autoregulation vs linear progression

If you are following a linear progression training program, you might be interested in the research done on autoregulation. It shows that using auto-regulated progression athletes achieve better results in increasing strength vs. a linear approach (1). Autoregulation is a means to adjust your training to your current abilities in real time and progress at your own pace. Your one-repetition maximum (1RM) and resistance to fatigue depends on a variety of factors, mostly those associated with stress.

Autoregulation is easy to implement. You decide upon a specific repetition target for your top set with your calculated weight for that set, and depending on how how many repetitions you achieve before reaching muscular failure, you will get an idea of your current ability. By adjusting the loading parameters for the remainder of the sets of the exercise you manage the exercise volume, depending on how well you can tolerate fatigue.

The origin of progressive resistance exercise (PRE) was conceived by Thomas Delorme in the 1940s and have since evolved. It is actually the origin of the traditional 3x10 set-repetition scheme. It has been the industry standard for decades. In 1978 Kenneth Knight developed the Daily Adjustable Progressive Resistive Exercise (DAPRE) protocol in an effort to provide an objective means of increasing resistance concurrently with strength increases. He describes the protocol: "The number of repetitions performed during the third and fourth sets is used to determine the amount of weight that is added to (or sometimes removed from) the working weight for the next set and session, respectively." This was further evolved to autoregulated progressive resistance exercise (APRE) by Mel Siff and later used in the 2010 study by Bryan Mann.

There are others that have taken interest in autoregulation. Powerlifter Mike Tuchscherer developed The Reactive Training System (RTS)(2) to carefully control training volume in order to train frequently with heavy loading without overtraining, making it possible to continually make improvements in all lifts. One key method is the use of rate of perceived exertion (RPE), a subjective assessment used to monitor fatigue during a set, or determine how close to muscle failure you were when you performed the final repetition of the set. The PRE is used proactive so you end the set before fatigue becomes to high. By using Fatigue percents the total volume is controlled. By subtracting 5% (medium fatigue) from the top set load you get the minimum load you will use for the remaining working sets in this exercise. When you have reached the same RPE as the top set in the same repetition range, then you terminate the exercise, and thus your volume is autoregulated. RTS rates high fatigue as 7% and low fatigue as 0-3%.

Borge Fagerli, inventor of Myo-Reps(3), uses a similar approach, where a variation of Mike Tuchscherer's PRE is used. In Myo-Reps the initial set, taken to near failure, are followed by mini-sets after short resting periods. The key to stop is when repetition speed slows down significantly. The method is also a fatigue-management technique but with an interesting innovation. The short rest periods are used to keep fatigue at bay, but not away. Thus the exercised muscles will be kept near the fatigue limit, causing fiber recruitment to be high, even though the load is not very demanding, in order to mimic the effect of the occlusion studies. The workout becomes faster-paced and the stay in the training facility is shortened.

The use of fatigue management can be very helpful to help you progress at your own pace. The ability to listen to your own body is key to successful autoregulation.

If your goal is pure strength or size, or both, there are different ways to apply autoregulation. RTS are mainly for strength while Myo-Reps are for size, although Myo-Reps are allowing for strength-specific exercises using the RPE tool.

The common denominator is using monitoring to stop sets short of failure. What differs are repetition ranges and thus load. The repetition range for strength is 1-5, with loads close to your 1RM. For hypertrophy the repetition range is 6-15.

Working in both ranges are appropriate for increasing strength and size. How to apply the principles? I recommend you read the RTS Manual or the Myo-Reps articles. Their methods are true and tested.

References:

(1) The Effect of Autoregulatory Progressive Resistance Exercise vs. Linear Periodization on Strength Improvment in College Athletes, Mann et al, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2010

(2) http://www.reactivetrainingsystems.com

(3) http://myrevolutions.no

exercise nutrition links

Lyle McDonald:

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/

Martin Berkhan:

http://leangains.com/

Alan Aragon:

http://www.alanaragon.com/

bodybuilding exercise

Bodybuilding exercise needs to address some key principles for optimal muscle growth: Mechanical load elicits a stimuli to trigger muscle protein synthesis to build new muscle tissue and an elevation of growth promoting hormones. Recovery from a training bout requires an ample supply of nutrients and rest. Failure to meet the nutritional requirements equals failure to gain new muscle. The loading stimuli must be frequent enough to continue gaining new muscle tissue. If the training stimuli is infrequent the gains will not be retained. Progression of loading is required for the adaptation to continue. If there is no progression there is no need for the muscle to adapt, hence the weight lifted must increase in time. A balance must be obtained between these four key principles to allow continuous gains. Not training frequent enough, overtraining, undereating and lack of weight progression are common causes for failure to gain muscle.

Various training methods have been devised to give trainees guidelines or a framework to follow. Hypertropy-Specific Training (HST), DC training, 5x5 and 5/3/1 are examples of successful methods. Key for each one of these are frequent training with focus on weight progression. Individual differences must be accounted for if an optimum training response is to be achieved. An important factor is the current recovery ability, which changes over time and are dependent on the persons general conditioning, sleeping and nutritional habits, and general stress level. Overtraining and undereating will greatly impair the recovery ability.

Another key principle addressed is the repeated bout effect (RPE), which causes the adaptation process to become less efficient over time. HST uses a strategic deconditioning period where no training at all is performed and the weight are reset to lessen the effect of the RPE. DC continually rotates three training exercises per muscle group to vary the stimulus. The 5/3/1 method resets the training weight when a plateau is reached. These methods are usually referred as programming. Ignorance of the need for programming will effectively put an end to further progress.

Some minor principles must also be adhered for a training stimulus to be optimal. There must be sufficient stimuli in time and load. Studies show that an exercise that is executed in 60-90 seconds generally provides optimal stimulus. The loading must be sufficient to recruit enough motor units to engage all muscle fibers. A maximal effort will effectively recruit all muscle fibers but will not last more than a few seconds before the fatigue becomes to high. The key is to find a balance between the loading parameter and the time parameter.

This usually is at 85% of the 1-repetition maximum load (1RM) and with a total repetition count of 10-15, using a controlled repetition cadence of 2-1-3-0 (signifying the repeated shortening, full contraction, and lengthening of the muscle, and the pause at the initial position). The repetitions are divided over 2-3 sets of 5 repetitions with interset rest of 30 seconds or more. Higher loading percentages are used by strength athletes, rather than bodybuilders due to the higher CNS fatigue and non-optimal time under load.

Lower loading percentages will have to take into account that the involvement of muscle fibers are dependent on load and the fatiguing of neighboring muscle fibers, thus at lover percentages than 85% of the 1RM there will be a gradual increase of recruitment as the fatigue becomes more pronounced. At below 85% the total repetition count must be increased to elicit optimal time under load. An alternative method is to use a shorter interset rest period, so the recovery is interrupted, thus enabling a greater recruitment of muscle fibers from the onset of the subsequent sets. This is referred to as rest-pause training. The initial set is usually performed to near or full failure (8-12 repetitions), followed by a short rest (10-20 seconds), before the subsequent set (3-4 repetitions). This is usually repeated until an optimal training stimulus have been reached. The DC training method uses rest-pause sets, as does myo-reps.

As most bodybuilding trainees does not have a repetition cadence of 2-1-3-0 there is usually the need for some extra sets to allow for optimum time under load. Also, depending on the muscle fiber composition (fast or slow twitch) the optimum time may vary between muscle groups. Slow twitch dominant muscle usually require more time. This is also the case for large muscle groups and compound movements, as there are weaker supporting muscles that limit the load. 5x5 is based around compound movements. 5/3/1 recommends supplemental exercises to allow for proper time under load. Both 5x5 and 5/3/1 are more geared towards strength athletes than bodybuilding, but will provide the beginner to intermediate trainee with an excellent foundation to build upon. DC training require that the trainee have a solid foundation. HST was developed as a means for the intermediate to advanced bodybuilders to continue their progress. Beginners may also be successful with HST, but the general recommendation is to begin with linear 5x5.

There is no single method that is optimal for everyone, but an experienced trainee will become knowledgeable of how to elicit an optimum training response for him/her. Bodybuilding is an art. Those who become skilled will also be able to sculpt themselves into masterpieces.

HST was authored by Bryan Haycock.

DC training was authored by Dante Trudell.

The 5/3/1 method was authored by Jim Wendler.

The 5x5 method was authored by Bill Starr.

nourishing traditions, part IV

Vegetables
Fresh vegetables can be the highlight of every meal. Few of them require much time to prepare, and most need very little time to cook. Furthermore, almost every vegetable that has been studied has been found to contain substances that benefit the hearth and blood or counteract the formation of tumors. Fresh vegetables, eaten with the right fats on a daily basis, are one of our best protections agains coronary heart disease and cancer.

There are several broad categories of vegetables. First are the dark green, leafy vegetables, such as spinach, chard and beet grains. These contain abundant vitamins and minerals, particularly B vitamins, calcium and trace minerals, and should be included in the diet on a regular basis – at least once or twice a week. A second category is the cruciferous vegetables – cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and broccoli – which contain natural chemicals shown to block the formation of tumors in the digestive tract. Other categories are tubers (potatoes and sweet potatoes), root vegetables (carrots, turnips, parsnips and beets), the squash family (including zucchini), the lily family (onions, leeks and garlic) and the nightshade family (tomatoes, eggplant and peppers).

Steaming is the best way to cook most vegetables. This preserves most vitamins and minerals and a good many enzymes as well, if the process is not allowed to continue too long. Light sautéing in butter, olive oil or coconut oil is also an acceptable cooking method. Some research indicates that cooking foods in fats and oils actually makes nutrients more available. Other methods include blanching in boiling filtered water and, for root vegetables, cooking in a clay pot.

Some vegetables are best eaten cooked. For example, cabbage, broccoli, Bryssels sprouts and kale contain chemicals that block production of thyroid hormone (known medically as goitrogens). Beet grains, spinach and chard contain oxalic acid that blocks calcium and iron absorption and irritates the mouth and intestinal tract. Raw potatoes contain substances called hemagglutinins that disrupt the proper function of red blood cells. Cooking destroys or neutralizes these harmful substances (as does the fermentation process). Spinach and cabbage are popular salad foods but should be eaten raw only occasionally.

Do not save the vegetable cooking water, because pesticides and nitrites from commercially grown produce along with many of the harmful compounds listed above, particularly oxalic acid, ends up in the water. The solution is to steam lightly and not very long. All commersial vegetables should be washed in water with a little Clorox bleach, hydrogen peroxide or Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds, and then thouroughly rinsed to remove chemical residues.

Dark green, leafy vegetables tend to concentrate nitrates when commercially grown with high-nitrogen fertilizer. In the intestinal tract these nitrates may be transformed into potent canrcinogens. Nitrates also tend to form in cooked vegetables during storage; for this reason you are cautioned against eating reheated vegetables, particularly green vegetables.

Don’t hesitate to put butter on your steamed vegetables. The fat-soluble vitamins and vitamin K2 in butter are just what your body needs to fully utilize minerals in plant foods. Season vegetables lightly after cooking with sea salt.

Grains

The well-meaning advice of many nutritionists, to consume whole grain as our ancestors did and not refined flours and polished rice, is misleading and often harmful in its consequences; for while our ancestors ate whole grain, they did not consume them as presented in our modern day cookbooks in the form of quick-rise breads, granolas and other hastily prepared casseroles and concoctions. Our ancestors, and virtually all preindustrialized peoples, soaked or fermented their grains before making them into porridge, breads, cakes and casseroles.

A quick review of grain recipes from around the world will prove our point; In India rice and lentils are fermented for at least two days before they are prepeared as idli and dosas; in Africa the natives soak coarsely ground corn overnight before adding it to soups and stews., and they ferment corn or millet for several days to produce a sour porridge called ogi; a similar dish made from oats was traditionally among the Welsh; in some Oriental and Latin American countries rice receives a long fermentation before it is prepared; Ethiopians make their distinctive injera bread by fermenting a grain called teff for several days; Mexican corn cakes, called pozol, are fermented for several days and for as long as two weeks in banana leaves; before the introduction of commersial brewers yeast, Europeans made slow-rise bread from fermented starters; in America the pioneers were famous for their sourdough breads, pancaces and biscuits; and throughout Europe grains were soaked overnight, and for as long as several days, in water or soured milk before they were cooked and served as porridge or gruel. (Many of our senior citizens may remember that in earlier times the instructions on the oatmeal box called for overnight soaking.)

All grain contain phytic acid (an organic acid in which phosporous is bound) in the outer layer or bran. Untreaded phytic acid can combine with calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and especially zinc in the intestinal tract and block their absorption. This is why a diet high in urfermented whole grains may lead to serious mineral deficiencies and bone loss. The modern misguided practice of consuming large amounts of unprocessed bran often improves colon transit time at first but may lead to irritable bowel syndrome and, in the long term, many other adverse effects. The simple practice of soaking cracked or rolled cereal grains overnight will vastly improve their nutritional benefits.

Soaking with warm water also neutralizes enzyme inhibitors, present in all seeds, and encourages the production of numerous beneficial enzymes. The action of these enzymes also increases the amount of many vitamins, expecially B vitamins.

Scientists have learned that the protein in grains, especially gluten, are very difficult to digest. A diet high in unfermented whole grains, particular high-gluten grains like wheat, puts an enormous strain on the whole digestive mechanism. When this mechanism breaks down with age or overuse, the results take the form of allergies, celiac disease, mental illness, chronic indigestion and candida albicans overgrowth. Recent research links gluten intolerance with multiple sclerosis. During the process of soaking and fermenting, gluten and other difficult-to-digest proteins are partially broken down into simpler components that are more readily available for absorption.

Animals that nourish themselves primarily on grain and other plant matter have as many as four stomachs. Their intestines are longer as is the entire digestion transit time. Man, on the other hand, has but one stomach and a much shorter intestine compared with herbivorous animals. These features of his anatomy allow him to pass animal products before they putrify in the gut but make him less well adapted to a diet high in grains – unless, of course, he lets the friendly bacteria of the microscopic world do some of his digesting for him in a container, hust as these same lactobacilli do their work in the first and second stomachs of the hebivores.

Grains fall into two general categories. Those containing gluten, such as oats, rye, barley and especially wheat, should not be consumed unless they have been soaked or fermented; buckwheat, rice and millet do not contain gluten and are, on the whole, more easily digested. Whole rice and whole millet contain lower amounts of phytates than other grains so it is not absolutely necessary to soak them. However, they should be gently cooked for at least two hours in a high-mineral, gelatinous broth. This will neutralize some of the phytates they contain and provide additional minerals to compensate for those that are still bound; while the gelatin in the broth will greatly facilitate digestion. Do not use the pressure cooker for grains because it cooks them too quickly.

If you buy grains that have been rolled or cracked, they should be in packages and not taken from bins, where they have a tendency to go rancid. All whole grain flours quickly goas ranci and develops a bitter taste, so it’s best to buy organic or biodynamic whole grains and roll or crack them yourself using a roller or grain grinder or a corn mill.

Sprouting accomplishes a veritable predigestion of grains. Phytic acid is largely decomposed. So are certain sugars which cause intestinal gas. Part of the starch is transformed into sugars and numerous enzymes that aid digestion are produced. Bulgur or cracked wheat is a staple of Middle Eastern cuisine, used in tabouli, kibbeh, soups and casseroles. It is traditionally made from from sprouted grain for a product infinitely more delicious and digestible than today’s store-bought cracked wheat. Kasha, or cracked buckwheat, is to Russia as bulgur is to the Middle East – the staple carbohydrate food used in numerous dishes but chiefly as a simple casserole.

Housewives of old knew that the most delicious pancakes, muffins and cakes could be made from soaking flour in sour or cultured milk, buttermilk or cream. Flour products should be soaked at room temperature for at least 12 hours but better results may be obtained with a 24-hour soaking. This method has the further advantage of so softening whole meal flour that the final product is often indistinguishable from one made with white flour. Breads, muffins and pancaces that have been made with soaked whole wheat, kamut or spelt flour rise easily with baking soda alone; they do not require baking powder.

A caution against using soy flours. Soy contain a high phytate content as well as potent enzyme inhibitors. These are not inactivated by ordinary cooking methods, such as soaking, but only after a long, slow fermentation process that results in traditional fermented soy products, such as natto, miso or tempeh. The antinutrients in modern soy products and soy flour can inhibit growth and cause intestinal problems, swelling of the pancreas and even cancer. In addition, soy contains a high omega-3 content that quickly goes rancid when the bean is made into flour. Soy flour has a disagreeable taste that is difficult to mask – nature’s way of telling us to avoid it. The phytoestrogens in soy have been promoted as panaceas but they are actually goitrogens that depresses thyroid function.

Raw honey is noteworthy for having considerable plant amylase. The amylase does not come from the bee but is a true plant enzyme, concentrated from the pollen of flowers. If you wish to predigest a starchy food, such as bread, spread some raw honey on it. The moment the honey and bread come into contact, the honey enzyme starts predigestion; and as you chew more digestion takes place. If the bread with its honey-enzyme coating is allowed to stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before you eat it, there will be less work for salivary amylase.

Baking with natural leaven is in harmony with nature and maintains the integrity and nutrition of the cereal grains used. The process helps to increase and reinforce our body’s absorption of the cereal’s nutrients. Unlike yeasted bread that diminishes, even destroys, much of the grain’s nutritional value, naturally leavened bread does not stale and, as it ages, maintains its original moisture much longer.

A popular “health food” snack we must warn you about is rice cakes, made from puffed or extruded rice. Although theoretically nutritious, because made from whole grains, they are grains that have been subjected to high heat and pressure to cause them to puff. Diets of puffed grains cause rapid death in test animals.

Source: Nourishing Traditions, Sally Fallon

nourishing traditions, part III

Organ meats
Almost all traditional cultures prize organ meats for their ability to build reserves of strength and vitality. Organ meats are extremely rich in fat-soluble vitamins A and D, as well as essential fatty acids, important very-long-chain superunsaturated fatty acids and the whole gamut of macro and trace minerals. Wild animals eat the organs of their kill first, thus showing a wisdom superior to our own. The first solid food that native African mothers give to their babies is raw liver, which they thoughfully chew for them. Folk wisdom throughout the world, including Europe, values brains as a food for babies and growing children.

American cookbooks of a century ago contained plenty of recipes for organ meats, and any authentic cookbook for ethnic cuisine – French, Italian, Greek, Middle Eastern or English – will feature several recipes for liver, kidney, heart, sweetbreads (the thymus and the pancreas) and brains.

Not only does liver provide copper, zinc, iron and vitamins A and D in abundance, but it is also a rich source of antioxidants – substances that help your own liver remove toxic substances from the body.

Game, Beef & Lamb
The meat of game animals like deer, caribou, buffalo and elk, and of game birds like duck, goose, pheasant and quail is particularly rich in minerals and many other valuable nutrients. Most game meat is not marbled like beef and lamb and may, therefore, be very tough. This difficulty can be overcome with proper preparation and cooking. Game should “hang” or be aged for as long as possible in a cool, dry place to allow cathepsin, an enzyme naturally present in meat, to begin breaking down muscle fibers; and in most cases, game meat should be marinated for at least several hours, and as long as 48 hours, before it is cooked. If you take care of the preliminaries, your final dish will be flavorful and tender.

Surveys of ethnic diets show that red meat in the form of beef, sheep and goat is the second most preferred source of animal protein and fat in nonindustrialized societies, second only to chicken (flesh and eggs) and more popular, or at least more available, than foods from the sea. Red meat is an excellent source of both macro and trace minerals, particularly zinc and magnesium. In meat, these minerals exists in a form that is much easier for the body to break down and utilize than the minerals in grains and pulses. Red meat is rich in vitamin B12 and carnitine. Beef and lamb fat contain fat-soluble vitamins and small amounts of essential fatty acids, especially if these animals have been allowed to graze on green grass. These fatty acids are what your body need to utilize the minerals in all foods.

Recipes for tender portions of beef and lamb – filet and rib cuts of beef, leg of lamb and lamb chops – call for these cuts to be eaten rare, with most of their enzyme content still intact. Tougher cuts can be braised in stock to make flavorful stews. In braising, the temperature does not exceed 212 degrees so denaturing of proteins is minimized. The enzyme content is destroyed, but any minerals and amino acids that come out of the meat will be contained in the sauce. Deep frying of red meats or any cooking methods that raise the internal temperature above 212 degees Fahrenheit (100 degrees Celsius) are not recommended. Many ethnic recipes call for marinating tougher cuts for 24 to 48 hours in wine, youghurt or buttermilk.

On a cautionary note, meat and meat fat that come in contact with open flames syntesize certain carcinogenic hydrocarbons. Meat that has been cooked in a pan or liquid contains very few hydrocarbons in comparison with meat that has been grilled.

Poultry & Eggs
Although chicken is a perfectly good source of animal protein, frequent chicken consumption requires a cautionary note. Battery-raised chickens are subjected to crowded living conditions and often substandard feed; they require frequent doses of antobiotics and growth hormones to reach adulthood. Many develop cancers and these cancerous chickens are not necessarily discarded. Also, any food eaten to the exclusion of others can lead to allergies, food addictions amd adverse reactions. This is true of meats as well as vegetables, dairy products and grains. It is best to eat a variety of fowl – chicken, turkey, Cornish game hens and domesticated duck – and to vary your source of animal protein between puoltry, fish, game and red meat.

When you eat poultry, don’t neglect to eat the skin and the dark meat as well as the white. The skin provides valuable fat-soluble vitamins and antimicrobial fatty acids, while the dark meat contains more minerals than the white. The carcass makes a rich stock for sauces and soups.

Eggs have provided mankind with high-quality protein and fat-soluble vitamins for millennia. Properly produced eggs are rich in just about every nutrient we have yet discovered, especially fat-souble vitamins A and D. Eggs also provide sulphur-containing proteins, necessary for the integrity of cell membranes. They are an excellent a source of special long-chain fatty acids called EPA and DHA. Egg yolk is the most concentrated source known of choline.

It pays to buy the best quality eggs you can find – eggs from chicken fed flax or fish meal or, better yet, pasture fed so they can eat bugs and worms. Their nutritional qualities are far superior to those of battery-raised eggs and even many so-called “free range” eggs. In particular, they contain a better fatty acid profile, on in which the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids exists in almost one-to-one ratio.

Never eat powdered eggs, a source of harmful oxidized cholesterol.

Source: Nourishing Traditions, Sally Fallon

nourishing traditions, part II

Raw Vegetables

Man and herbivorous animals must cook their vegetables in order to break down the cellulose box in which the vegetable cell is stored. Man uses heat; herbivorous animals use fermentation, for which they have separate stomachs. But to man, raw vegetables are also of great value, mainly for bulk and roughage as well as to keep the intestinal content from becoming too dry. The human intestinal tract is so constructed that roughage is needed for rapid elimination of waste products and, equally important, for keeping the muscles strong. The enzymes in raw food, particularly raw fermented food, help start the process of digestion and reduce the body's need to produce digestive enzymes.

Cooking foods above 118 degrees Fahrenheit (48 degrees Celsius) destroys digestive enzymes. When this happens, the pancreas, salivary glands, stomach and intestines must come to the rescue and furnish all these substances. To do this repeatedly, the body must rob, so to speak, enzymes from other glands, muscles, nerves and the blood to help in its demanding digestive process. Eventually the glands develop deficiencies of enzymes because they have been forced to work harder due to the low level of enzymes found in cooked food.

It is one of those interesting designs of nature that foods and liquids at 117 degrees can be touched without pain, but liquids over 118 degrees will burn. Thus, we have a built-in mechanism for determining whether or not the food we are eating still contains its enzyme content.

While we should include a variety of raw foods in our diets, we need to recognize that there are no traditional diets composed exclusively of raw foods. Some nutrients are made more available through cooking and cooking also neutralizes naturally occurring toxins in plant foods. In general, grains, legumes and certain types of vegetables should be cooked. Some people do very poorly on raw foods in which they should emulate the Asians by including small amounts of enzyme-rich condiments with a diet of cooked foods. Even after being subjected to heat, fermented foods are more easily assimilated because they have been predigested by enzymes.

Raw Meat

When Dr. Weston Price made his pioneering studies of primitive peoples around the world, he was struck by the fact that almost every group he visited ate a certain amount of their animal protein raw. The proportion of raw animal protein in the diet varied considerably. Among the Eskimo groups it verged on 100 percent; natives of the Polynesian islands consumed a good portion of the sea food they caught without cooking it; African tribes valued liver in its raw state as essential to good health and promoting growth and strength. Tribes whose eating habits were largely vegetarian nevertheless ingested raw animal protein in the form of grubs and insects. The principle source of raw animal protein for Europeans communities was unpasteurized milk products.

Today, we can and should eat raw meat and fish on a regular basis. Almost every world cuisine offers recipes to satisfy what seems to be a universal requirement for raw animal protein - steak tartare from France, carpaccio from Italy, kibbeh from the Middle East and raw, marinated fish dishes from Scandinavia, Hawaii, Latin America and Asia. Many people have reported the disappearance of numerous symptoms and increased vitality within days of adding raw meat, fish or milk to the diet.

We can eliminate parasites in animal foods without cooking them. Simply freeze beef or lam for 14 days. According to United States Department of Agriculture, this will kill off all parasites. Marinate or ferment fish in an acid solution of lemon juice, lime juice or whey. This will effectively kill off all parasites and pathogens and will serve to predigest the fish as well.

Soups

Clear unblended soups featuring meat, vegetables or grains in a meat-based broth results in a soup that can serve as a meal in itself. Blended soups calls for the addition of cultured cream as a final step. It is important to not add the cream into the pot, for any heating the cream receives will destroy its valuable enzyme content. Most traditional soup recipes call for the addition of cultured cream this way - to the slightly cooled soup in the bowl rather than in the pot. Here is another example of folk wisdom serving as a guide to healthy eating. Another excellent addition to soup is fermented fish sauce, made from small whole fish including the head and organs, rich in iodine, vitamin A and D, and other substances that benefit the thyroid gland. You may add fish sauce to any heated soup instead of salt. The fermentation also delays the oxidation of polyunsaturated oils, because the added bacteria consume all the oxygen.

Fish

Fish is the health food, par excellence. When Dr. Weston Price traveled throughout the world, studying traditional peoples on native diets, he discovered that those who ate seafoods had the best health. Consumption of fish promotes excellent growth and bone structure; it also protects from the degenerative diseases so prevalent in this modern age. All ocean fish are excellent sources of macro and trace minerals, particularly iodine and zinc. Our soils may be depleted of certain trace minerals, but every one we need exists in the boundless oceans; seafood is our only sure source for obtaining them all.

Mercury contamination is a danger when one eats fish from shoreline waters near industrial areas or from contaminated freshwaters. Always check their origin before you purchase your fish. You needn't be concerned about mercury levels in deep-sea fish. Farm-raised fish are best avoided. Their fatty acid profile will not be as good as that of wild fish, and they are usually given inappropriate feed, such as soy pellets containing pesticide residues.

Many traditional societies prepare fish by wrapping it in leaves and steaming it in the coals of a fire. This method best preserves nutrients and protects the fish from possible carcinogens. Classicgourmet recipes call for poaching fish in stock, then reducing the stock to make a flavourful sauce. Butter or cream, or both, are then added. These gelatin-rich sauces are easy to digest and just loaded with minerals (from concentrated stock) and fat-soluble vitamins (from cream and butter). Poached fish may be kept warm in a heated owen, covered with a piece of parment or waxed paper, for up to one-half hour while the sauce is reduced and thickened by boiling and while you eat your first course.

End of part II.

Source: Nourishing Traditions, Sally Fallon

nourishing traditions, part I

The culinary tradition of our ancestors, and the food choices and preparation techniques of healthy nonindustrialized peoples, should serve as a model for contemporary eating habits. During the 1930's, Dr. Weston Price traveled the world over to observe population groups untouched by civilization, living entirely on local foods. He found fourteen groups in which almost every member of the tribe or village enjoyed superb health. What did they eat?

They would eat liberally of seafood or other animal proteins and fats in the form of organ meats and dairy products; they valued animal fats as absolutely necessary to good health; and they ate fats, meats, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds and whole grains in their whole, unrefined state.

Later research have shown that, almost universally, these societies allow grains, milk products and often vegetables, fruits and meats to ferment or pickle by a process called lacto-fermentation. Another technique found universally in ethnic cuisines is the use of bone broths, rich in gelatin as well as calcium and other minerals.

Cultured Dairy Products

Not only these isolated people share these preferences, but also our own ancestors and contemporaries. Before the age of industrialization, Europeans consumed milk as youghurt, cheese, clabber, or curds and whey. In Europe, soured milk products are still extensively used. Sour our fermented cream - creme fraiche - is an indispensable ingredient in soups and souces. The delicious sour butter of France and Germany is made from churning fermented cream. Cream cheese and cottage cheese are traditionally made by allowing the fermentation process to continue for several days until the white curds or casein-containing portion of the milk separates from the whey.

In Russia, a popular beverage is kefir, of fermented cow, goat or sheep milk. Koumiss, another Russian beverage popular in the eastern regions, is made from mare´s milk. In the Middle East, milk is soured in special containers to produce laban. In India, milk from cows or water buffalo is soured to produce dahi, which the Indians consume with every meal.

Fermentation of milk results in numerous beneficial changes. Fermentation breaks down casein, one of the most difficult proteins to digest. Culturing restores many of the enzymes destroyed during pasteurization including lactase, whoch helps digest lactose (milk sugar), and numerous enzymes, which help the body absorb calcium and other minerals. Both vitamin B and vitamin C content of milk increase during fermentation. In addition, cultured dairy products provide beneficial bacteria and lactic acid to the digestive tract.

Fermented Vegetables & Fruits

Lactic acid is a natural preservative that inhibits putrefying bacteria. Starches and sugars in vegetables and fruit are converted into lactic acid by the many species of lactic-acid-producing bacteria. The proliferation of lactobacilli in fermented vegetables enhances their digestibility and increase vitamin levels. These beneficial organisms produce numerous helpful enzymes as well as antibiotic and anticarcinogenic substances.

A list of lacto-fermented vegetables from around the world is sufficient to prove the universality of this practice. In Europe the principle lacto-fermented food i sauerkraut. Cucumbers, beets and turnips are also traditional foods for lacto-fermentation. In Russia and Poland one finds pickled green tomatoes, peppers and lettuces. The peoples of Japan, China and Korea make pickled preparations of cabbage, turnip, eggplant, cucumber, oion, squash and carrot. American tradition includes many types of relishes - corn relish, cucumber relish, watermelon relish - all of which were no doubt originally lacto-fermented products.

The pickling of fruits is less well known but, nevertheless, found in many traditional cultures. The Japanese prize pickled umeboshi plums, and the peoples of India traditionally fermented fruit with spices to make chutneys. Use of mustard dates back to antiquity. ketchup provides us with an excellet example of a condiment that was formely fermented. The word "ketchup" derives from the Chinese Amoy dialect ke-tsirap or pickled fish-brine or sauce, the universal condiment of the ancient world. The English added foods like mushrooms, walnuts, cucumbers and oysters to this fermented brew; Americans added tomatoes from Mexico to make tomato ketchup.

Sprouted Grains, Nuts & Seeds

Credit for discovering the value of sproted seeds traditionally goes to the Chinese, who learned to germinate legumes many centuries ago. In the West, for centuries, beers of all sorts have been made with germinated grains. Bulgur, used extensively in Middle Eastern cooking, is made from coarsely ground sprouted wheat.

The process of germination not only produces vitamin C but also changes the composition of grain and seeds in numerous beneficial ways. Sprouting increases vitamin B content, especially B2, B5 and B6. Carotene increases dramatically. Even more important, sprouting neutralizes phytic acid, a substance present in the bran of all grains that inhibits absorption of calcium, magnesium, iron, copper and zinc; sprouting also neutralizes enzyme inhibitors present in all seeds. Complex sugars responsible for intestinal gas are broken down during sprouting, and a portion of the starch in grains is transformed into sugar. Sprouting inactivates aflatoxins, potent carcinogens found in grains. Finally, numerous enzymes that help digestion are produced during the germination process.

Stocks

Meat and fish stocks are used almost universally in traditional cuisines - French, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, African, South American, Middle Eastern and Russian - to produce nourishing and flavourful soups and sauces. Properly prepeared, meat stocks are extremely nutritious, containing the minerals of bone, cartilage, marrow and vegetables as electrolytes, a form that is easy to assimilate. Acidic wine or vinegar added during cooking helps to draw minerals, particularly calcium, magnesium and potassium, into the broth. The proteinaceous gelatin in meath broths has the unusal property of attracting digestive juices to the surface of cooked food particles, thus acting as an aid to digestion.

In folk wisdom, rich chicken broth is a valued remedy for the flu. Another traditional belief is that fish broth contributes to virility. Fish stock, made from the carcasses and heads of fish, is especially rich in minerals including all-iportant iodine. Even more important, stocks made from the heads, and therefore the thyroid glands of the fish, supplies thyroid hormone and other substances that nourish the thyroid gland.

Sauces, Marinades & Condiments

Sauces and condiments can be divided into two groups: those composed of raw ingredients and therefore valuable as sources of enzymes; and those that have been heated, made from stocks. The first category inludes vaious types of mayonnaise and marinades.

Mayonnaise imparts valuable enzymes, particularly lipase, to sandwiches, tuna salad, chiken salads and many other dishes. Mayonnaise is the base for many other chilled sauces and salad dressings.

Marinades that feature raw ingredients, particularly raw oils with their full complement of lipase, begin the digestive process of meats. Although the meats are usually cooked after several hours of steeping, their nutrients are nevertheless more available due to this predigestion; and, of course, they are more tender and flavourful as well.

End of part I.

Source: Nourishing Traditions, Sally Fallon