{"id":517863,"date":"2010-04-06T12:14:56","date_gmt":"2010-04-06T16:14:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.marksdailyapple.com\/?p=11879"},"modified":"2010-04-06T12:14:56","modified_gmt":"2010-04-06T16:14:56","slug":"how-much-is-too-much-%e2%80%93-round-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/517863","title":{"rendered":"How Much is Too Much? \u2013 Round 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"stop2\"Last week\u2019s post<\/a> covering upper recommendations garnered so much interest \u2013 and additional questions \u2013 that I thought we\u2019d give it another go around. While last week\u2019s list took on basics like protein and fat as well as worthy indulgences like chocolate and \u2013 drum roll, please \u2013BACON (break for rampant applause), this week I\u2019ll take on a mix of specific foods and activity. Thanks for everyone\u2019s great comments and questions last week, and be sure to weigh in on this week\u2019s round.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Coffee<\/h2>\n

Why not start off today with the typical morning ritual? Our society, many say, is fueled by coffee, and a number of us might think we\u2019d barely be standing some days without it. For coffee lovers, a good cup of joe is a work of art. From a health standpoint, it\u2019s not a bad deal at all. Ample antioxidants, potent anti-inflammatory powerhouse, protective factors against conditions<\/a> like diabetes, certain cancers, Parkinson\u2019s, yada, yada, yada.<\/p>\n

Coffee\u2019s controversy, of course, is rooted in the caffeine<\/a>. Personally, I happen to like the taste, and I have one big cup every morning with a healthy splash of heavy whipping cream. But leaning on it a little bit isn\u2019t the same as letting it become a regular crutch. Caffeine\u2019s effect on people spans a wide spectrum. A half cup of decaf leaves some of us bouncing off the walls, animated with a manic fervor that scares small children. Others of us keep our local brew house in business with nary a hint of spastic energy. In the short term, unmistakable symptoms tell you when to put the coffee cup down: insomnia, jitteriness, anxiety, stomach issues. As far as the long term, I think the tipping point is relying on it for sustained energy levels<\/a>. Caffeine can give us the occasional leg up, but if it\u2019s keeping us upright day after day, it\u2019s covering a larger problem. In both cases, the amount is unique to each person, although it\u2019s known that we grow more sensitive to caffeine the older we get<\/a>. For most folks, 200-300 mg of caffeine a day (100 mg being the typical content in a 6 oz. serving) \u2013 imbibed at least eight hours before bed \u2013 probably won\u2019t cause significant problems. Once you\u2019re downing a whole pot (500+ mg), however, you put yourself at risk for everything from heart palpitations to muscle tremors<\/a>. My suggestion for upper limit: gauge your individual tolerance, but drink only what you need and keep it below 3 cups\/300 mg of caffeine daily (generally when health benefits level out and negative symptoms increase). If you\u2019re pregnant<\/a>, I think there\u2019s enough ample reason to avoid it<\/a> period.<\/p>\n

Sodium<\/h2>\n

This one got people talking last week. I still stand by the Primal bacon, but there\u2019s a good point to be made about sodium intake. Although I don\u2019t consider myself part of the alarmist camp on sodium, I do think there\u2019s reason to exercise moderation. Yes, salt is crucial for muscular and neurological function as well as the maintenance of extracellular volume. Salt intake around the world varies considerably<\/a>, ranging from the .2 grams\/day to more than 10.3 grams\/day.<\/p>\n

There is definitely a connection between higher sodium intake and higher blood pressure levels<\/a>, but the impact is highly individualized. A portion of the population is genuinely salt sensitive, and they\u2019re considerably more affected by their sodium intake than non-sensitive individuals.<\/p>\n

Upper recommendations, as offered by medical organizations, vary between 1.5 grams and 2.3 grams per day. Sure, certain populations (like those of Northern Japan) seem to be fine with higher levels, and I don\u2019t think it\u2019s necessary to omit healthy sea vegetables (or to give up true delicacies such as bacon). Nonetheless, I\u2019d suggest going with conventional current in this instance and limiting sodium to the recommended range. By the way, a good Primal diet devoid of processed foods slashes sodium automatically, given that more than 70% of the average American\u2019s sodium intake comes from processed food<\/a>. Furthermore, most Primal people find that their taste for salt tends to \u201cself-regulate\u201d (meaning they add salt when they sense they need it and avoid salty foods when they don\u2019t). I don\u2019t think it\u2019s worth stressing over every grain of Na, but use it as a general benchmark, and keep up your potassium levels to keep the full picture in balance.<\/p>\n

Nuts<\/h2>\n

As regular readers know, I love my macadamias, and I do a small handful of nuts or nut butter equivalent a few times a week. They\u2019re powerhouses of protein, fat and minerals, B-vitamins and the like. As I discussed in a post some weeks ago, some nuts do contain a fair amount of omega-6<\/a>. Although I don\u2019t think it\u2019s reason to avoid nuts, it\u2019s enough to suggest the concept of moderation and a mind to overall omega-6\/omega-3 ratio<\/a>. If you have no sensitivities to nuts and avoid chemically treated\/high heat roasted or oiled nuts, I think you can generally base your intake on the omega-6 content of the specific nut variety you enjoy. For most nuts, a small handful a day is fine. However, if you have a penchant for pine nuts or walnuts \u2013 or if you\u2019re eating more than a couple large fistfuls of most other nuts each day \u2013 you might want to scale back. Macadamias are by far the best because they have the highest saturated and mono-unsaturated fat content with relatively low O-6.<\/p>\n

Eggs<\/h2>\n

Yesterday\u2019s seasonality post<\/a> discussed angles of \u201cexcess\u201d and moderation. Yolks: we love you. Egg whites? They\u2019re the rationale for taking a break once in a while. As I mentioned yesterday, Grok<\/a> likely gorged when he got the chance, but it wasn\u2019t an everyday opportunity. My suggested \u201cceiling\u201d on eggs has less to do with amount and more to do with frequency. (Although I don\u2019t think anyone should go so overboard that eggs becomes their sole protein source or edge out variety in their overall diet.) Since some folks develop sensitivities to eggs (again, the whites and their natural antimicrobial powers specifically) over time, I recommend taking regular breaks (and cutting back if sensitivities begin to appear). Skip certain days each week or take a longer \u201cvacation\u201d now and then \u2013 especially if you notice yourself not feeling quite the same after those crustless Primal quiches<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Fiber <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Another common question. If you eat a well-balanced Primal diet, you should be getting more than enough fiber to leave you in good shape. Ample and various veggies and a reasonable intake of fruits will offer your body plenty of natural and healthful sources of fiber<\/a>, and I don\u2019t see any reason to restrict these. You certainly don\u2019t need the fiber in grains, however, and I think commercial fiber supplementation is totally unnecessary and likely detrimental in the long run. Visit GutSense.org<\/a> for more info.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cardio<\/h2>\n

As with a lot of things, upper limits on cardio vary from person to person. Obviously, there are a number of factors in play here, including regularity (how many days\/week), duration (how long per session) and intensity (% of maximum heart rate). It also depends on your current fitness and whether your goals include competing<\/a>. As my book suggests, low\/moderate level cardio is great for anyone. Although I think 3-5 hours a week can work for most folks, I don\u2019t think there\u2019s much need to hold back here. (More IS better to a point, but that doesn\u2019t mean you have to be moving every second of the day either.) As for intense cardio, I have said it\u2019s unnecessary on a regular basis, although it\u2019s OK to do once in a while. As I discuss in the book, even a single 30-minute session of intense cardio was enough to throw off subjects\u2019 immune function as well as raise whole body inflammation levels for three full days. While I don\u2019t think there\u2019s anything wrong with doing a rigorous mountain trek every now and then (or a 10k race or whatever intense activity floats your boat), it\u2019s not necessary to work this hard with any frequency to achieve all-around peak fitness. Do it as it serves your sense of fulfillment and adventure, but don\u2019t force it just because CW<\/a> tells you to run yourself ragged on the treadmill. Once every couple weeks is fine for longer (an hour+) intense sessions. For shorter bouts, I wouldn\u2019t suggest more than twice a week. You\u2019re better off working in an interval session, which leads me to\u2026<\/p>\n

Sprinting<\/h2>\n

I get the sprinting question now and then. How much is necessary? How much is too much? First off, I often do it once a week. If I\u2019m really in the mood, I\u2019ll do it twice (my Ultimate Frisbee<\/a> game on Sunday involves a ton of sprinting, so I count that). Honestly I don\u2019t think it\u2019s necessary to do it more than that, and I wouldn\u2019t recommend doing it more than twice a week. Primarily, your body wants to do its thing to recover sufficiently from the exertion. Just as significant, I think, is the unnecessary use of time. I\u2019m all for shortcuts and efficiency. If sprinting more than twice a week doesn\u2019t add much benefit beyond what 1-2 a week does, why waste the effort? Use the time for resistance training, some fun low level cardio<\/a>\/play<\/a> or trying out new Primal recipes<\/a>. Part of the PB\u2019s beauty is its efficiency \u2013 using our time and efforts to give us the best return with less investment. Who\u2019s really interested in high maintenance when there\u2019s so much to do and so much fun to be had? Instead of \u201cover-sweating\u201d it, get out there and enjoy.<\/p>\n

Have a great week everybody. Thanks for reading and for all the fantastic comments last time. I\u2019ll look forward to reading your thoughts on this round.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Get Free Health Tips, Recipes and Workouts<\/a> Delivered to Your Inbox<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/h4>\n

Related posts:<\/p>\n

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  1. Cheap Meat Round II: “Thrift Cuts”<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Sensible Vices: Round 2<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Sensible Vices Round 3: Personal Day Spa<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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    Last week\u2019s post covering upper recommendations garnered so much interest \u2013 and additional questions \u2013 that I thought we\u2019d give it another go around. While last week\u2019s list took on basics like protein and fat as well as worthy indulgences like chocolate and \u2013 drum roll, please \u2013BACON (break for rampant applause), this week I\u2019ll […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-517863","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/517863","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=517863"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/517863\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=517863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=517863"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=517863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}