The Primal Blueprint (32 page)

Furthermore, many of the best sources of dietary antioxidants historically have all but disappeared or have been rendered impotent by today’s aggressive factory farming techniques. Among industrial fruit growers, for example, obtaining the highest possible sugar content has replaced antioxidants as the focus. Even if you are eating really well, I believe we need a broad mix of different antioxidants on a daily basis, because different antioxidants work in different ways and in different parts of the cell. Furthermore, too much of any one single antioxidant (in the absence of others) has been shown to have potentially negative effects, as a few recent studies have demonstrated where subjects supplemented with only vitamin E to their detriment.

When you take a quality broad-spectrum antioxidant formula (containing hard-to-get nutrients like full-spectrum vitamin E [not just alpha-tocopherol], mixed carotenoids [not just beta-carotene], tocotrienols, n-acetyl-cysteine, alpha-lipoic acid, curcumin, resveratrol, milk thistle, CoQ10, and quercetin, to name a few), the agents can work synergistically to mitigate oxidative damage and then help each other recycle back to their potent antioxidant form after donating an electron to the antioxidant effort. For that reason, I take my high-potency Damage Control Master Formula multivitamin loaded with extra antioxidants every day.

In Grok’s day, virtually every animal he consumed was a decent source of vital omega-3 fatty acids. The fish he caught had eaten algae to produce omega-3 fatty acids rich in EPA and DHA (which helped build the larger human brain over the previous few hundred thousand years). The animals he hunted had grazed on plants that generated high levels of omega-3 in these meats. Even the vegetation Grok consumed provided higher levels of omega-3s than found in today’s vegetables. In Grok’s diet, the ratio of pro-inflammatory (bad) omega-6 to anti-inflammatory (good and healthful) omega-3 was close to 1:1. Unfortunately, most of us with a typical American diet today get way too much omega-6 and way too little omega-3, and that unhealthy ratio tends to keep many of us in a constant state of systemic inflammation.

Because omega-3 oils are found in fewer and fewer modern foods (fish being one of the few, but fresh wild fish also being impractical to eat regularly due to expense, availability, and objections over contaminants), the single easiest way to overcome this
serious deficit and rebalance your omegas is to take highly purified omega-3 fish or krill oil supplements. The research on fish oils is extraordinarily positive, showing such benefits as decreased risk for heart disease and cancer, lowering of triglycerides, improvement in joint mobility, decreased insulin resistance, and improved brain function and mood. The drug companies are even starting to recognize the power of this “natural” medicine and have begun promoting prescription fish oil (at four times the price of a comparable supplement, of course!). As healthy as my own diet is, I never go a day without taking a few grams of an omega-3 fish oil supplement.

Grok ate dirt…all day, every day. Hey, when you never wash your hands, your food, or anything else, for that matter, you pretty much can’t avoid it. But with all that soil came billions of soil-based organisms (mostly bacteria and yeast) that entered his mouth daily and populated his gut. Most were “friendly” bacteria that actually helped him better digest food and ward off infections. In fact, much of Grok’s (and our) immune system evolved to depend on these healthy “flora” living in us symbiotically. Grok also ate the occasional “unfriendly” organisms that had the potential to cause illness, but as long as the healthy flora significantly outnumbered the bad guys, all was well. Several trillion bacteria live in the human digestive tract—some good and some bad. Much of your health depends on which of the two is winning the flora war.

The problem today is that not only do we avoid dirt, but we pursue sterility to the extent that we eliminate a significant amount of healthy bacteria from our diet. Of course, given the germs that prevail in the civilized world, it’s probably best that we do thoroughly wash or cook everything we eat. In most healthy people, exposure to routine germs doesn’t usually present a problem. As long as there are some healthy gut bacteria present (healthy, natural foods contain these probiotics inherently—even if we wash them); as long as we don’t get too stressed out (stress hormones can kill off healthy flora) or too sick (diarrhea and vomiting are ways the body purges bad bacteria—but it purges good bacteria along with them), eat too much processed food (sugar, trans and partially hydrogenated fats, and chemical additives support the growth of unhealthy bacteria and yeast, while choking out healthy flora), or take antibiotics (antibiotics tend to kill most bacteria, good and bad—that’s their job); and as long as we are eating well, those healthy bacteria can flourish and keep us healthy.

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The problem today is that we pursue sterility to the extent that we eliminate a significant amount of healthy bacteria from our diet
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Of course, the healthy bacteria balance in our intestinal tract gets compromised regularly in all the ways
mentioned (even with generally healthy people), again creating an opportunity to benefit from supplementation. You don’t necessarily need to take probiotics every day, because once these “seeds” have been planted in a healthy gut, they tend to multiply and flourish easily on their own. I’d certainly take extra probiotics under times of great stress, when you have been sick or are taking (or have just taken) a course of antibiotics, when you are traveling (particularly to foreign countries, where unfamiliar bacteria—even good stuff from good foods—can overwhelm your digestive system), or when you detect any sign of compromised immune function (the digestive system is critical to immune function). The reversal of fortune from a few days of taking probiotics can be dramatic. “Better than eating dirt,” I always say.

Restricting your intake of processed carbs often means being at a loss for quick, convenient snacks or small meals. We are so conditioned to reach for a bagel, an energy bar, chips, crackers, and other grain-based products or sweets for snacks, we often run short of convenient, transportable, nonperishable options for an afternoon pickup snack or mini meal. While not exactly Primal, protein powders do combine the best of 21st-century technology with a true Primal intent: get me a fast, good-tasting source of protein without too many carbs or unhealthy fats. I prefer micro-filtered whey protein to obtain an impressive profile of all essential and nonessential amino acids, and I require that the product taste great when mixed only with water (so I don’t have to add sugary juices or milk just to choke it down). That way I can always throw in a piece of fruit if I like for added calories or flavor. If I am in a hurry and want a quick, high-protein start to my day, my morning protein shake takes less than a minute to make and addresses by broad nutritional needs (adding some omega-3 oil covers two more critical Primal areas). Micro-filtered whey, while derived from dairy, has insignificant amounts of lactose, so it’s fine for all but the most severely lactose-intolerant folks.

This list contains what I believe to be the most useful product categories to consider for supplementation, though it is by no means exhaustive. There are numerous other excellent product categories and individual supplements that address more specialized needs, such as phosphatidylserine (PS) for memory loss and moderating cortisol damage; glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM, and enzyme cofactors to support connective tissue and alleviate pain; or others that might be recommended by a knowledgeable health care practitioner. Please visit
MarksDailyApple.com
or
PrimalNutrition.com
for more discussion on supplements.

Regardless of what brand of products you choose, you should be extremely vigilant in an industry that is minimally regulated by the FDA. Good manufacturers have a tightly controlled production environment where every single raw material that goes into the finished product is easily sourced and certified by the supplier. At Primal Nutrition, we purchase our raw materials from trusted suppliers who supply a Certificate of Assay attesting to the potency and purity of each ingredient. Upon receipt, we test everything again ourselves to confirm the purity. The product is then quarantined until it is manufactured in a pharmaceutical-grade environment and sealed for distribution direct to the consumer.

Call the manufacturer of supplements you use or consider and inquire about their product-quality standards. You’ll quickly discern which outfits are able to provide a satisfactory answer. Ask whether the product is made under the GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) standards overseen by the FDA. Examine labels and choose supplements that are free of common fillers and additives, such as colorings, waxes, preservatives, and other chemicals, listed under “inactive” or “other” ingredients. You’ll be surprised to discover just how prevalent these agents are in many of the leading vitamin brands and discount products available through big-box retailers and in supermarkets and drugstores. Understand that premium-quality supplements are typically far more expensive than the giant bottle of multivitamins found on the shelves of warehouse stores. The latter offer minimal potency and bioavailability and bring literal accuracy to the expression “pissing away your money.”

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Understand that premium-quality supplements are typically far more expensive than the giant bottle of multivitamins found on the shelves of warehouse stores. The latter offer minimal potency and bioavailability and bring literal accuracy to the expression “pissing away your money.”
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