Speaking of things that will proably eventually kill you...

[Indian Charlie]

Originally Posted by Danzig

too many syllables to use as a brand name here.

I bet Oscar Mayer sells well there.

But, I do understand your meaning

[Rupert Pupkin]

Originally Posted by Indian Charlie

I suggest you buy the book. While there are similarities between Sears and the NT book, there are going to be some sharp differences.

The stuff you weren't agreeing with?? Could you be disagreeing because it runs counter to the information you learned from Dr. Sears, or someone like him?

I have no doubt that grass-fed beef is much healthier than regular beef. But I'm still not convinced that you can eat as much of it as you like.

Another huge study just came out showing how bad read meat is for you. Maybe grass-fed beef really is not bad at all. But I would need to see some hard evidence before I would take that leap of faith and recommend that people make red meat (of any type) a big part of their diet.

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/mar...-meat-20120313

The head researcher was asked about grass-fed meat:

How about grass-fed beef? Does the way the animals are raised make a difference?

"We don't know for sure. In this study we were investigating red meat as it is consumed in the United States, which is mostly lot-fed, grain-fed beef. I'm quite sure we would not have enough people consuming mostly grass-fed beef to be able to look at that on its own.

There are some differences. Omega-3 fatty acid levels are somewhat higher in the grass-fed beef. But if someone's getting other sources of omega-3 fatty acids — if they're having fish once or twice a week — the additional amount probably won't make too much difference.

The total fat may be a bit lower. But we don't see that the fat per se is really related to the risk of getting heart disease or cancer. Cholesterol is more in the lean part of the red meat, so that's going to be just as high and maybe even higher in the grass-fed animals.

I think it would be nice to be able to study grass-fed beef directly, but I think in the meantime it's reasonable to assume that the answer is probably not going to be very different from what we saw here."

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/mar...llett-20120324

[Indian Charlie]

Originally Posted by Rupert Pupkin

I have no doubt that grass-fed beef is much healthier than regular beef. But I'm still not convinced that you can eat as much of it as you like.

Another huge study just came out showing how bad read meat is for you. Maybe grass-fed beef really is not bad at all. But I would need to see some hard evidence before I would take that leap of faith and recommend that people make red meat (of any type) a big part of their diet.

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/mar...-meat-20120313

The head researcher was asked about grass-fed meat:

How about grass-fed beef? Does the way the animals are raised make a difference?

"We don't know for sure. In this study we were investigating red meat as it is consumed in the United States, which is mostly lot-fed, grain-fed beef. I'm quite sure we would not have enough people consuming mostly grass-fed beef to be able to look at that on its own.

There are some differences. Omega-3 fatty acid levels are somewhat higher in the grass-fed beef. But if someone's getting other sources of omega-3 fatty acids — if they're having fish once or twice a week — the additional amount probably won't make too much difference.

The total fat may be a bit lower. But we don't see that the fat per se is really related to the risk of getting heart disease or cancer. Cholesterol is more in the lean part of the red meat, so that's going to be just as high and maybe even higher in the grass-fed animals.

I think it would be nice to be able to study grass-fed beef directly, but I think in the meantime it's reasonable to assume that the answer is probably not going to be very different from what we saw here."

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/mar...llett-20120324

There are plenty of real world studies and experiences with grass fed meats that prove they are healthy. They just are not put into the mainstream focus because of what it would do to certain industries.

Cholesterol is a vitally important substance in our bodies, and if your body needs high cholesterol, it makes it, regardless if you eliminate it from your diet. Cholesterol as boogeyman will not last that much longer.

The reason cholesterol collects in arteries of people with 'heart disease' is because it's doing it's job, which is repairing diseased or damaged tissue.

Blaming cholesterol for heart disease is just like blaming skid marks at an accident scene for the accident. IE, cholesterol is there as a RESULT of heart disease.

Cholesterol drugs are both highly toxic and extremely lucrative, which is again why you won't see this in any mainstream source. If you want more information, LMK and I'll send you all sorts of links.

All of this, and a lot more, are discussed in that book (as well as in her foundations other literature/website). Things like this are what you will not see in Dr. Sears book.

I'll make you a deal. Buy that book from Amazon. If you read it and think it's full of crap, or you don't feel like you are going to get anything out of it, I'll buy it from you, provided you are willing to ship it to me and you haven't damaged it.

Give it a fair shake, maybe try a thing or three in it, and if you want to go wild, maybe learn the experiences of others who have adopted some of the changes espoused in the book. Heck, just read through some of the Amazon user reviews.

I personally know quite a few people who have tried it and have changed their health for the better, reversing multiple health conditions and getting an overall much better sense of well being.

[Rupert Pupkin]

Originally Posted by Indian Charlie

There are plenty of real world studies and experiences with grass fed meats that prove they are healthy. They just are not put into the mainstream focus because of what it would do to certain industries.

Cholesterol is a vitally important substance in our bodies, and if your body needs high cholesterol, it makes it, regardless if you eliminate it from your diet. Cholesterol as boogeyman will not last that much longer.

The reason cholesterol collects in arteries of people with 'heart disease' is because it's doing it's job, which is repairing diseased or damaged tissue.

Blaming cholesterol for heart disease is just like blaming skid marks at an accident scene for the accident. IE, cholesterol is there as a RESULT of heart disease.

Cholesterol drugs are both highly toxic and extremely lucrative, which is again why you won't see this in any mainstream source. If you want more information, LMK and I'll send you all sorts of links.

All of this, and a lot more, are discussed in that book (as well as in her foundations other literature/website). Things like this are what you will not see in Dr. Sears book.

I'll make you a deal. Buy that book from Amazon. If you read it and think it's full of crap, or you don't feel like you are going to get anything out of it, I'll buy it from you, provided you are willing to ship it to me and you haven't damaged it.

Give it a fair shake, maybe try a thing or three in it, and if you want to go wild, maybe learn the experiences of others who have adopted some of the changes espoused in the book. Heck, just read through some of the Amazon user reviews.

I personally know quite a few people who have tried it and have changed their health for the better, reversing multiple health conditions and getting an overall much better sense of well being.

I think you are thinking of a different Dr. Sears. The famous one is Barry Sears. That is not who I am talking about. I am talking about Al Sears, who is a huge meat-eater (grass-fed).

[Indian Charlie]

Originally Posted by Rupert Pupkin

I think you are thinking of a different Dr. Sears. The famous one is Barry Sears. That is not who I am talking about. I am talking about Al Sears, who is a huge meat-eater (grass-fed).

I know who he is, as well as Barry (The Zone).

I have not read a lot of his work, but from what I've read and from what you've said here, his information is lacking somewhat in this area.

Buy the book.

[Rupert Pupkin]

Originally Posted by Indian Charlie

I know who he is, as well as Barry (The Zone).

I have not read a lot of his work, but from what I've read and from what you've said here, his information is lacking somewhat in this area.

Buy the book.

This is from Al Sears. It is very similar to some of the stuff in your book:

"You know I believe that you should imitate our native ancestors and make a variety of protein the center of all your meals.

But it’s not ok to gobble down just any kind of protein. The type you eat is important, too. Or maybe I should say, the nature of the protein.

You see, protein is damaged by heat. You “denature” protein when you heat it for too long, or when you cook it in very high heat. The nature of the protein changes.

This is what happens when they process or “cure” meat. In fact, it’s how they sterilize medical supplies and instruments. They heat them to an extreme, which denatures proteins in any bacteria that may be there, destroying them.

Pre-cooked and pre-packaged meats like hot dogs, smoked meats, lunch meats, bacon and breakfast sausage, pepperoni and lox, and especially soy proteins, are all “cured” the same way.

They’ve had their proteins sterilized. Their nutritional value has been ruined. And they’re not what I would consider healthy. And when your body breaks down these cured proteins, a byproduct can combine with the nitrites used in meat processing to make nitrosamines.

There are over 300 different forms of nitrosamines, and over 90 percent are cancer-causing.

So when it comes to eating protein, I recommend following these two steps:

Step 1: Eat protein from a variety of natural sources. That can be anything from eating a raw egg every morning like my father would, to having a scoop of grass-fed whey protein from a pure and trusted source.

Besides having undenatured protein that will not form nitrosamines, they are the most bio-available kinds of protein. The least bio-available are vegetable proteins from beans, for example. But those are still better for you than protein from cured or processed meat.

Milk also has protein, but pasteurized milk protein is denatured. Whole, raw milk still has its proteins intact.

Stick with meat from grass fed animals like beef, buffalo and elk. Also, eat wild-caught fish, free-range chicken and turkey, and cage-free whole eggs. These are the purest forms of protein you can get, and have the most nutritional value.

I get my grass-fed beef from U.S. Wellness Meats, a group of family-owned organic farms that sell high-quality meat from animals raised in their natural environment.
Another good source is the Ted Slanker Ranch
For an alphabetical listing of pasture farms near you, visit Eat Wild and click on “shop for local” on the left hand side.
Step 2: Take the nutrients that fight nitrosamines: vitamins C and E. Scientists found vitamin C’s protective power by accident. Researchers were studying nitrosamine formation caused by a drug they were testing. When they went to use a new batch, no nitrosamines were formed. They found that the new batch had been made with ascorbic acid (vitamin C) as a preservative, but the original batch had not. Vitamin E has a similar effect.1


Studies show vitamin C works by disarming free radicals before they can damage your DNA and stimulate tumor growth.


When you add vitamin E, you increased the protection of vitamin C. As it turns out vitamin E is a "synergistic" nutrient. It needs other antioxidants to work best. It’s prevention at its finest.


Besides fruit, other food sources of vitamin C are bright-colored peppers, and peppermint leaves. The spices thyme and parsley have a lot of vitamin C, too. You can add them to any soup, stew or salad.


The most important food sources for vitamin E are seeds, nuts and eggs. Dry roasted sunflower seeds and almonds are the natural sources with the most vitamin E.


I recommend 1,500 mg of vitamin C twice a day if you’re currently healthy, and 400 IU of vitamin E every day.

To Your Good Health,



Al Sears, MD"

[Indian Charlie]

Yeah, Al Sears provides a lot of good information, I never disputed that.

What's his take on cholesterol though?

[GenuineRisk]

Human beings are generalists- we can survive on a wide variety of foods, which is one of the evolutionary attributes that assisted us in becoming the dominant species (as far as vertebrates go, anyway). If you look at humanity all over the world, different cultures have vastly different diets (there are some where the main diet is milk), depending on what's available. And humanity thrives, not just in the industrialized West.

Speaking as someone who was a strict vegetarian for years, it doesn't make your hair and skin go dull. I started (occasionally) eating meat again just because going out to eat got very boring as most restaurants don't put much thought into non-meat entrees.

I didn't notice any difference in health when I was eating (factory farm) meat at every meal to when I was a vegetarian, to now, when I occasionally eat only humanely raised meat (which means grass fed if it's beef). Honestly, and this is purely anecdotal, as it's just me, the only food I notice actually making a difference in my diet is fresh fruit (higher fiber ones). Which I hate, because I have texture issues, but when I'm good about eating it regularly, I really do see a difference in energy level and mood. I ate a lot of it when treating my gestational diabetes and felt GREAT.

Homo sapeins are generalists. We can thrive on a lot of different diets. That said, I do agree with everyone here that processed food is nasty and the less of it in a diet, the better. I don't think evolution has caught up with high fructose corn syrup.

[Sightseek]

Originally Posted by GenuineRisk

Human beings are generalists- we can survive on a wide variety of foods, which is one of the evolutionary attributes that assisted us in becoming the dominant species (as far as vertebrates go, anyway). If you look at humanity all over the world, different cultures have vastly different diets (there are some where the main diet is milk), depending on what's available. And humanity thrives, not just in the industrialized West.

Speaking as someone who was a strict vegetarian for years, it doesn't make your hair and skin go dull. I started (occasionally) eating meat again just because going out to eat got very boring as most restaurants don't put much thought into non-meat entrees.

I didn't notice any difference in health when I was eating (factory farm) meat at every meal to when I was a vegetarian, to now, when I occasionally eat only humanely raised meat (which means grass fed if it's beef). Honestly, and this is purely anecdotal, as it's just me, the only food I notice actually making a difference in my diet is fresh fruit (higher fiber ones). Which I hate, because I have texture issues, but when I'm good about eating it regularly, I really do see a difference in energy level and mood. I ate a lot of it when treating my gestational diabetes and felt GREAT.

Homo sapeins are generalists. We can thrive on a lot of different diets. That said, I do agree with everyone here that processed food is nasty and the less of it in a diet, the better. I don't think evolution has caught up with high fructose corn syrup.

Were you eating other protein sources and healthy fats?

As for not feeling any difference, were you in an exercise routine? I notice a massive difference from eating a whole grain, low-sugar, high protein diet, but I also hit the gym daily. If I go on vacation and eat whatever, I feel like I'm falling apart by the 4th day, but I've had a super "clean" diet for 12 years now.

[Rupert Pupkin]

Originally Posted by Indian Charlie

Yeah, Al Sears provides a lot of good information, I never disputed that.

What's his take on cholesterol though?

Al Sears on cholesterol:

"Today I want to tell you something important about your cholesterol.

Drug companies want you to believe “high” cholesterol is dangerous. And that it can cause severe damage to your heart.

But what they don’t want you to know is that there’s absolutely no scientifically proven correlation between total cholesterol levels and the likelihood you’ll develop heart disease.

They don’t want you to know this because drug companies make money by convincing you that you need their drugs to help “cure” your high cholesterol… or a myriad of other ailments such as depression, anxiety and high blood pressure.

But these drugs aren’t the cures they’re made out to be. They’re just treatments that cover up the symptoms. And many times people have to stay on them for the rest of their lives.

When it comes to cholesterol, the truth is as long as your HDL (good cholesterol) is high enough, you have little if any risk of heart disease. And potentially no need for assistance from prescription meds.

The Framingham Heart Study has been ongoing since the 1940s. It’s considered the most reliable data on heart disease because it has no interference from drug companies.

It’s proven over the last 60 years that high levels of HDLs are directly related to a lower risk of heart disease.

Not only that, but it’s showed that raising HDL can reduce coronary disease regardless of LDL cholesterol.1 That’s because HDL removes plaque from your arteries. And it’s plaque buildup that really causes heart disease and heart attacks – not cholesterol.

In fact, if you want to beat heart disease without drugs, here are five ways to raise your HDL levels naturally:

1. Niacin. Niacin has been found to raise HDL levels by as much as 24 percent. The best food sources of niacin are liver, chicken, beef, avocados, tomatoes and nuts. As always, stick with grass-fed beef, free-range chicken and organic produce and nuts. Or you can supplement. I recommend taking 500 mg of “sustained release” niacin a day.

2. Restore omega-3s to your diet. Wild-caught fish, grass-fed beef, free-range, organic poultry, nuts, olives, eggs and avocados are all rich in “good” fats. And cod liver oil – the best omega-3 supplement – will boost your HDL levels naturally.

3. Eat more protein, fewer carbohydrates. Replacing carbs with healthy proteins will lower your triglycerides and raise your HDL. The best protein sources are nuts, eggs, free-range poultry, grass-fed beef and wild-caught salmon.

4. Challenge your heart with high-intensity, short-duration, progressively challenging exercises. For example, these types of workouts, like my PACE program, boosts reserve capacity in your heart – critical for avoiding heart attacks – and raises HDL.

5. Enjoy a good brew. Drinking a beer a day decreases cholesterol levels, increases antioxidants and reduces levels of fibrinogen, a clot-producing protein.

I’m telling how to raise your HDL because you deserve to know there are real alternatives to modern medicine practices. I want you to be empowered to make choices based on fact, not on information from commercials and media reports.

And I’m not alone. My colleagues at Natural Health Dossier are among the few who dare to speak the truth about the man-made causes of chronic disease and the many natural ways to prevent and cure them. They publish Natural Health Dossier which is full of advice on:

how to turn your blood cells into a disease-cleansing army;
the tell-tale signs that you're developing diabetes and how to reverse your fate;
why you'll never have to worry about Alzheimer's and other memory problems;
how you can reduce your prostate problems...
Today Natural Health Dossier is offering you FREE reports on some of the most controversial issues in the medical community. To get your free copies, click here.

To Your Good Health,



Al Sears, MD"

[Indian Charlie]

Clearly, this is a doctor worth having, however, he does not go far enough on his views of cholesterol.

Google "cholesterol myth"

May I suggest getting the NT book?

[Rupert Pupkin]

Originally Posted by Indian Charlie

Clearly, this is a doctor worth having, however, he does not go far enough on his views of cholesterol.

Google "cholesterol myth"

May I suggest getting the NT book?

I don't need to read the whole book. I'm interested in the conclusions, but not all the small details. I love Al Sears, but I wouldn't want to read a whole book by him. I just like to know the bottom line and a brief explanation that explains it.

I like barefoot running. Whenever I meet another barefoot runner, they always tell me that I need to read the book "Born to Run". I have no interest in reading "Born to Run". I don't need to read a 250 page book on barefoot running. Just give me a 5 page synopsis of why barefoot running is good. I don't need to read a whole book about it.

[Indian Charlie]

Originally Posted by Rupert Pupkin

I don't need to read the whole book. I'm interested in the conclusions, but not all the small details. I love Al Sears, but I wouldn't want to read a whole book by him. I just like to know the bottom line and a brief explanation that explains it.

I like barefoot running. Whenever I meet another barefoot runner, they always tell me that I need to read the book "Born to Run". I have no interest in reading "Born to Run". I don't need to read a 250 page book on barefoot running. Just give me a 5 page synopsis of why barefoot running is good. I don't need to read a whole book about it.

Got it.

Oh well, I tried. A significant part of the book is recipe oriented. There are lots of little interesting side bar snippets that are quite interesting.

[Clip-Clop]

Our Berkshire restaurant does the "double bacon genius burger" 1/2# of ground pork, beef and bacon, three kinds of smoked bacon on the burger, 2 soft sunny eggs and a beer battered 1/2" thick slice of aged cheddar with green chili. It is the ultimate hangover cure. Fries come with Red-Eye Gravy.

[Clip-Clop]

Originally Posted by Sightseek

I love scallops!!! I do the banana thing too. Do you eat any kind of wheat?

I read in one of those Natural Health magazines a few months ago that Maine was one of the best states about eating local. ME, along with CA and NH, have great companies for cosmetics/personal care too.

Maine and NH are like Colorado with rain. Two of the better places for food and people in the USA.

[Indian Charlie]

Originally Posted by Clip-Clop

Maine and NH are like Colorado with rain. Two of the better places for food and people in the USA.

Maine and Colorado are better than NH because it's relatively easy to get permits to use herbal remedies.

[Clip-Clop]

Originally Posted by Indian Charlie

Maine and Colorado are better than NH because it's relatively easy to get permits to use herbal remedies.

Live free or DIE!! Or live somewhat free...