List of General Health Posts:
- A Quarter Steer Order from Hooke Farms December 16, 2016
Introduction
Before I get into the specifics of my quarter steer story, here’s some background.
I love beef. The heartiness. The meatiness. The warmth. The fat. The feeling of satisfaction after eating it. The high nutrient concentrations. I love it. There is a reason it’s so freaking popular. Problem is, when beef is raised unnaturally (think feedlots, ... - A Half Pig Order from Gelderman Farms October 4, 2016
My Half Pig Order
I eat animals. To some extent, I eat animals and animal products pretty much every day. I’ve already discussed the ethics around eating animals in “Should Humans Eat Animals“, and a later link to two articles in “Feeling Guilty About Eating Meat?”, so I won’t bother this time around. What I’d like ... - The Importance of Your Environment June 22, 2016
I’d heard before that being in a natural environment was healthy. Forest bathing and those types of things were always talked up in the Primal/Paleo communities, and hey, I definitely enjoyed hiking, camping, and cottaging and all that. It just feels good. That said – I’ve also always been mostly a city boy. Growing plants ... - Nutrient Density Part 2 – My Take on Nutrient Density April 12, 2016
Introduction
Nutrient density – just what exactly does it mean? In the first part of this two-part series, I took at look at Dr. Fuhrmann’s and Mat Lalonde’s work on nutrient density. In short – Dr. Fuhrmann based his calculation on “Nutrients per Calorie”, and his nutrient-selection for this analysis was suspect at best. Mat Lalonde ... - Nutrient Density Part 1 – A Look at Two Models February 25, 2016
Introduction
Nutrient density – that’s a term I used fairly frequently, but took for granted for a long time. I hadn’t really thought about exactly what it meant until the past few months. First – a story:
A few months back I was out with some friends that I met with regularly (ulti fris team!), and the topic of ... - Good Fats and Bad Fats: Fatty Acids Revealed October 6, 2015
When I meet other health/fitness/nutrition minded folk and mention that I follow a mostly Primal/Paleo lifestyle, a lot of the following discussion centres around defending my decision to limit grains in my diet, or how much meat I eat. What usually doesn’t come up, or isn’t focused on much, is the restriction or even elimination of ... - Quality over Quantity December 18, 2014
Recently I turned 30, so I spent some time pondering on what that means. In some ways, it means very little. Age is just a number and being 29 years, 364 days is essentially the same thing as being 30.
I also know that at 30, I’m not that old yet. There are many happy, healthy, productive years ... - Benefits of Active Transportation – Cycling November 6, 2014
The transportation options available to you will likely vary, depending on where you choose to live. Someone living in a rural or suburban area may be limited to driving, whereas those that live in more dense, urban areas usually have an array of options – driving, yes, but also walking, cycling, and public transportation. This ... - Sleep Series – Part 7: 7 Nutritional Strategies for Better Sleep August 21, 2014
Our focus on cortisol started with Sleep Series Part 4 which laid out the science of what cortisol is, its cycle, and how it affects sleep. In the following post, we looked at a few reasons why evening cortisol might be high. The last post presented methods for lowering evening cortisol levels such as finding ways to laugh, meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, listening ... - Sleep Series – Part 6: 6 Ways to Relax and Reduce Evening Cortisol August 14, 2014
The last post in the Sleep Series focused on several common reasons why cortisol, which should be low in the evening before sleep, can be high and decrease the quality of your sleep. Well, now we know that a sleep deficit, ruminating negative thoughts, a noisy environment, prolonged intense exercise in the evening, caffeine, and ... - Bring the Intensity August 7, 2014
Why We Exercise
Exercise is healthy. At this point, I don’t really need to defend that particular notion. It just feels good and right to move around and use these magnificent tools we’ve been given; our bodies. When we avoid movement for too long, our muscles, bones, and connective tissue atrophy, and we are not able ... - Sleep Series – Part 5: 6 Factors that Increase Evening Cortisol Levels July 31, 2014
Time for another installment in the Sleep Series! We already learned about high-quality sleep and why days are supposed to be bright, while nights should be dark. The last post introduced the stress hormone cortisol, and its effect on sleep. In an ideal situation, cortisol is naturally high in the morning and tapers off throughout the ... - Sunlight Series – Part 11: Sunburn Resistance Through Behaviour July 23, 2014
Introduction
The last post in this series was quite a hit! In that post, the focus was how to use your diet to increase your resistance to sunburn so that all the benefits of sunlight could be obtained, while minimizing any negative effects. With the right diet, even the palest gingers among us can improve their resistance, ... - Sourcing High Quality Food – Animals July 2, 2014
It’s time for another installment of the ‘Sourcing High Quality Food’ series. The focus of this post: animals.
My last post , where I gave my opinion on “Should Humans Eat Animals”, was originally intended to look at sourcing meat but I got sidetracked. At this point, I’m assuming that the majority of readers are consuming animals (and their byproducts) somewhat regularly, don’t want ... - Should Humans Eat Animals? June 18, 2014
Introduction
In a previous post, I presented strategies for sourcing produce in the modern food arena. This post was originally intended to demonstrate the best ways to ethically source the animals in your diet (and that will still come), but during the writing of that post, I kept thinking about and researching reasons why consuming animals properly and ethically is something positive. ... - Sunlight Series – Part 10: Sunburn Resistance Through Diet June 4, 2014
Introduction:
Previously in this series, the benefits of sunlight in the form of vitamin D production were discussed along with the ramifications of vitamin D deficiency.
Along with vitamin D deficiency, another crucial benefit of sunlight (control of circadian rhythms) has been introduced. To top it all off, here’s another: sunlight on human skin increases nitric oxide in the ... - Sleep Series – Part 3: Serotonin, Melatonin, and your Circadian Rhythm May 13, 2014
Introduction – Your Circadian Rhythm:
My previous post explained what sleep scientists have measured during sleep using EEG, and scientists’
current state of interpretations. Included in that post was my definition of objective sleep quality: going through the proper sequence of sleep cycles during the night with sufficient amounts of both stage 3 sleep (slow-wave sleep) and ... - Microbes Over Medicine? May 6, 2014
You’ve heard it before- “you are what you eat”- but generally in the context of avoiding the McGrets, putting the double cheeseburger down, and choosing to munch on fruits and veggies to be a better, healthier you. Bet your last french fry you’ve never considered what you’re eating today has the ability to change ... - The Human Microbiome: A Well-Animated Introduction May 1, 2014
In terms of cell count, we are more bacteria than we are human. The modern diet and lifestyle has had a huge effect on this, and the results have been detrimental. This great five minute video released by National Public Radio (NPR) gives a introduction to the human microbiome and its critical role in human health.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DTrENdWvvM
Share ... - Sourcing High-Quality Food – Produce April 29, 2014
Featured image courtesy of val’sphotos.
High-Quality Food – Produce
This post will present my strategies for sourcing high-quality food, focusing on produce, to support a healthy diet based on (mostly) unprocessed plants and animals. I will introduce the range of quality that is present in the modern food system, and how to keep the quality of plants ... - Sunlight Series – Part 9: The Dark Side of Sunscreen April 22, 2014
Featured photo courtesy of edition88.
Introduction:
In a previous post in this series, I wrote about how the total amount of UV radiation hitting Earth’s surface has not significantly increased, and we are probably getting less UV exposure than in the past. I then wrote about how UV radiation (UVB, specifically) produces vitamin D synthesis in the ... - Primal / Paleo Meal Ideas to Get You Started April 15, 2014
For those who were interested in the primal/paleo approach that I outlined in my previous post, this post is intended to be an introduction to the types of meals that can be consumed on a regular basis while following this lifestyle. In the previous post, I outlined that a typical primal/paleo approach focuses on the following:
Animals (land ... - Sleep Series – Part 2: Defining Sleep Quality with Sleep Architecture April 9, 2014
Featured image courtesy of Regine Debatty.
Introduction:
What is sleep? As human beings, we all obviously have some intuitive understanding that we get tired and get the urge to sleep with some regularity, and after sleeping we (generally) feel recharged. As I mentioned in the first part of this series, however, not all sleep is created equal.
There ... - Paleo Diet / Primal Diet : What it is and Why it Works April 1, 2014
Featured photo courtesy of George.
Introduction:
During the latter half of 2009, as part of my personal research into diet and lifestyle and its effect on human health, I immersed myself in the world of paleo/primal eating and living. This interest followed years of experimentation into different lifestyle approaches in the pursuit of the highest levels of ... - Sunlight Series- Part 8: Sunburns and Skin Cancer March 26, 2014
Featured photo courtesy of Kelly Sue.
Introduction:
So far this Sunlight Series has discussed exactly what sunlight is, how it is produced, how it interacts with Earth’s atmosphere, what reaches the surface, and an initial look at what happens when it hits your skin. The last post focused on how UV-B radiation creates vitamin D in your skin,
and ... - Sunlight Series: Part 7 – Vitamin D, The Sunshine Vitamin March 26, 2014
Featured photo courtesy of Life Mental Health.
Introduction:
The sun’s radiation that hits Earth’s surface was covered over the last post, where I discussed how the depletion of the ozone layer at most high-population latitudes is misunderstood and overblown, and that global dimming has actually reduced the amount of sunlight the surface is receiving on average.
Continuing the ... - Sunlight Series: Part 6 – Ozone Depletion vs Global Dimming March 26, 2014
Featured photo courtesy of Nasa Goddard Space Flight Centre.
Introduction:
Earlier in the Sunlight Series I wrote about electromagnetic energy being radiated by the sun, and how it’s mostly infrared, visible light,and ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
From my last post, we know that the atmosphere absorbs electromagnetic radiation before it hits Earth’s surface. This radiation absorption differs depending on the ... - The Diminishing Returns of Strength Training March 24, 2014
Featured photo courtesy of Gregor Winter.
Introduction:
The day before I started a new job, it was a rainy winter’s day in North Vancouver, but I felt pretty good. I wanted to avoid trying to fit a gym session into my first couple days at the new job, so the day before I started I decided to go ... - How to Get Stronger: Track Your Strength March 20, 2014
Featured photo courtesy of symphony of love. Note: This was originally written at my other blog, so the dates may seem a little off. I found the article still had value, so I reposted it here. Enjoy!
Introduction:
Here’s what I see happen with great frequency: Someone will decide to get fit/in shape, and will commit to ... - Ways to Get Stronger: No Gym Required February 26, 2014
Featured image courtesy of John Niedermayer.
Introduction
My previous post was an efficient strength training routine for an individual who is comfortable in a weight lifting/gym environment and using barbells.
I recognize there are those of us who want to be stronger, but don’t want to go to a gym and pump iron. The reasons are numerous: ... - An Efficient Strength Training Program for the Intermediate February 7, 2014
Featured photo courtesy of Amber Karnes.
Introduction
So, you’ve decided you want to get physically stronger. Maybe you’d like to be a better athlete. Maybe you understand that lean muscle is healthy and leads to longer lives. Maybe you want to prevent injuries. Maybe you want to look great naked.
Whatever your reason, when it comes to fitness, ... - Intermittent Fasting: 5 Years Experience in Review January 29, 2014
Featured photo courtesy of twelvephoto.com.
NOTE BEFORE READING: I am someone with a history of eating a LOT, and not someone who’s ever struggled with an official eating disorder. My conclusions are based off of my experiences as a male weight-lifting enthusiast who aims to take his health to the highest possible level while still being flexible ... - Sunlight Series: Part 1 – Introduction January 27, 2014
Featured photo courtesy of Michael Karrer.
“You should really put on some sunscreen”
“You’re going to get wrinkles”
“Aren’t you concerned about skin cancer?”
“Any amount of sun exposure is bad”
“I can’t go out without sunglasses”
It seems as though the sun has been demonized in our culture as a potent source of damaging radiation that is ruthless in its ... - Sleep Series: Part 1 – Introduction January 24, 2014
Featured image courtesy of Sean MacEntee.
Introduction
There are two versions of Graham Ballachey. It’s something of a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde dichotomy. I can be either of the following: 1. A positive, energetic, intelligent, friendly, patient, and adaptable man who handles (most) stress with ease; or
2. A grumpy, irritable, anxious, slow-witted, anti-social primate who ... - The Context of Vices January 17, 2014
Featured photo courtesy of Dave Stokes.
Anyone who knows me knows me as a very health-conscious guy, but not a guy free of vices. I promote habits that produce happy, healthy, strong, productive people, but in the right context I also promote some activities that directly oppose my usual recommendations.
Am I inconsistent? Maybe, but really it’s ...
Featured photo courtesy of Rena-mit-Cappuccino.