Paleo Baby

I've just got back from three wonderful weeks of travelling in the UK, and while I was there, I ran into some old friends who've been listening to my podcast. "Lots of great information, but not much prescriptive," they said. "What the heck is it that you do for a living now?". Well, that's the question that this show attempts to answer.  And who better than Amelia to help me describe what it is that we do at Nourish Balance Thrive. Amelia and I have been working together for about a year now, and I'm proud to announce that she's now my first full-time employee. In a nutshell: Nourish Balance Thrive is the wellness programme created by athletes, for athletes. We've had great results recommending a Paleo diet, especially The Whole30 and Autoimmune Paleo protocol, along side environment hacks to improve sleep and manage stress. We don't design training plans, but we do recommend walking and lifting heavy things. If you're already doing these things and aren't getting the brochure experience, then now might be a

I've got Dr. Tommy Wood back on the podcast to talk about supplementing with carbohydrates for endurance performance. I had a terrible time with maltodextrin-based sports gels back a few years ago, and I've since noticed that some of the best athletes I know do well on long rides without eating anything. But still, the studies show a clear advantage in supplementing with carbohydrates during workouts lasting longer than one hour. Luckily Tommy is here to help me understand the studies, the potential pitfalls and the biochemistry of supplementing with carbs. For the past couple of years, I've been supplementing with UCAN Superstarch during long, hard workouts and races. I think of UCAN as the training wheels that enabled me to be a better fat burner. Now I'm left wondering, is there something out there that works better? Or is there something as good but cheaper, e.g. waxy maize? Or fructose? Tommy and I intend to find out which is best for me using an oral glucose tolerance test. In the show, I mention the UC

On the show this week, author and podcast host Jimmy Moore. I wanted to get Jimmy on to talk about his new Ketogenic Cookbook. I have a paper copy of the book, and I love it. The pictures are big and beautiful, and there's tons of variety. Who said a ketogenic diet is too restrictive? It's just not true. For those of you that don't already know, I've been working with Jimmy over the past few months in an attempt to him break through a fat-loss plateau. Jimmy has done blood, saliva, urine and stool testing, and I've been helping him understand the results. Jimmy published his results and then broadcast the interview in which I do the interpretation. In this episode, I'm joined by my wife and food scientist Julia to discuss the changes that Jimmy has made to his diet. Julia recommended going dairy-free for a month and introducing a wide variety of non-starchy vegetables.  In the interview, I mention the uBiome test.

Amir works for a large technology company in Silicon Valley and came to me for help to resolve his chronic inflammation, bloating, allergy and food sensitivity issues: I couldn't eat a piece of food without feeling sluggish afterwards right away, to the point where it would really interfere heavily with my job and the work that I was doing. I have to perform at work. It's quite challenging not to be able to think clearly throughout the day. It was to the point where I was really dreading foods. The Paleo diet has been extremely helpful, and AIP even better: The last two months I've been very strict on my diet, I mean, very, very clean living, no booze, no nothing. I think that also makes a big difference. For the past two months, I would say I've been doing exceptionally well. Diet and lifestyle hacks are always helpful, but if you don't get the brochure experience, then it's time to do some testing to figure out why. In Amir's case, we found low cortisol (a.k.a adrenal fatigue) and small intestinal bacterial

Functional Medicine expert Dr. Michael Ruscio lectures to doctors and students nationwide and runs a private practice in California. I first became aware of his research through a series of excellent Robb Wolf podcasts, here, here and here. Dr. Ruscio now hosts this podcast that I've been enjoying tremendously.  Over the past few weeks, I've been developing a tool to help people better understand their µBiome test results and open up the possibility of automating analysis of the bacteria that reside in our guts. This type of microbiota testing goes beyond the core of what I do at Nourish Balance Thrive, and I was keen to get Dr. Ruscio on to discuss its potential clinical relevance. Dr. Ruscio is open to the idea of testing and manipulating the microbiota but feels that the association between test results and health outcomes are not yet understood. Furthermore, Dr. Ruscio remains skeptical that we can "custom manipulate the microbiota" to produce a health outcome. I also couldn't resist the opportunity to as

Dr. Tommy Wood is a qualified medical doctor, graduating from Oxford University in 2011. He has a previous Bachelors degree in Natural Sciences and Biochemistry from Cambridge University. After working as a junior doctor in the UK for two years, Dr. Wood is now working towards a Ph.D. in neonatal brain metabolism at the University of Oslo, Norway. I was inspired to record this interview by the questions I received after people heard my interview with Jimmy Moore in which we review his recent lab work. To keep in balance, we have both positive and negative ions in the blood. The positive ions (cations) measured on a basic blood chemistry are sodium and potassium. The negative ions (anions) are chloride and bicarbonate. Just to confuse you, bicarbonate is labelled CO2. The anion gap is the sodium plus the potassium minus the chloride and the bicarbonate. Put another way, the anion gap is the unmeasured anions in the blood. The anion gap is a calculated number and is relevant because the greater the number, the

Patrick Arnold is an organic chemist renowned in the field of performance enhancement and sports supplements.  Patrick first hit the public eye in the late 1990’s when he introduced androstenedione (“Andro”) to the world of professional sport. Patrick has since turned his attention away from prohormones and towards exogenous ketone supplements (BHB). Will ketone supplements ever be banned from sport? Patrick thinks not: It's a good question. No. I can't see how it could possibly be a banned substance. I mean, BHB is present in many foods, be it in small levels. BHB is naturally occurring in your body. It's a actual energy substrate. It's an actual nutrient. I mean, it's right there along with protein, carbs and fats. I've been using KetoForce for almost two years now in mountain bike, gravel grinder and cyclocross races. Of course, I don't know if it improves my performance, but 30ml (three capfuls) reliably raises my blood ketone levels by about 1.5mmol/L. I make KetoForce more palatable using this recipe, c

In this episode, I'm joined again by Toréa Rodriguez FDN,  a former biochemist, Silicon Valley executive, and professional pilot. Now she is a Certified Functional Diagnostic Nutrition practitioner and health coach herself. We discuss her current progress with her Hashimoto’s, gut healing protocols and her personal experience using an AIP low inflammatory diet. Toréa now works full-time helping other people recover from autoimmunity. Book a free consultation to find out how she can help you.  

Reed is a Nutritional Therapist and Founder of the Functional Diagnostic Nutrition® (FDN) Certification Course. Reed is known as one of the most successful and experienced clinicians in the world today, having provided functional lab assessments to over 11,000 people for hormone levels as well as adrenal, digestion, detoxification, mucosal barrier, pathogenic, bone density and diet-related health problems. He served as the Health Director and Case Manager at The Better Health & Wellness Center in Poway, California for over eight years before launching the FDN Certification Course. FDN is one of the training courses that I completed before launching Nourish Balance Thrive, and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking to uncover the cause of their health complaints. You never know, it may just lead to a career change! Find out more and sign up for the FDN course.

My guest Dr. Tommy Wood is a qualified medical doctor, graduating from Oxford University in 2011. He has a previous Bachelor's degree in Natural Sciences and Biochemistry from Cambridge University. After working as a junior doctor in the UK for two years, Dr. Wood is now working towards a Ph.D. in neonatal brain metabolism at the University of Oslo, Norway. Takeaway message: do not take antioxidant supplements during or immediately after working out. Increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) leading to cellular oxidative stress is linked to numerous pathologies including cancer, diabetes, and neurological diseases [1–4]. Oxidative stress can be measured using the organic acids P-Hydroxyphenyllactate and 8-Hydroxy-2’-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG). The former is a marker of cell turnover and the latter a breakdown product gaunine of DNA. Many tissues can produce ROS during exercise [5], and so it makes intuitive sense that over-exercising athletes are prone to the deleterious effects of oxidative stress

In Robert's own words: My background, I imagine, is pretty similar to many of your clients. Alpha male, hard charging, recreational athlete. As a husband, father, runner and self employed software developer, I have a pretty busy life where each minute of the day is always allocated. Time management is my top priority. Looking back the writing was on the wall for me in 2009, when training hard for Berlin marathon I was noticing ebbs and flows in my energy levels on training runs. Still it was a good year, I ran a PB of 2:31 at Berlin and felt that if I took away the heat of that day, I would have achieved a lifetime goal of sub 2:30. I picked up an injury not long after Berlin and from then on, it was a continual spiral downwards. The more, and the harder, I trained the worse the performances got and the more injuries and illnesses I picked up. I fell into the typical vicious circle of dipping performance, the solution was to train harder. This lasted for 5 years, when almost at the point of giving up the spor

Richard David Feinman is Professor of Cell Biology (Biochemistry) at the State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate Medical Center  in Brooklyn, New York. Dr. Feinman’s original area of research was in protein chemistry and enzyme mechanism, particularly in blood coagulation and related processes. His recent book “The World Turned Upside Down. The Second Low Carbohydrate Revolution” describes how “How the science of carbohydrate restriction arising from a rag‑tag collection of popular diets defeated the powerful low‑fat army and became the default approach to health.” The whole book oozes wisdom and dry wit decades in the making, but for this interview I decided I wanted to talk about part two: "Policy and the mess in nutrition". Chapter 16 begins a discussion of flawed medical studies and how you can spot them.  My take away from the interview: Start with a solid review paper with lots of authors, e.g. this one. Drill down from there into the citations. Look at the pictures (figures) first. Pictures tell

On the show this week, local talent Carolina Gomez-Villafañe​. Carolina is a cyclocross racer for the elite women's team Vanderkitten and was the first Argentine to represent at the World Championships in Tabor earlier this year.  Carolina is unlike most of the people I work with in that she's new to the idea of a Paleo diet. My hope is that some subtle tweaks will resolve her digestive complaints and improve her recovery. During the interview, we discuss Carolina's recent blood chemistry. I'm confident the follow-up will show quantifiable improvement from the changes I recommend.  Carolina recommends YogaGlo, and as always I talk about the guided meditation app Headspace. Did I miss something? Let me know in the comments below! Follow Carolina on Facebook and Instagram.

On the show this week, Kevin from the Rebooted Body podcast. I wanted to have Kevin on to talk about his program because I think it offers a level of interactivity, support and accountability that I will never be able to achieve in a scalable way with one-on-one coaching. In the podcast, Kevin talked about the fascinating connection between the Kaiser ACE evaluation score and failure to Reboot. How do you score? Let me know in the comments below. Click here to find out more about the Rebooted Body Program.

In 2013, I broke my leg training for a local mountain bike race. I tried to convince myself and everyone around me that continuing with my training in preparation for a more important race later that summer was a normal thing to do. Looking back I recognise this behaviour as exercise addiction. I didn't want to stop because I was fearful of living without the high that returned me to what I now consider to be a reasonable baseline. This addiction was a symptom of other underlying issues revealed using home health testing. Is your training a healthy endeavour helping achieve your competitive goals or is it a crutch helping you manage your adrenal fatigue symptoms? Leave a comment below and let me know!

On the podcast this week, elite mountain biker Sarah Kaufmann. Sarah suffered a mono infection a couple of years ago and has since been struggling to find her best form. Her recovery slowed, and insomnia set in. This together with digestive distress prevented from reaching her full potential on the bike. Switching to a Paleo type diet helped, but it hasn't been enough. After hearing me speak on the Robb Wolf podcast, we set about figuring out the underlying cause of her issues using salivary hormone, stool and organic acids testing. The saliva result showed low cortisol, low DHEA and incredibly low progesterone. Organic acids showed problems with fat burning, energy production, folate deficiency, inflammation and oxidative stress. The stool test found a blastocystis hominis infection. In addition to further diet and lifestyle changes, Sarah has taken supplements to address some of the problems we found. She now feels much better; her recovery times have improved, but still I feel like we're not there yet. Lis

I know from experience that stress and stress physiology play an important part in our health and athletic performance. People frequently come to me for help with stressors that I can do nothing about--first responders and professional athletes are good examples. Sometimes I encounter psychological stress that I can't help with because I don't understand it--body image associated stress imposed by the fitness industry is one such example. Having been a fitness model herself, my guest Maddy Moon knows exactly how body image stress can have negative health consequences, and she now runs a program designed to help people live their lives without food rules. Maddy is also the author of the new book The Perfection Myth: How to Break Free from the Dogmatic Chains of Health and Dieting. Consider this interview part of my continuing education. Are you finding new found food rules overly stressful? Please let me know in the comments section below.

I've wanted to record this podcast for a LONG time. Back when I first started bike racing and training, I would go everywhere with a ginormous CamelBak containing 2L of water. Then when I transitioned off the sugary sports supplements, I noticed that I was less thirsty. Then I read Waterlogged, and suddenly it all made perfect sense. Conventional hydration wisdom is all based on faux marketing science! Or is it? This quote from Dr. Bryan Walsh: "If plasma is 93% water and you lose 0.5% of total body water, it will increase the viscosity of the blood a bit, which causes more work for the heart. How much work? I'd have to look that up, but the viscosity is considered one of the factors that determines something called Total Peripheral Resistance (along with length and diameter of arteries). Increase viscosity, increase TPR, increase the workload on the heart." I'm sure this statement is right, and yet this seemingly deleterious effect appears to have no bearing on athletic performance. My guest today is Dr. Tom

Being there to witness the return of a person's vitality is an amazing thing. The initial conversation is hard; usually the person is tired, frustrated and confused. As time goes by their sense of humour returns--that's when I know the program is working. Megan Melack is a pro mountain biker from Santa Cruz and an exception to this rule. Megan always sounded bright and bubbly, even when she was clearly feeling downright awful. The only visible improvement from my perspective was her ability to train! The three tests that Megan ran to figure out her low cortisol and Candida overgrowth problems were the Genova Diagnostics Organix Comprehensive Profile, BioHealth 401H GI Pathogen Screen and 205 Adrenal Stress Profile. Are you suffering from hormonal and digestive issues and having a hard time figuring out what to eat? Book a free consultation and let me help you figure it out.

Dr Lynda Frassetto is a medical doctor and Professor of Medicine and Nephrology at the University of California San Francisco. She is the director of a clinical research center at UCSF, supervises patient care at three of the University’s hospitals, and helps teach courses on improved communications and behavioral stress modification techniques. Dr Frassetto is currently recruiting for the PCOS Paleo study! You can find out more about the study on the UCSF site, and also on clinicaltrials.gov. That aside, this episode is all about the kidneys. I first became interested in the kidneys after a urinalysis detected calcium oxalate crystals, and I started to worry about stones. I soon realised that the kidney's role in red blood cell production, gluconeogenesis and the regulation of blood pressure, electrolytes, pH and fluid balance is far more interesting than anything to do with filtration. In the interview, I mention two papers linking the ketogenic diet to kidney stones. They are: Furth SL et al. Risk factors