Paleo, Primal, Caveman Nutrition Resources

Primal living is as old as dirt.  There has been plenty of buzz on this style of nutrition which promotes eating local, whole foods that can be killed with a spear or picked out of the ground. Some of the lifestyle catch-phrases include:

"Eat Dirt"

"Live Long, Drop Dead"

"Eat like a predator, not like prey."

"Let food be thy medicine and let medicine be thy food."

"Eat like a cow, look like a cow. Eat like a cougar, look like a cougar"

“Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar.”

When someone asks us about optimal diet, particularly for allergies, autoimmune, and inflammatory pain disorders, this is our first go-to recommendation. As with any nutritional plan, it must be tailored to the individual based on age, gender, health status, and practicality. After reading dozens of books, websites, and research articles on the subject, here is a list of some of our favorite resources to get you started:




Paleo Magazine
PaleOMG
Robb Wolf
NomNom Paleo

Three Free Therapies of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Nutrition, movement, and rest.  Boy, the foundation of good health sure is esoteric!  These three "free" therapies are the preventative, proactive health areas most controlled and maintained by the individual. But what are the best foods, exercises, and sleeping hours?  This depends on the constitution of the individual and their current needs.  While we generally thrive on routine, seasonal adaptations are often required for optimal health. Click on the titles for some of our favorite suggestions from the treatment room!

Nurtition 
You should feel nourished. The "perfect" diet is one that derives all of the necessary nutrients from food, results in satiety after a meal, and fuels your activity throughout the day. Enjoying a seasonal variety of foods, consistent meal times in-sync with physical hunger, and mindful eating are hallmarks of a healthy relationship with food.  Ideally, supplements should be unnecessary and used only in times where extra nutrients are required or missing due to lack of availability. Folate before, during, and after pregnancy and Vitamin D during the winter are common examples.  Bloating, nausea, cramping, acid, irregular elimination patterns, and fatigue after eating are signs that your body is not processing what you are eating. This can be due to allergy, intolerance, spoiled food, overeating, or a weakness in one of your digestive organs.

Movement  
You should move freely.  As we are no longer spending hours a day capturing and cultivating our food, building, maintaining, and defending our dwelling, or otherwise engaging in physical labor for survival, movement can be hard to come by outside of dedicated exercise time. Exercise should feel invigorating, release mood-regulating endorphins, and provide appropriate challenges to build and maintain endurance. As with food, a routine of exercise with a variety of pushing, pulling, and stretching movements provide a healthy balance. Dreading exercise, requiring large amounts of pre-and-post-workout supplements, feeling fatigued, depressed, angry after a session, or frequent injury are signs it is time to look for a different plan.

Rest 
You should feel refreshed. Rest includes the physical rest of sleep and mental rest of pleasure.  Characteristics of optimal sleep include consistent bed and wakening times, easily falling asleep, staying asleep though the night or easily falling back to sleep if awakened, and feeling rested within a short time of rising.  Many factors contribute to an individual's sleep requirement, however eight hours is the average most people need to rejuvenate.  Mental rest includes hobbies that provide joy and presence. One person's afternoon curled up with a familiar book is another person's weekend-warrior challenge. While routine rest is essential, it is equally important to prevent stagnation by periodically trying a new form of mental rest.

The Magnesium Connection

At Jing, we believe supplementation should be just that - a supplement to a healthy diet, not a replacement for poor nutritional planning.  We typically recommend targeted products for specific physical, mental, or lifestyle conditions. Magnesium has long been one of our favorite mineral supplements for inflammatory conditions including pain disorders and cardiovascular conditions, certain sleep and gastrointestinal disorders, and mental health imbalances such as anxiety.

Americans as a whole are deficient in this essential nutrient, largely from decreased amounts in soil content and dietary preference for sweet and starchy foods rather than green leafy vegetables and nuts.  Those of us who are lucky enough to live in "hard water" towns as a result of limestone rock will also receive magnesium from tap water. The NIH provides an excellent reference for ways to get magnesium into your diet: Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet 

Magnesium can be delivered orally, transdermally, and though epson salt soaks. The body will excrete excess, but it is important not to take it at the same time as bisphosphonate (osteoporosis) medications or potassium-sparing diuretics (such as spironolactone or triamterene), and to consult with your primary care provider if you have renal (kidney) impairment.

Here are a few of the Magnesium products we like:

Magnesium Citrate This formulation is naturally derived from limestone and produced by fermentation. This should not be confused with the over-the-counter liquid laxative used before certain surgical or diagnostic procedures!

Cal/Mag with CoFactors This powder is mixed with water and tastes like flat lemon soda. It contains the correct calcium, magnesium, and D ratio to promote correct absorption. We cannot stress enough that the best forms of magnesium and calcium are through diet, and, much as many dermatologists will chastise me for saying this, the best source for the potent anti-oxident Vitamin D is moderate, daily sun exposure.

Magnesium Glycinate this formulation is better for folks who have a tendency to GI upset or loose stools.

To read more about the benefits of magnesium and find more evidenced-based literature, take a look at this article from Acupuncture Today: Achieving Optimal Health Through Transdermal Magnesium Therapy