a single dietary regimen.

The major advocates of paleo nutrition offer definite recommendations on diet, based on their own experiences and their understanding of the science. We see particular diets from Loren Cordain, Robb Wolf, Mark Sisson, etc. Similarly, various paleo bloggers and eaters have their own ideas about better and worse diets.

The idea of "eating paleo" should not be equated with any one of these diets. Rather, it's an abstraction based on the core of similarity between them. What is that core of similarity? I identified it pretty well at the top of Modern Paleo's Principles, I think. It says:

The core of paleo is the diet: it eschews grains, sugars, and modern vegetable oils in favor of high-quality meat, fish, eggs, and vegetables.

That's not the particular diet of Modern Paleo. That's what advocates of a paleo diet agree on and advocate, first and foremost. People who disagree with that -- as do low-carbers or Weston A. Price followers -- just aren't paleo. Of course, they might be friendly and interesting to us paleo-eaters! But they're not paleo.

Basically, "paleo" is like a school of thought in philosophy which encompasses the work of many philosophers (like positivism or existentialism) rather than the ideas of just one philosopher (like Objectivism or Platonism). It's a useful grouping of ideas, because it identifies real and important commonalities, even though its borders may not be clearly defined... yet.

As a result, we should not expect perfect agreement between the various paleo-advocates. We will disagree, perhaps vehemently at times. But absent some departure from that core of similarity, all sides will be just as much "paleo" as ever.

Second, "paleo" is based on a growing body of scientific literature, not dogma.

The science of nutrition is in its infancy, and we have much to learn about it. Over the next few decades, we can expect to learn a whole heck of a lot. Do I expect to learn that corn dogs fried in soybean oil are the epitome of health? No, I expect the basic framework of paleo to remain intact. That's not just because of already-established science, but also because the evolutionary approach to nutrition is correct and useful. Still, I expect all kinds of interesting and useful discoveries -- and people's views will change as a result, just as Cordain changed his views on saturated fat and canola oil over the last few years.

If some paleo folks advocate views that aren't warranted by the scientific evidence, others should speak up in disagreement, pointing out the flaws in their stance. We don't need to feign solidarity: we need to get the facts right! If people are honest, they'll correct themselves with time. If not, then they'll be increasingly ignored -- and justly so. Basically, I expect the truth to win out in the paleo community, because most people care more about the facts than about "their side" of some dispute.

So when someone in the paleo community advocates something that seems wacky, consider whether it has any merit -- and if not, then explain your disagreement. But don't worry that we're all going to hell in a handbasket over these kinds of disagreements. They're something we should expect, and they'll sort themselves out with time.

Happily, that seems to be the standard approach -- or at least, that's exactly what I saw at the Ancestral Health Symposium in the debates about carbohydrates. Hopefully, that will continue for all the other debates on the horizon -- about supplements, fitness, fats, dairy, and so on.

Personally, I try to read a wide variety of sources, perform some n=1 tests on myself, and report the results, in the hopes that they'll be useful to others. If that puts me at odds with some paleo luminaries, as happens sometimes, so be it. We'll figure it out eventually!

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Ancestral Health Symposium: My Experience

Last Friday and Saturday, I attended the first -- and hopefully "first annual" -- Ancestral Health Symposium at UCLA. It was an impressive event -- and not just due to the phenomenal lineup of speakers. The whole conference was produced by volunteers, and everything went remarkably smoothly. 600 attendees, 40 talks, and 16 posters are no small feat!

Personally, I had quite a bit of fun, particularly on the #AHS11 twitter stream. That allowed me to connect with a slew of awesome new paleo folks -- particularly some smart and funny gals. I was particularly delighted that a number of paleo bloggers told me how much they appreciated Modern Paleo's weekly blog carnival, The Paleo Rodeo. Mostly though, I was happy to find people that I liked at the conference -- friendly, smart, thinking, healthy people. That was a joy.

Speaking of those healthy people, I was darn impressed to see just how healthy and fit most people looked. Jolly took a slew of fabulous photos, so go see for yourself! The contrast with what I saw at LAX was striking.

However, I was rather surprised to see so many women wearing high heels -- often, really high heels. I don't have any objection to heels on special occasions, but they are damaging to those super-important feet. Plus, heels struck me as an odd choice for this particular conference, where minimalist shoes were standard. Perhaps I'm a bit more sensitive to this issue than most women, because I've already done serious (and likely permanent) damage to my feet by wearing wrong shoes (namely bicycle clip shoes) for just few dozen hours.

As for the talks, some covered basically familiar territory, but even those were fun to watch. Other talks were downright fascinating, covering material new to me. I got some good leads on information of importance to me personally, and I plan to follow-up with some more research. As a lovely bonus, so many rock star presenters were nothing but friendly and accessible -- Michael Eades and Robb Wolf particularly come to mind here.

I was pleased to see the birth of some real debates within the broadly "ancestral health" community, particularly on the question of the value of carbohydrates. For too long, I think, the heavy-hitters have been advocating their own views without talking much to each other about their points of agreement and disagreement. Hopefully, that's beginning to change. All of us will benefit from more direct debates and discussions on the topic of carbohydrates -- and others too, like dairy and fitness. Of course, I hope that everyone stays cool and civil, but if not, the rest of us need not follow suit.

Videos of the lectures will be posted on the web at some point -- soon, I hope! I'm looking forward to that, as I heard great things about some of the lectures that I missed. Also, some talks were so very awesome -- but also so very much like drinking from a firehose -- that I want to listen to them again. (Mat Lalonde, I'm looking at you!)

I didn't take many notes, but here's a few of the lectures that stood out for me:

Boyd Eaton, MD: Ancestral Health: Past, present, and future

Eaton's lecture was about 15 minutes of science, then about 25 minutes of terrible philosophy, including innate ideas, determinism, environmentalism, and anti-modernism, plus a hefty dose of factually false romanticization of primitive cultures. This lecture was the very first event, and I was seriously concerned about the conference at that point. Happily, while I didn't agree with everything said in lectures, I saw nothing even remotely so bad again. Also, I was heartened to see that plenty of other tweeters in the audience had serious objections to his views.

Stephan Guyenet, PhD: Obesity; old solutions for a new problem

Stephan of Whole Health Source gave a top-notch presentation on food reward, a topic that I've been much interested in lately. (Personally, I've found that the only way to lose the pounds that I gained while hypothyoid is to eat a painfully un-varied diet. I hope to blog more on that later.) Stephan's basic hypothesis is that the high food reward of modern diets contributes to the growing trend toward obesity. (He doesn't think that it's the whole story, of course.) Based on his data, plus my own observations, that seems to be correct.

Unfortunately, Gary Taubes behaved like something of a jerk in the Q&A, as you can see in this video. Stephan was very low-key in relply, and he reports that Taubes apologized to him later. Stephan has posted more here, and I am looking forward to hearing his no-holds-barred criticims of Taubes.

Gary Taubes, MA: The case against sugar(s)

Taubes gave an interesting talk, particularly because he now seems to think that sugars (not carbs) are the culprit for the explosions of Type 2 Diabetes and then obesity. I'm not sure where I stand on the whole debate about carbohydrates, except to say that (1) food quality matters far more than macronutrient ratios and (2) people vary in their optimal carbohydrate intake.

Pedro Bastos, MS, MA: Milk, dairy and human health: An historical, evolutionary and global perspective

I want to listen to this talk again because I ended up far more skeptical of dairy than I've ever been before, particularly for its hormonal content and growth-promoting properties. I don't drink milk any longer, but I regularly consume high-fat dairy, particularly heavy cream, cheese, and greek yogurt. I don't have any particular sensitivity to dairy, but I suspect that I'd be better off with less of it in my diet.

Mat Lalonde, PhD: An organic chemist's perspective on paleo

More than any other, this talk was like drinking from the firehose... the kick-ass firehose of science. He gave all of us paleo-advocates good reason to be more careful in our scientific claims.

Denise Minger: How to win an argument with a vegetarian

Denise was informative, accessible, enthusiastic, and funny. Win! I don't tend to argue with vegetarians, but I am better informed than I was before, particularly about what some of the famous (and effective) vegetarian diets consist of.

Nora Gedgaudas, CNS, CNT: Primal mind: Diet and mental health

This talk was also a strong drink from the firehose, but really fascinating, particularly in the connections between diet and brain/mind health. I'm going to pick up the new edition of her book Primal Body, Primal Mind and read it sooner rather than later.

Melissa McEwen: Clues from the colon: How this organ illuminates our digestive evolution and microniche

Melissa's Hunt.Gather.Love is one of my favorite paleo-ish blogs: I always enjoy her fresh perspective, even when I disagree with her. Her talk did not disappoint. She raised all kinds of interesting questions, particularly about what might constitute optimal gut bacteria. I hope that the necesary research will be done to answer those questions.

Richard Nikoley: Self-experimentation: The best science

I was hoping that Richard would talk about how to approach n=1 experiments in a sensible and useful way, then discuss a wide variety of such experiments that people might try. Instead, he mostly spoke about his own experiences, but I'd already read those on his blog. Still, he was a very engaging speaker!

Doug McGuff, MD: Body by science

Doug began with a remarkably clear (though low-tech) explanation of cellular metabolism and ended with some very general parameters for a good workout regimen. I'm really pleased with my own switch from CrossFit to SuperSlow / Body By Science workouts, and I agree with his concerns about CrossFit. (Basically, you shouldn't want to waste a whole lot of time and effort in your workouts doing activities that don't actually contribute to your fitness, and you should want to minimize your risk of injury as you build strength.) Interestingly, Doug isn't opposed to CrossFit, particularly not for people who want to do it as a sport for fun or to burn off extra energy. He just advocates separating strength and skill training -- and developing skills with an established strength base.

In the Q&A, Robb Wolf jokingly asked, "Yeah, yeah, that's all nice, but what's your Fran time?" As I said on Twitter in reply, "Who cares about Fran! Check out his guns!" No really, check out his guns! Also, Doug said the most-retweeted line at the whole symposium, namely: "You cannot exercise your way out of a bad diet." So true!

Overall, the Ancestral Health Symposium was a great experience, and I hope that they have another, because I will attend! Major props to the organizers, speakers, and attendees for such an awesome experience! You did good!

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Broken Windows, Broken Bodies

Often, I hear that the standard American diet cannot pose any kind of health risk, given that Americans are living longer than ever. This argument is wrong, and a while back, I thought of an analogy that might help explain why.

Statists of various stripes often offer a pseudo-self-interested argument for the myriad controls and welfare instituted in recent decades. They claim that the controls prevent soulless corporations and greedy bastards from stomping all over us little guys. Even welfare is claimed to benefit us, because it prevents poor from revolting by keeping them content. So without these government interventions, the argument says, we'd be far worse off. Moreover, clearly such interventions aren't stifling innovation... just look at the iPhones, streaming video, and other awesome new gadgets at our disposal now. Sure, these statists claim, any more freedom and capitalism would only make us worse off!

However, the fact is that we're better off in spite of those government controls and regulations. Productive people keep fighting against the tide of government to create awesome new products and services. But surely they'd be doing even more -- and hence, we'd be so much better off -- if people didn't have to fight against the government in the process.

Similarly, I think that we're living longer today because of advances in medical technology, e.g. in cancer treatment and heart surgery. Yet the tide of bad diet is working hard against that trend. We'd likely see even more advances in longevity -- not to mention in quality-of-life (which I think is pretty abysmal for many people) -- if people ate better.

In essence, the broken window fallacy is often at work in people's thinking about diet, just as much as it's at work in people's thinking about politics and economics. It's just too easy to ignore what might have been, if we'd taken a different path.

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Ancestral Health Symposium

Next week -- August 5th and 6th -- I'll be attending the Ancestral Health Symposium in Los Angeles. The schedule looks awesome but grueling. If you think that you might want to attend... too bad for you, because tickets sold out months ago!

Who else will be there?

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Video: What's Wrong with the Ideal of Moderation

In Sunday's Rationally Selfish Webcast, I discussed what's wrong with the standard calls for "moderation," including in diet. Here's the 17-minute video, now posted to YouTube:

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Thyroid Update: The Bliss of Three Grains and Adrenal Supplements

As I discussed in my "cookie cutter" medicine video...



... I've been frustrated by my persistent hypothyroid symptoms over the past few months. I experienced serious carpal tunnel pain every time I tried to work on the computer. The skin on my hands was like sandpaper. My menstrual cycle was too long by weeks. I felt lethargic and sleepy all day, even after a full night of sleep.

Alas, my doctor declined to increase my dose of desiccated thyroid beyond two grains, given that my TSH was too low on that dose. Hence, I decided to see Dr. Juetersonke of Colorado Springs, because his approach is to treat based on the full range of labs (i.e. not just TSH, but Free T3 and Free T4) plus symptoms.

Happily, he increased my dose of dessicated thyroid to three grains. The difference has been phenomenal. My carpal tunnel pain is negligible. Yay! The skin on my hands is soft and supple -- for the first time in years. Yay! The length of my menstrual cycle is basically normal. Yay! I've not gained any more weight, and I've been able to lose a few of the 30 pounds I've gained due to hypothyroidism. Yay!

To my surprise, my lethargy remained basically the same, however. After the busy fun of ATLOSCon at the end of May, I had that "just-got-back-from-vacation" exhaustion not just for a day, as is normal for me, but for two full weeks. It was miserable! A saliva cortisol test showed seriously low levels of cortisol, but a follow-up blood test showed normal levels, so Dr. Juetersonke didn't recommend doing anything.

By mid-June, I felt that I had to try some kind of adrenal supplement, so I ordered Natural Sources: Raw Adrenal. Much to my amazement, that very day I noticed a substantial uptick in my energy levels -- and even better, my sex drive returned with a vengeance. YAY!

So clearly, adrenal insufficiency has been part of the picture, probably for a long time. I'm too prone to stuffing myself into a pressure cooker with work and other projects... and that just has to stop. It's not so much that I need to work less, I think, but rather that I need to be okay with all the stuff that I'm not able to do in a given day. Also, I've found that activities away from home and/or with people exhaust me quickly, so I'm trying to limit those as much as possible.

Notably, unlike with the desiccated thyroid, I expect to be able to wean myself off the adrenal supplement in a few weeks. Also, I don't think that I would have seriously pursued the adrenal angle if I'd not done the saliva cortisol test (and some others) with Modern Paleo's own Christian Wernstedt of Vital Objectives. Our discussion in light of the test results was very enlightening and thorough -- far more so than with any doctor that I've ever had.

Also, I had blood drawn for a new set of thyroid labs a few days ago. I'm not sure whether my doctor will want to raise me to 3.5 grains or not. I still have a slight touch of symptoms, so I think that I'd like to try that small increase. But if my Free T3 and Free T4 look good, I'll be pretty happy to stay where I am.

Overall, after nearly two years of battling my hypothyroidism, I can't express just how happy I am to be doing pretty darn well... finally. It has been a rocky road, mostly thanks to a medical establishment that ignores everything except TSH and prescribes only Synthroid. My every step toward health has been an uphill battle for me. I've had to reject the standard analyses and protocols in favor of treatments that most doctors would regard as quackery, namely desiccated thyroid, high dose iodine, and now adrenal supplements. It's getting ridiculous!

As a result of my experiences, when I hear people say that we should leave medicine to the experts, I feel like a small nuclear bomb explodes in my chest. If I'd done that, I would still be disabled by impenetrable brain fog, lethargy, and pain. Many, many people are suffering in that state today, not knowing of the alternatives. Hopefully, they can learn something from my experiences.

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NoodleCast #76: Cookie Cutter Medicine

On Sunday, I gave a short speech at Liberty Toastmasters on my experience with hypothyroidism -- and why I don't want the "cookie cutter medicine" being pushed on us by ObamaCare and other government meddling in medicine. Once I got home, I made some revisions, recorded a longer version, then posted that to YouTube:



The audio is available as an audio-only NoodleCast:

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Duration: 14:11

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New Food Regulations

The Obama Administration has announced its new method of meddling with our food choices. In 2012, nearly half of all restaurants in America will be forced to post nutritional information on its menus:

The FDA estimates that the regulation, as proposed, would apply to 278,600 establishments, out of an estimated 600,000 restaurants nationwide, according to the National Restaurant Association. It projects the initial cost of complying with the proposed requirements is $315.1 million, with an estimated ongoing cost of $44.2 million. Per restaurant establishment, that averages $1,100, the FDA says.

For consumers, the new regulations will mean that the calorie counts of everything from a Chipotle burrito to a Starbucks Frappuccino must be posted in a font size that is "clear and conspicuous" and color that's "at least as conspicuous as" the print listing the menu item, according to the agency's guidance.

That's 315 million dollars (!!) initially, plus an extra 44 million dollars (!!) per year, stripped from its rightful owners by regulation. How many restaurants will scale back on plans for expansion, fire employees, or even close their doors as a result of this loss? The bureaucrats probably don't know -- and certainly don't care.

To pour salt on this wound, such nutritional labels have already been proved ineffective. People order more, not less, when calorie counts are posted. That's hardly surprising: the requirement of nutritional labels on grocery store foods hasn't improved the eating habits or health of Americans. To the extent that most Americans pay attention to the labels, they follow the low-fat advice of the government and its media lackeys. That's not helpful, to say the least!

In other words, "We're from the government, and we're here to help! Now that our nutritional guidelines have made you fat and sick, we're going to impose a burdensome regulation on restaurants. That won't be effective in the slightest, but we need to look like we're doing something!"

Gee, thanks! But... next time, can't we try something different, like leaving food producers, distributors, and consumers free to trade voluntarily, on mutually agreeable terms, without your meddling?

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Locavorism in the Paleosphere

David Csonka of Naturally Engineered recently released the results of the Paleo Community Survey. The results were pretty interesting to peruse, although I didn't see any shockers.

I was a bit surprised by the number of paleo-eaters who place importance on eating locally-sourced foods. I regard locavorism as focusing on an inessential -- and potentially a waste of one's limited resources. (It's also dangerous, in that locally-based food economies incur far greater risks of famine.) The proper focus, I think, should be on finding the best-quality foods within the constraints of one's available resources -- meaning time, energy, and money. That may mean buying at a local farmer's market -- or at a large grocery store.

In other words, the fact that some food is produced locally doesn't add any extra value in and of itself. Sure, local foods may be fresher, tastier, and/or cheaper. In that case, they're worth choosing for those reasons, not simply because they're local. In many cases, the best values in food will be sourced from afar, because that region is best-suited for growing that kind of food. In such cases, to choose the locally-produced food instead would be a waste of one's own limited resources.

So am I missing something about the value of local foods? If you try to buy local, I'd love to hear in the comments why you think that's important. Is it a value in and of itself -- or merely a proxy for better-quality food?

Of course, in a truly free market, the economics of local foods might be quite different than they are now. Sure, large producers enjoy natural economies of scale, and that would often provide a competitive edge in a free market. However, in our current mixed economy, those large producers have an additional advantage in the form of economies of scale with respect to burdens imposed by government. Small producers simply aren't able to manage and mitigate the reams of byzantine regulations and onerous taxes as deftly and cheaply as large producers. (See this analysis by Joel Salatin.) Still, even in a fully free market, I can't see any benefit to local foods per se.

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