Tender cuts of meat for the grill: Filet mignon and bison

Filet mignon is one of the tenderest cuts of beef. It is also one of my favorites. Filet mignon comes from the tenderloin area (see this picture), which is not a weight-bearing area and thus is very tender. The bison cuts I get here in South Texas are close in terms of tenderness, but not as tender, probably because they are from the round area.

One steak of either filet mignon or bison will yield about 100 g of cooked meat, with 30 g of protein and 10 g of fat. About half of that fat will be saturated and half monounsaturated (as in olive oil). It will provide you with plenty of vitamins (particular B vitamins) and minerals. Good amounts of selenium, phosphorus, zinc and potassium.

On the photo below (click on it to enlarge), the bison steak is at the top. The other pieces are all filet mignon cuts. They are all medium-cooked. I cooked two plates of these, for 6 people. All ate to satisfaction, with a side salad. The leftovers are delicious for breakfast in small amounts.

For the filet mignon, I think you really have to go to a specialty meats store (butcher) and make sure that they cut the smaller tail end of the tenderloin muscle. You will be paying a lot for it, so it makes sense to be choosy. Experience butchers will cut it right in front of you and won’t mind your choosiness.

Below is a simple recipe; simple like most of the recipes on this blog. I like my meals quick and delicious.

- Prepare some dry seasoning powder by mixing sea salt, garlic power, chili powder, and a small amount of cayenne pepper.
- Season the steaks at least 2 hours prior to placing them on the grill.
- Grill with the lid on, checking the meat every 10 minutes or so. (I use charcoal, one layer only to avoid burning the surface of the meat.) Turn it frequently, always putting the lid back on.
- If you like it rare, 20 minutes (or a bit less) may be enough.

These are as tender as any piece of beef can possibly get. No need for any tenderizer juices during seasoning. If you are doing both filet mignon and bison together, either eat only bison or bison first. Because once you taste the filet mignon, the bison cut may taste a bit hard!

For me the filet mignon is a 10-dollar per pound treat for special occasions. The price of the bison cut is about the same, at least here in Laredo, Texas, where I get it shipped from Dakota via my local supermarket. You can also get it online.

By the way, some folks like to say that bison is the “salmon of the prairie”. This is in reference to bison’s omega-3 content. Well, here is the polyunsaturated fatty acid composition of 100 g of bison steak: 29 mg of omega-3, and 197 mg of omega-6. For salmon it is 1424 mg of omega-3, and 113 mg of omega-6.

Salmon of the prairie or not, I love it!

Healthy Hairstyling #5: Phony Ponytails & Buns

2008: From twistout fro to kinky phony ponytail
(I used a pack of kinky hair to create the look.)

The "phony" ponytail, puff, and bun are not only creative ways to add length to your hair but healthy options to protect your ends. Here are a few youtube tutorials:

PHONY DONUT BUN:

PHONY PONYTAIL:

PHONY FRO HAWK:

Recap: Wednesday's Hair Growth Tips!

Growing healthy hair from the inside out. Click on the links below for a full post on each tip.

WEDNESDAY'S HAIR GROWTH TIPS:
1. Maintain a clean scalp.
2. See a doctor regularly.
3. Exercise.
4. Drink green tea!
5. Essential oil massage.
6. Drink your water!
7. Eat sufficient protein.
8. Eat hair foods!
9. Get adequate sleep!
10. Take your multivitamins!

GIVEAWAY Update!!

Alrighty, it's a little quiet so I'll extend this giveaway to newbie naturals too! (Newbie natural = those who big chopped less than or 1 year ago.)

Here we go again ...

Alright, stretchers, transitioners, and newbie naturals. This giveaway has been a few weeks in the making. What's the prize? An arsenal of goodies to help you tame your new growth or new fro and feel pretty while you stretch, transition, or rock your new natural hair! What do you have to do for it? Scroll below and see.







INCLUDES:
- Cathy Howse's "Thinning Edges: A Chemical Reaction" (used Paperback)
- Lekair Cholesterol Plus
- 4oz sample of Fantasia IC Gel w/ olive oil
- 3 green butterfly clamps
- $1 coupon for any Pantene Shampoo or Conditioner
- Revlon Illuminance Creme Quad Eye Shadow (Moonlit Jewels)


**************************

THE RULES ...

1) You MUST be stretching, transitioning, or a newbie natural
- newbie naturals are those who big chopped less than or 1 year ago
- be honest :o)

2) Leave a comment below stating ...
- whether you are a stretcher/transitioner/newbie natural
- how long you plan to stretch/transition OR how long you've been natural
- AND 5 tips for maintaining healthy tresses during a stretch/transition/newbie natural stage

The giveaway closes May 1 at 11:59pm EST. I will then choose a winner based on her comment and abidance to the rules. The winner will be announced on May 2 and have 72 hours to claim her prize before it is forfeited and a new winner chosen.

Blood glucose control before age 55 may increase your chances of living beyond 90

I have recently read an interesting study by Yashin and colleagues (2009) at Duke University’s Center for Population Health and Aging. (The full reference to the article, and a link, are at the end of this post.) This study is a gem with some rough edges, and some interesting implications.

The study uses data from the Framingham Heart Study (FHS). The FHS, which started in the late 1940s, recruited 5209 healthy participants (2336 males and 2873 females), aged 28 to 62, in the town of Framingham, Massachusetts. At the time of Yashin and colleagues’ article publication, there were 993 surviving participants.

I rearranged figure 2 from the Yashin and colleagues article so that the two graphs (for females and males) appeared one beside the other. The result is shown below (click on it to enlarge); the caption at the bottom-right corner refers to both graphs. The figure shows the age-related trajectory of blood glucose levels, grouped by lifespan (LS), starting at age 40.

As you can see from the figure above, blood glucose levels increase with age, even for long-lived individuals (LS > 90). The increases follow a U-curve (a.k.a. J-curve) pattern; the beginning of the right side of a U curve, to be more precise. The main difference in the trajectories of the blood glucose levels is that as lifespan increases, so does the width of the U curve. In other words, in long-lived people, blood glucose increases slowly with age; particularly up to 55 years of age, when it starts increasing more rapidly.

Now, here is one of the rough edges of this study. The authors do not provide standard deviations. You can ignore the error bars around the points on the graph; they are not standard deviations. They are standard errors, which are much lower than the corresponding standard deviations. Standard errors are calculated by dividing the standard deviations by the square root of the sample sizes for each trajectory point (which the authors do not provide either), so they go up with age since progressively smaller numbers of individuals reach advanced ages.

So, no need to worry if your blood glucose levels are higher than those shown on the vertical axes of the graphs. (I will comment more on those numbers below.) Not everybody who lived beyond 90 had a blood glucose of around 80 mg/dl at age 40. I wouldn't be surprised if about 2/3 of the long-lived participants had blood glucose levels in the range of 65 to 95 at that age.

Here is another rough edge. It is pretty clear that the authors’ main independent variable (i.e., health predictor) in this study is average blood glucose, which they refer to simply as “blood glucose”. However, the measure of blood glucose in the FHS is a very rough estimation of average blood glucose, because they measured blood glucose levels at random times during the day. These measurements, when averaged, are closer to fasting blood glucose levels than to average blood glucose levels.

A more reliable measure of average blood glucose levels is that of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c). Blood glucose glycates (i.e., sticks to, like most sugary substances) hemoglobin, a protein found in red blood cells. Since red blood cells are relatively long-lived, with a turnover of about 3 months, HbA1c (given in percentages) is a good indicator of average blood glucose levels (if you don’t suffer from anemia or a few other blood abnormalities). Based on HbA1c, one can then estimate his or her average blood glucose level for the previous 3 months before the test, using one of the following equations, depending on whether the measurement is in mg/dl or mmol/l.

    Average blood glucose (mg/dl) = 28.7 × HbA1c − 46.7

    Average blood glucose (mmol/l) = 1.59 × HbA1c − 2.59

The table below, from Wikipedia, shows average blood glucose levels corresponding to various HbA1c values. As you can see, they are generally higher than the corresponding fasting blood glucose levels would normally be (the latter is what the values on the vertical axes of the graphs above from Yashin and colleagues’ study roughly measure). This is to be expected, because blood glucose levels vary a lot during the day, and are often transitorily high in response to food intake and fluctuations in various hormones. Growth hormone, cortisol and noradrenaline are examples of hormones that increase blood glucose. Only one hormone effectively decreases blood glucose levels, insulin, by stimulating glucose uptake and storage as glycogen and fat.

Nevertheless, one can reasonably expect fasting blood glucose levels to have been highly correlated with average blood glucose levels in the sample. So, in my opinion, the graphs above showing age-related blood glucose trajectories are still valid, in terms of their overall shape, but the values on the vertical axes should have been measured differently, perhaps using the formulas above.

Ironically, those who achieve low average blood glucose levels (measured based on HbA1c) by adopting a low carbohydrate diet (one of the most effective ways) frequently have somewhat high fasting blood glucose levels because of physiological (or benign) insulin resistance. Their body is primed to burn fat for energy, not glucose. Thus when growth hormone levels spike in the morning, so do blood glucose levels, as muscle cells are in glucose rejection mode. This is a benign version of the dawn effect (a.k.a. dawn phenomenon), which happens with quite a few low carbohydrate dieters, particularly with those who are deep in ketosis at dawn.

Yashin and colleagues also modeled relative risk of death based on blood glucose levels, using a fairly sophisticated mathematical model that takes into consideration U-curve relationships. What they found is intuitively appealing, and is illustrated by the two graphs at the bottom of the figure below. The graphs show how the relative risks (e.g., 1.05, on the topmost dashed line on the both graphs) associated with various ranges of blood glucose levels vary with age, for both females and males.

What the graphs above are telling us is that once you reach old age, controlling for blood sugar levels is not as effective as doing it earlier, because you are more likely to die from what the authors refer to as “other causes”. For example, at the age of 90, having a blood glucose of 150 mg/dl (corrected for the measurement problem noted earlier, this would be perhaps 165 mg/dl, from HbA1c values) is likely to increase your risk of death by only 5 percent. The graphs account for the facts that: (a) blood glucose levels naturally increase with age, and (b) fewer people survive as age progresses. So having that level of blood glucose at age 60 would significantly increase relative risk of death at that age; this is not shown on the graph, but can be inferred.

Here is a final rough edge of this study. From what I could gather from the underlying equations, the relative risks shown above do not account for the effect of high blood glucose levels earlier in life on relative risk of death later in life. This is a problem, even though it does not completely invalidate the conclusion above. As noted by several people (including Gary Taubes in his book Good Calories, Bad Calories), many of the diseases associated with high blood sugar levels (e.g., cancer) often take as much as 20 years of high blood sugar levels to develop. So the relative risks shown above underestimate the effect of high blood glucose levels earlier in life.

Do the long-lived participants have some natural protection against accelerated increases in blood sugar levels, or was it their diet and lifestyle that protected them? This question cannot be answered based on the study.

Assuming that their diet and lifestyle protected them, it is reasonable to argue that: (a) if you start controlling your average blood sugar levels well before you reach the age of 55, you may significantly increase your chances of living beyond the age of 90; (b) it is likely that your blood glucose levels will go up with age, but if you can manage to slow down that progression, you will increase your chances of living a longer and healthier life; (c) you should focus your control on reliable measures of average blood glucose levels, such as HbA1c, not fasting blood glucose levels (postprandial glucose levels are also a good option, because they contribute a lot to HbA1c increases); and (d) it is never too late to start controlling your blood glucose levels, but the more you wait, the bigger is the risk.

References:

Taubes, G. (2007). Good calories, bad calories: Challenging the conventional wisdom on diet, weight control, and disease. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.

Yashin, A.I., Ukraintseva, S.V., Arbeev, K.G., Akushevich, I., Arbeeva, L.S., & Kulminski, A.M. (2009). Maintaining physiological state for exceptional survival: What is the normal level of blood glucose and does it change with age? Mechanisms of Ageing and Development, 130(9), 611-618.

REVIEW #5: Avocado Detangling Conditioner

Purpose: Natural alternative to a detangling conditioner. (Loo's recipe.)

Number of trials: 1

Ingredients & Materials:
Blender,
overripe avocado,
extra virgin olive oil,
unrefined shea butter,
apple cider vinegar (optional),
bowl,
mixing spoon

Instructions Cut up one avocado, mash with a mixing spoon, and put in blender. Add about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of unrefined shea butter to blender. (No need to melt the shea butter ahead of time.) Finally add approximately 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) to blender. If you wish, add 2-3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (ACV) to blender. (The ACV will aid in the blending process and in flattening the cuticles.) Blend all the ingredients thoroughly and continue to add EVOO until the mixture reaches your desired consistency. When done, pour mixture into a bowl and apply to hair as a detangling deep conditioner. NOTE: It is important to blend the ingredients well to eliminate avocado bits that stick to the hair. If desired, sieve the mixture before applying.

How I used it: I applied this detangling conditioner after a pre-poo and wash in twists. Then I tied a plastic bag around my hair and allowed the mix to soften my hair for 40 minutes. Afterwards, I undid each twist and detangled with a wide tooth comb followed by a medium tooth comb. Then I placed my hair in several big twists, rinsed out the conditioner thoroughly, and styled as usual.

The review:
The avocado detangling deep conditioner did the job well. After 4 weeks in twists - which means 4 weeks worth of shed hair - I was really impressed with how smooth the detangling process went. The conditioner was lubricating, thick, and heavy, all of which are needed to give my kinks slip, moisture, and loosening for detangling. It was also relatively easy to rinse out compared to the thicker store-bought cholesterol conditioners I use. (The latter leave a residue and fragrance in my hair that I can't stand.) I love this homemade detangler and plan to use it again once I finish my unused tubs of LustraSilk and LeKair Cholesterols. (Actually, maybe I'll give away these tubs ... giveaway, hint hint.)

PROS: all natural, thick, provides slip for easy detangling, moisturizing, penetrating, inexpensive

CONS: slip disappears after rinsing (I can see it being a con for those who desire post-rinse slip); avocado bits in the hair (IF not blended well)

RATING:
Overall, I rate the Avocado Detangling Conditioner a 5 out of 5 stars. I have no complaints whatsoever and was impressed by the slip considering that it's an all natural conditioner.

IDEAL FOR THOSE:
*wanting an all natural detangling option
*with thick tresses

FOR THE MIXOLOGISTS OUT THERE: You can experiment with using an overripe banana or banana baby food in place of the avocado for finer hair. (Blend well.) For a protein boost, add an egg or use yogurt + egg or mayonnaise + egg in place of the avocado. For scalp stimulation, add a few drops of peppermint oil to the mixture. Instead of olive oil, use coconut oil for added strength.

FOR THE NON-MIXOLOGISTS OUT THERE: You may want to check out these avocado conditioners:

Avocado Conditioner

There are more geniuses among men than among women, and more idiots too

Deary and colleagues (2007) conducted an interesting study on differences in intelligence scores among men and women. In the context of this blog, this study highlights yet one more counterintuitive and intriguing aspect of Darwinian evolution, adding to points previously made in other posts (see here, and here). Evolution may look simple at first glance, but that is a bit of a mirage. In my opinion, to really understand it one has to understand the mathematics underlying it, a lot of which comes from the field of population genetics.

What makes the study by Deary and colleagues (2007) particularly interesting is that its participants were opposite-sex siblings. This helped control for the influence of environmental factors. The downside is that the effect sizes might have been decreased, because of the high gene correlation among siblings, so we could expect larger differences between unrelated groups of men women. The differences, as you will see, are not in overall scores, but in score dispersion.

Let us get straight to the point made by the study. On average, men and women seem to score equally well on intelligence tests. The main difference is that there is more variation in the scores achieved by men than by women, which leads to an interesting effect: there are more geniuses and more idiots among men than among women.

This does NOT mean that a man’s genius is of a higher order; just that there is a tendency for more men to be geniuses (and idiots) than women in any random population sample. The women who are geniuses can be super geniuses, like two-time Nobel Prize winner Marie Curie, the first PERSON to receive such an honor. Albert Einstein is said that have greatly admired her intelligence.

As an illustration of this score dispersion effect, Deary and colleagues (2007) note that: “… for example, in terms of indices of scientific achievement, men were awarded 545 out of the 557 Nobel prizes awarded for science.” On the “idiot” end of the scale: there are a lot more men than women in prison, and one common denominator of prison inmates is that they tend to score very low on intelligence tests. (This is not to say that all criminals have low intelligence; perhaps mostly the ones that get caught do.)

Having said that, it is important to acknowledge that there are multiple types of intelligence, and even multi-indicator intelligence coefficients are usually poor approximations of an overall measure of intelligence (if there is one). This does not invalidate the main point of this post, which is related to score variability.

The table below (from: Deary and colleagues, 2007; click on it to enlarge; full reference at the end of this post) shows scores obtained by men and women (1,292 pairs of opposite-sex siblings) in various subtests of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test.

Note that nearly all of the differences between means (i.e., averages) are significant, but the direction of the differences (captured by the signs of the Cohen’s d coefficients, which are measures of effect size) varies a lot. That is, on several subtests (e.g., “Arithmetic”) men score higher, but in others (e.g., “Numerical operations”) women score higher. It all comes down to men and women scoring equally well overall.

Now look at the columns showing the standard deviations (“SD”) for men and women. In all subtests but two (“Coding speed” and “Numerical operations”) the standard deviation is higher for men; in many cases significantly higher (e.g., 44 percent higher for “Mechanical comprehension”). The standard deviations are about the same for “Coding speed” and “Numerical operations”. What this means is that variability in scores is nearly always higher, often significantly higher, among men than among women. I prepared the schematic figure below to illustrate the effect that this has on the numbers of individuals at the extremes.

The figure above shows two (badly drawn) quasi-normal distributions of scores. (This post shows a better illustration of a normal distribution.) The red curve refers to a distribution with a lower standard deviation than the blue curve; the latter is flatter. Each point on a curve reflects the number of individuals obtaining a particular score, which would be indicated on the horizontal axis. The number of individuals with that score is on the vertical axis. As you can see, the numbers of individuals scoring very high and low (geniuses and idiots, if the scores reflected intelligence) are greater for the blue curve, which is the curve with the higher standard deviation (higher dispersion of scores). The farther one goes to the left or right (the extremes), the bigger this difference becomes.

What does this have to do with evolution?

Well, there are a few possibilities, two of which appear to be particularly compelling. Maybe this effect is due to a combination of these two.

One is that ancestral women, like women today, selected mating partners based on a wide range of traits. Ancestral men on the other hand, like modern men, focused on a much smaller set of traits (Buss, 1995). The end result is more variation in traits, generally speaking, among men than among women. This refers to traits in general, not only intelligence. For example, there seems to be more variation in height among men than among women.

The other possible explanation is that, in our ancestral past, staying out of the extremes of intelligence was associated with higher survival success in both sexes. It seems that the incidence of certain types of mental disease (e.g., schizophrenia) is quite high among geniuses. This leads to more deaths due to related issues – suicide, depression leading to the metabolic syndrome, etc. And this is today, where geniuses can find many opportunities to “shine” in our complex urban societies. In our ancestral past the cognitive demands would have been much lower, and so would the practical value of being a genius.

If staying out of the extremes has indeed enhanced survival success in our evolutionary past, then it is reasonable to expect more women to fit that pattern than men. As with almost any “thing” that enhances survival success, women (especially pre-menopausal) naturally have more of that “thing” than men (e.g., HDL cholesterol).

The reason is that women are more important for the survival of any population than men; today and 1 million years ago. A population of 99 women and 1 man can potentially generate 99 children every few years. Here inbreeding in subsequent generations will be a problem, but that is better than extinction. A population with 99 women and 99 men (or even 1,000 men) will not generate significantly more children.

Reference:

Buss, D.M. (2003). The evolution of desire: Strategies of human mating. New York, NY: Basic Books.

Deary, I.J., Irwing, P., Der, G., & Bates, T.C. (2007). Brother–sister differences in the g factor in intelligence: Analysis of full, opposite-sex siblings from the NLSY1979. Intelligence, 35(5), 451-456.

Guest Commentary: UnitedHealth Group Partners with YMCA to Reduce Type 2 Diabetes

Patrick Monaghan
Director of Communications
Jefferson School of Population Health


With apologies to Stephen Colbert, a Tip of the Hat to UnitedHealth Group and the YMCA, who on Wednesday announced a partnership, along with retail pharmacies, to reduce the burden of Type 2 diabetes in the United States.

Under the proposal, UnitedHealth, one of the nation’s largest health insurers, will cover 16-week programs at the YMCA that discuss changes in eating, exercise and other lifestyle habits. As part of the program, which is being introduced in seven U.S. cities, the insurer will also pay incentives to Walgreens’ pharmacists to teach people how to better manage the disease.

UnitedHealth hopes the result will be lower costs and lower premiums for everyone.

Which makes sense to me.

UnitedHealth said studies funded by the government show that pre-diabetes patients can prevent or delay the disease by 58% simply by meeting in group coaching sessions, changing eating and exercise habits, and losing about 5% of their body weight.

It’s estimated that 25 million people in this country have Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of a disease that generally develops in adults as a result of obesity and poor diet. According to the American Diabetes Association, the total estimated diabetes cost in the United States in 2007 was $174 billion.

That’s billion, with a “b” – and that’s a conservative estimate. It’s no secret that our country’s health care is by far the most expensive in the world. The aim of the recently enacted federal health care law is not just to extend medical coverage to everybody but also to bring costs under control. Now that the law is on the books, it’s time to start reining in some of these costs.

The UnitedHealth/YMCA collaboration appears to be a move in the right direction. Some policy experts believe the program is an example of the steps that health insurance companies must take to demonstrate their relevance under the new health care law and as employers pay more attention to holding down medical costs.

What’s your take? Some believe this is a model for the future of health insurance. Do you feel the program has a chance of working on a national level? Let us know your thoughts.

Interesting links

Below is a list of links to web sites that deal with health issues in general. I have moved them from the previous “favorite links” area to this post so that I could save some space on the main page of the blog. Some of them are excellent sources of research-based and reliable information. Others are somewhat light in content, but still interesting. I certainly do not agree with the ideas espoused by all of them.

Alan Aragon
  http://www.alanaragon.com/

Animal Pharm
  http://drbganimalpharm.blogspot.com/

Ancestralize Me!
  http://www.ancestralizeme.com/

Anthony Colpo
  http://anthonycolpo.com/

Arthur De Vany
  http://www.arthurdevany.com/

At Darwin's Table
  http://darwinstable.wordpress.com/

Athletics by Nature
  http://gregcarver.com/blog

Barefoot Ted's Adventures
  http://barefootted.com/

Beef and Whiskey
  http://beefandwhiskey.com/

Big Muscles Fast
  http://www.bigmusclesfast.com/

Blaine's Low Carb Kitchen
  http://fittv.discovery.com/fansites/blaine/recipes/recipes.html

Blood Sugar 101
  http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes

Bob Delmonteque

  http://www.bobdelmonteque.com/

Body by Science
  http://www.bodybyscience.net

Body Recomposition

  http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/

Brad Pilon's Blog
  http://bradpilon.com/

Canibais e Reis
  http://www.canibaisereis.com/

Cholesterol and Health
  http://www.cholesterol-and-health.com/

Colorado State University's Physiologic Effects of Insulin
  http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/endocrine/pancreas/insulin_phys.html

Conditioning Research
  http://conditioningresearch.blogspot.com/

Cooling Inflammation
  http://coolinginflammation.blogspot.com/

Cut the Carb
  http://www.cutthecarb.com/

David Mendosa
  http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/17

Diabetes Update
  http://diabetesupdate.blogspot.com/

Diet Doctor
  http://www.dietdoctor.com

Discover Magazine Online
  http://discovermagazine.com/

Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution
  http://diabetes-book.com/

Dr. Gabe Mirkin
  http://www.drmirkin.com/

Dr. Michael R. Eades
  http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike

Dr. Nemechek's Integrative Medicine
  http://www.nemechekconsultativemedicine.com

Dr. Ron Rosedale
  http://www.drrosedale.com/

Entropy Production
  http://entropyproduction.blogspot.com/

Ernestine Shepherd
  http://ernestineshepherd.net

Evolution for Everyone
  http://scienceblogs.com/evolution/

Evolutionary Psychiatry
  http://evolutionarypsychiatry.blogspot.com/

Evolving Thoughts by John Wilkins
  http://evolvingthoughts.net

Exercise Prescription on the Net
  http://www.exrx.net/

Experiments in Lifestyle Design by Tim Ferriss
  http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/

Fat Head
  http://www.fathead-movie.com/

Fit 2 Fat 2 Fit
  http://www.fit2fat2fit.com

Free the Animal
  http://freetheanimal.com/

Grassroots Health
  http://www.grassrootshealth.net/

Girl Gone Primal
  http://girlgoneprimal.blogspot.com/

Gnolls by J. Stanton
  http://www.gnolls.org

Health News Review
  http://healthnewsreview.org/

Healthcare Epistemocrat
  http://epistemocrat.blogspot.com/

Heretic
  http://stan-heretic.blogspot.com/

Homo Consumericus
  http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/homo-consumericus

Hunt, Gather, Love
  http://huntgatherlove.com/

Hunter Gatherer
  http://hunter-gatherer.com/

Hyperlipid
  http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com/

ItsTheWooo's The Scribble Pad
  http://itsthewooo.blogspot.com/

John Hawks Weblog
  http://johnhawks.net/weblog

Julianne's Paleo & Zone Nutrition Blog
  http://paleozonenutrition.wordpress.com/

Lean Gains
  http://www.leangains.com/

Low-Carb for You
  http://lowcarb4u.blogspot.com/

Lucas Tafur
  http://www.lucastafur.com

Mark's Daily Apple
  http://www.marksdailyapple.com/

Matt Metzgar's Blog
  http://www.mattmetzgar.com/

Maxwell Murphy
  http://maxwellmurphy.typepad.com/

Metabolism Society
  http://nmsociety.org/

Michael Barker's Type 2 Ketosis Prone Diabetes
  http://ketosisprone.blogspot.com/

Muscle and the City
  http://www.muscleandthecity.com/

MuscleHack
  http://www.musclehack.com/

My Carb Sane-Asylum
  http://carbsanity.blogspot.com/

My Carb Sane Chronicles
  http://carbsanitychronicles.blogspot.com/

Natural Messiah
  http://naturalmessiah.blogspot.com/

Nephropal
  http://nephropal.blogspot.com/

Nigee's Diet & Nutrition Blog
  http://nigeepoo.blogspot.com/

Nourishing by Heart
  http://lunchwithouted.wordpress.com/

Nutrition and Physical Regeneration
  http://nutrition-and-physical-regeneration.com/blog

Nutrition, Health & Heart Disease
  http://www.health-heart.org/

Omega-6 Fat News Commentary
  http://omega-6-omega-3-balance.omegaoptimize.com/

Paleo Clinic
  http://paleoclinic.blogspot.com/

Paleo Diet
  http://paleodiet.com/

Paleo Hacks
  http://paleohacks.com/

PaleoFitMD
  http://paleofitmd.tumblr.com/

Patrick Ward's Optimum Sports Performance
  http://optimumsportsperformance.com/blog/

Pay Now Live Later
  http://paynowlivelater.blogspot.com/

Philosophy of Weight Management
  http://philosophyofweightmanagement.blogspot.com

Prague Stepchild
  http://praguestepchild.blogspot.com/

Primal Montain
  http://www.primalmountain.com/c/blog/

Primal Wisdom
  http://donmatesz.blogspot.com/

Principle Into Practice
  http://principleintopractice.com

Protein Power
  http://www.proteinpower.com/

PāNu
  http://www.paleonu.com/

Rambling Outside the Box
  http://ramblingoutsidethebox.blogspot.com/

Ramblings of a Carnivore
  http://ramblingsofacarnivore.blogspot.com/

Raw Food SOS
  http://rawfoodsos.com/

Ray Peat
  http://raypeat.com/

Robb Wolf
  http://robbwolf.com/

Ron Brown's The Myth of Loose Skin
  http://www.bodyfatguide.com/LooseSkin.htm

Sandwalk by Laurence Moran
  http://sandwalk.blogspot.com

Scooby's Home Bodybuilding Workouts
  http://www.scoobysworkshop.com/

Seth Roberts's Blog
  http://blog.sethroberts.net

Skyler Tanner
  http://skylertanner.com

Sock Doc - Natural Injury Treatment & Prevention
  http://sock-doc.com

Son of Grok
  http://www.sonofgrok.com/

Spark of Reason
  http://sparkofreason.blogspot.com/

Stella Style
  http://stellastyle.com/

Survivorman - Discovery
  http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/survivorman/survivorman.html

That Paleo Guy
  http://thatpaleoguy.com

The Carnivore Health Weblog
  http://www.carnivorehealth.com

The Daily Lipid
  http://www.cholesterol-and-health.com/cholesterol-blog.html

The Evolution & Medicine Review
  http://evmedreview.com/

The Heart Scan
  http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/

The Healthy Skeptic
  http://thehealthyskeptic.org/

The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show
  http://www.thelivinlowcarbshow.com/shownotes

The Paleo Diet
  http://www.thepaleodiet.com/

The Paleo Diet Blog

  http://thepaleodiet.blogspot.com/

The Queso Files
  http://dibruno.blogspot.com/

The Weston A. Price Foundation
  http://www.westonaprice.org/

Theory to Practice
  http://theorytopractice.wordpress.com/

Vitamin D Council
  http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/

Vitamin D Wiki
  http://www.vitamindwiki.com/

Weightology
  http://weightology.net/

Whole Health Source
  http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/

Wikipedia - Strength Training
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strength_training

Wildly Fluctuating
  http://wildlyfluctuating.blogspot.com/

Zero Currency, Moneyless World - By Daniel Suelo
  http://zerocurrency.blogspot.com/

Zeroing in on Recovery
  http://malpaz.wordpress.com/

Zoe Harcombe
  http://www.zoeharcombe.com/

180 Degree Health
  http://180degreehealth.blogspot.com/

Healthy Hair Feature: Lina

1) Are you natural, relaxed, texlaxed, or transitioning?
** Natural for almost 11 years now.

2) What mistakes have you made in your hair care journey?
** avoiding water, not washing my hair enough, not deep conditioning enough, not paying attention to the lack of /too much protein in my hair, switching products for no really good reason, relying too much on the knowledge of others to help me care for my hair.



3) What is your current HEALTHY HAIR routine? (include regimen, products, etc.)
** Pre-treat hair with coconut oil and/or olive oil, detangle into 8 braids
-Shampoo with Dr. Bronners Shikakai soap, or Nour Herbal Shampoo (homemade)
-Rinse/Clarify with Sweet Hibiscus Vinegar Rinse (homemade)
-Deep Condition with Aveda Damage Remedy, detangle into 8 twists after 1hr +heat
-Rinse well, blot dry, apply Whipped CocoShea butter (homemade) and airdry in 8 twists
-Light blow dry or flat iron if I am in the mood (1x/month)
-I usually wear my hair in braids for 6 wks at a time, then transition each braid into a twist.

4) Do you have a HEALTHY BODY routine? If so, what is it? (diet, skin care, etc.)
** I eat raw foods and vegetarian meals daily
** I try to use natural products or purchase raw supplies to make my own
** I use apple cider vinegar and coconut oil inside and out - for my hair, skin, and internal nourishment

5) Do you have any advice for those seeking healthy tresses?
** be patient and consistent. It takes time to see what your hair likes. Sometimes there is an immediate difference, and the rest of the time, you notice a slow but steady improvement. Pictures really do help with both motivation and boredom. You can see how far you've come and that is a great accomplishment to make those first choices a habit.

*************************************
Check out Lina's Handmade Hair Care Products at TheHairSheBang!

Retaining the Hair You Grow: Chapter 6

Moisture, moisture, moisture!

Dry hair translates into hair that is more susceptible to breakage. Hair that has a sufficient level of moisture is more pliable and more able to withstand mechanical manipulation (combing, styling, etc.). Thus, moisture is a key factor to retaining length.

How do you know whether you hair is dry?
If your hair feels supple, then it has a good moisture content. Think flexible, elastic, and pliant. Rough, brittle, crispy, hard hair could be an indication of dryness and/or another issue (e.g., structural damage, etc.).

Is your dryness linked to a problem with moisture retention?
A healthy strand of hair will retain moisture really well for a good period of time. I have heard a stylist mention 48 hours as the magic number; whether this is true or not, I am not sure. Given my personal experience with my hair in damaged vs. healthy states, the number seems feasible. In my opinion, if you find yourself experiencing dryness within one day of a fresh wash & condition, you may want to:

1) evaluate your products and/or regimen,
2) review your diet,
3) assess whether you have hard water,
4) determine if the dryness is medically related,
OR
5) investigate high porosity as a potential issue.

A lot of articles and sites address the importance of porosity as it relates to moisture retention, protein/moisture balance, and more. View the links below for just a handful of these sources. In the mean time, keep in mind that if you want to retain the hair you grow, you must maintain a proper moisture level.

MORE READS:
POROSITY (all you need to know)
PROTEIN/MOISTURE BALANCE
SEALING (OILS & MOISTURE RETENTION)

----------------------------
This is a repost. Originally posted July 6, 2009.

Ketones and Ketosis: Physiological and pathological forms

Ketones are compounds that have a specific chemical structure. The figure below (from: Wikipedia) shows the chemical structure of various types of ketones. As you can see, all ketones share a carbonyl group; that is the “O=” part of their chemical structure. A carbonyl group is an oxygen atom double-bonded to a carbon atom.

Technically speaking, many substances can be classified as ketones. Not all of these are involved in the same metabolic processes in humans. For example, fructose is technically a ketone, but it is not one of the three main ketones produced by humans from dietary macronutrients (discussed below), and is not metabolized in the same way as are those three main ketones.

Humans, as well as most other vertebrates, produce three main ketones (also known as ketone bodies) from dietary macronutrients. These are acetone, acetoacetate and beta-hydroxybutyrate. Low carbohydrate diets tend to promote glycogen depletion, which in turn leads to increased production of these ketones. Glycogen is stored in the liver and muscles. Liver glycogen is used by the body to maintain blood glucose levels within a narrow range in the fasted state. Examples of diets that tend to promote glycogen depletion are the Atkins Diet and Kwaśniewski’s Optimal Diet.

A search for articles on ketosis in scientific databases usually returns a large number of articles dealing with ketosis in cows. Why? The reason is that ketosis reduces milk production, by both reducing the amount of fat and glucose available for milk synthesis. In fact, ketosis is referred to as a “disease” in cows.

In humans, most articles on ketosis refer to pathological ketosis (a.k.a. ketoacidosis), especially in the context of uncontrolled diabetes. One notable exception is an article by Williamson (2005), from which the table below was taken. The table shows ketone concentrations in the blood under various circumstances, in mmol/l.

As you can see, relatively high concentrations of ketones occur in newborn babies (neonate), in adults post-exercise, and in adults fed a high fat diet. Generally speaking, a high fat diet is a low carbohydrate diet, and a high carbohydrate diet is a low fat diet. (One occasionally sees diets that are high in both carbohydrates and fat; which seem excellent at increasing body fat and thus reducing life span. This diet is apparently popular among sumo wrestlers, where genetics and vigorous exercise usually counter the negative diet effects.)

Situations in which ketosis occurs in newborn babies (neonate), in adults post-exercise, and in adults fed a high fat diet are all examples of physiological, or benign, ketosis. Ketones are also found in low concentrations in adults fed a standard American diet.

Ketones are found in very high concentrations in adults with untreated diabetes. This is an example of pathological ketosis, even though ketones are produced as part of a protective compensatory mechanism to spare glucose for the brain and red blood cells (which need glucose to function properly). Pathological ketosis leads to serum ketone levels that can be as much as 80 times (or more) those found in physiological ketosis.

Serum ketone concentrations increase proportionally to decreases in stored glycogen and, when glycogen is low or absent, correlate strongly (and inversely) with blood glucose levels. In some individuals glycogen is practically absent due to a genetic condition that leads to hepatic glycogen synthase deficiency. This is a deficiency of the enzyme that promotes glycogen synthesis by the liver. The figure below (also from Williamson, 2005) shows the variations in glucose and ketone levels in a child with glycogen synthase deficiency.

What happened with this child? Williamson answers this question: “It is of interest that this particular child suffered no ill effects from the daily exposure to high concentrations of ketone bodies, underlining their role as normal substrates for the brain when available.”

Unlike glucose and lipoprotein-bound fats (in VLDL, for example), unused ketones cannot be converted back to substances that can be stored by the body. Thus excess ketones are eliminated in the urine; leading to their detection by various tests, e.g., Ketostix tests. This elimination of unused ketones in the urine is one of the reasons why low carbohydrate diets are believed to lead to enhanced body fat loss.

In summary, ketones are present in the blood most of the time, in most people, whether they are on a ketogenic diet or not. If they do not show up in the urine, it does not mean that they are not present in the blood; although it usually means that their concentration in the blood is not that high. Like glucose, ketones are soluble in water, and thus circulate in the blood without the need for carriers (e.g., albumin, which is needed for the transport of free fatty acids; and VLDL, needed for the transport of triglycerides). Like glucose, they are used as sources of energy by the brain and by muscle tissues.

It has been speculated that ketosis leads to accelerated aging, through the formation of advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs), a speculation that seems to be largely unfounded (see this post). It is difficult to believe that a metabolic process that is universally found in babies and adults post-exercise would have been favored by evolution if it led to accelerated aging.

References:

Williamson, D.H. (2005). Ketosis. Encyclopedia of Human Nutrition, 91-98.

Health Reform Passes--NOW WHAT??

The US House of Representatives, and then the US Senate, passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act just a few short weeks ago. While much has been written about the bill, I would like to drill into some of the lesser known components of this landmark legislation. For example, I was happy to learn that starting in 2013, the bill calls for a national, voluntary 5 year pilot on bundling payments to providers around 10 inpatient conditions. In 2013, it imposes financial penalties on hospitals for excess readmissions and in 2015, it exacts a 1% penalty on hospitals in the top quartile of Hospital Acquired Conditions such as infection.Other policy issues include allowing hospitals and physicians to provide leadership in voluntary Accountable Care Organizations which will enable the parties to share savings from improved care management. It creates the CMI or the Center for Medicare Innovation to test out some of these new models. Finally, it calls upon the Sec DHHS to establish a National Strategy to improve quality and interagency working groups to carry out the work.There is even a call for a federally funded Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute!!! Well, this all sounds like a full employment act for the faculty, staff and graduates of the Jefferson School of Population Health. More news to follow on this front....what do you think--- after Health Reform, Now What?? DAVID NASH

Avocado Detangling Conditioner ... Reviewing Soon!

Sneak Preview:
I will be using avocado mixed with extra virgin olive oil and shea butter for a detangling deep conditioner mix with slip, weight, and moisture.

Ingredient Descriptions:
*avocado - fatty acids, softens, imparts shine
*extra virgin olive oil - penetrates (read this study), lubricates
*shea butter - moisturizes, softens

Next weekend, I will do my monthly detangling session. Normally I use LustraSilk Cholesterol mixed with EVOO. The combination works very well, but I would like to have a natural alternative that works just as well. On that note, here's next weekend's experiment: the homemade avocado detangling conditioner.

You don't want to miss this review. There will be quite a few photos as well. :o)

For other avocado conditioner recipes, read this earlier post.

Insulin responses to foods rich in carbohydrates and protein

Insulin is often presented as a hormone that is at the core of the diseases of civilization, particularly because of the insulin response elicited by foods rich in refined carbohydrates and sugars. What is often not mentioned is that protein also elicits an insulin response and so do foods where carbohydrates are mixed with fat. Sometimes the insulin responses are way more than one would expect based on the macronutrient compositions of the foods.

Holt et al. (1997; full reference at the end of this post) conducted a classic study of insulin responses. This study has been widely cited, and paints an interesting picture of differences in insulin responses to various foods. But you have to be careful where you look. There has been some confusion about the results because of the way they are often reported in places like Wikipedia and on various Internet sites that refer to the study.

The key thing to bear in mind when reviewing this study is that the amounts of food used were designed to have the same calorie content: 1000 kJ or 240 kcal (i.e., 240 calories). This led to wild variations in the size of the portions that are compared and their weight in grams. Also, some of the food portions are probably not what people usually eat in one sitting.

In Holt et al.’s (1997) study the participants were 41 lean and healthy university students. They were fed 1000 kJ (240 kcal) portions of the test foods on separate mornings after a 10-hour fast overnight. Blood insulin levels were measured at different times within a 120-minute period after each meal. An insulin score was then calculated from the area under the insulin response curve for each food; white bread was used as the reference food.

Part of Table 2 on page 1267 is shown below (the full text version of the paper is linked at the end of this post), just to illustrate the types and amounts of food served, and the macronutrient breakdown for each food. I hope you can see what I meant when I said that some of the food portions are probably not what people usually eat in one sitting. I don’t think it would be hard to find someone who would eat 158 g of beef steak in one sitting, but 333 g of fish is a little more difficult. Fish has a higher proportion of protein than beef steak, and thus is more satiating. The same goes for 625 g of orange, about 6 oranges. Foods that have more fat have more calories per gram; hence the smaller portions served for high-fat foods.

Table 4 of the article is a bit long, so I am providing it in two parts below. AUC stands for “area under the curve”. As you can see, for isocaloric portions of different foods (i.e., with the same amount of calories), there is a huge variation in insulin response. The insulin AUCs are shown on the second numeric column from the left. Also note that the insulin responses (AUC) for white bread varied in different meals. This complicates things a bit, but at least provides a more realistic view of the responses since each participant served as his or her own control.

Look at the third column from the right, which shows the insulin responses per gram of each food, compared with the response to white bread, always shown at the top for each group of related foods (e.g., protein-rich foods). The gram-adjusted response for whole-meal bread is rather high, and so is the glucose response. The gram-adjusted insulin response to potatoes is less than one-third of the response to white bread, even though the non-gram-adjusted glucose response is higher. The insulin response to beef is also less than one-third of the response to white bread, gram-for-gram. Even cheese leads to a gram-adjusted response that is about half the one for white bread, and I don’t think many people will eat the same amount of cheese in one sitting as they would do with white bread.

In summary, insulin responses to protein-rich foods are often 50 to 70 percent lower than responses to equivalent amounts of refined carbohydrate-rich foods. Also, insulin responses to unrefined carbohydrate-rich foods (e.g., potato, fruits) are often 70 to 90 percent lower than responses to equivalent amounts of refined carbohydrate-rich foods.

Why do insulin levels go up in response to dietary protein?

One of the reasons is that insulin is needed for tissue protein synthesis. That is, increased circulating protein (as amino acids) and insulin have a net anabolic effect, promoting muscle growth and inhibiting muscle breakdown. (Muscle protein synthesis and breakdown happen all the time; the net effect defines whether muscle grows or shrinks.) In this respect, insulin acts in conjunction with other hormones, such as growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1.

Reference:

Holt, S.H., Miller, J.C., & Petocz, P. (1997). An insulin index of foods: The insulin demand generated by 1000-kJ portions of common foods. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 66, 1264-1276.

Long-term adherence to Dr. Kwaśniewski’s Optimal Diet: Healthy with high LDL cholesterol

This is a study (Grieb, P. et al., 2008; full reference at the end of this post) that I read a few years ago, right after it came out, and at the time I recall thinking about the apparent contradiction between the positive effects of the Optimal Diet and the very elevated LDL cholesterol levels among the participants. I say “contradiction” because of the established and misguided dogma among medical doctors, particularly general practitioners, that decreasing LDL cholesterol levels is the best strategy to avoid cardiovascular disease.

The Optimal Diet is one of the best examples of a healthy diet where LDL cholesterol levels are generally high, in fact much higher than most people are willing to accept as healthy today. (In this study, LDL cholesterol levels were calculated based on the Friedewald equation.)

It is not uncommon to see people concerned about their high LDL cholesterol levels after adopting a low carbohydrate diet. (A low carbohydrate diet is, generally speaking, a high fat diet.) This study shows that this is a rather common thing, and also that it is not something that those who experience it should be too concerned about. To be convinced of this, one can always do a VAP test (see this post for a link to a sample VAP test report) and check his or her LDL particle pattern.

The study presents the Optimal Diet as the Polish equivalent to the Atkins diet. It states that the Diet’s main characteristic is maintaining the proportion of proteins:fat:carbs. in the range of 1:2.5-3.5:0.5, with no restriction on the amount of food consumed. In fact, as you will see in this post, more than 70 percent of the calories consumed by the study participants came from fat.

Easily digestible carbohydrate-rich foods are not part of the Optimal Diet. More specifically, the following foods were listed as not being allowed in the Optimal Diet: sucrose, sweets, honey, jam, white rice, bread, starches in general, beans, potatoes (only in small amounts), and sweetened drinks. Also, the Optimal Diet is definitely a low carbohydrate diet, but not what is often referred to as a "very low carbohydrate diet". In this study, the typical carbohydrate intake per day was around 60 g.

Thirty-one healthy people participated in the study, 17 women and 14 men. The average age was 51.7 (standard deviation: 16.6). They had self-reportedly adhered to the Optimal Diet for at least 1 year prior to the study; the average period of adherence was 4.1 years (standard deviation: 1.9). So, the vast majority had been on the diet for more than 2.2 years, about half for 4.1 years or more, and about one-sixth for more than 6 years. (Check this post if you want to know how these figures can be calculated based on the average period of adherence and the standard deviation.)

The table below (click on it to enlarge) shows anthropometric and physiologic characteristics of the participants. Note that longer adherence to the Optimal Diet (right end of the table) was associated with lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure, as well as lower body mass index (BMI). (It was also associated with lower height and BMR, so I am guessing that more women tended to be long-term adherers than men.) Most of the participants had BMIs in the normal range, with only one in the obese category. That was a 43-year-old man who followed the diet for 1.5 years; he had a BMI of 34.1.

The macronutrient distribution of the Optimal Diet is shown on the table below (click on it to enlarge), as followed by the participants. As you can see, protein intake was not that high; about 53.9 g per day on average for men, a bit less for women. Note the percentage of calories from fat: more than 77 percent for men and 72 percent for women. Given the BMIs just discussed, one can safely say based on this that eating a lot of fat did not make the participants fat.

The table below (click on it to enlarge) has some interesting health markers. Note that free fatty acids (FFAs) were elevated. This is to be expected, as these folks were burning fat for energy most of the time, and not as much glucose. The FFAs are not really “free”, but bound to a protein called albumin, which is abundant in human blood. FFAs yield large quantities of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the main energy “currency” used by the body.

These levels of FFAs are also usually associated with mild ketosis, where ketones are produced by the body and used for energy. Unlike albumin-bound FFAs, ketones are soluble in water, and thus circulate freely through the blood. The mild ketosis experienced by the participants was possibly to the point where ketones showed in the urine. The article mentions this, and provides a measure of beta-HB (beta-hydroxybutyrate, a ketone body), which is elevated as expected, but does not provide urine or other blood ketone measures (e.g., blood acetone levels). Also note the fairly healthy fasting glucose levels, slightly higher in men than in women, but fairly low overall. Fairly healthy insulin levels as well; at the high end of what Stephan at Whole Health Source would recommend, but still significantly lower than the average insulin level in the U.S. at the time of the article's publication.

Finally, the table below (click on it to enlarge) shows lipids and a few other measures. Total cholesterol was on average a bit more than 278 mg/dL. LDL cholesterol was a bit higher than 188 mg/dL on average; high enough to make most doctors cringe today. Based on the means and standard deviations provided, we can estimate that about 16 percent of the participants had LDL cholesterol levels higher than 228.1 mg/dL. About 2.5 percent of the participants had LDL cholesterol levels higher than 268 mg/dL. And this is all after adhering to the diet for a relatively long period of time; even higher LDL cholesterol levels might have occurred right after adoption.

Yet average HDL cholesterol was a very high and protective 71.6 mg/dL. This high HDL and the relatively low triglycerides suggest a large-buoyant non-atherogenic LDL particle pattern.

Average HOMA(IR), a measure of insulin resistance, was a low 1.35 mU/mmol; strongly indicating, together with the relatively low fasting glucose levels, that the participants were far from being pre-diabetic, let alone diabetic.

Diabetes is a strong risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and many other health complications; much more so than elevated LDL cholesterol.

The Optimal Diet does not seem to be a diet for bodybuilders, but I would say that, overall, Peter at Hyperlipid has chosen a diet that makes some sense.

Reference:

Grieb, P. et al. (2008). Long-term consumption of a carbohydrate-restricted diet does not induce deleterious metabolic effects. Nutrition Research, 28(12), 825-833.

Playlist for April

On shuffle: (March 28 - April 24)
• Side cornrows into twists
• Side cornrows into twistout

Sounds like: Ms. Alicia Keys

Interlude: bi-weekly washes, weekly moisturizing, sleep on silk with a satin bonnet

Healthy Hair Feature: Copa

1) How do you define "healthy" hair? 

Healthy hair to me is hair that is not damaged by heat or chemicals. It is hair that is moisturized, minimal knots and splits on the ends, and has a healthy sheen without the need for grease or heavy oils.


2) Are you natural, relaxed, texlaxed, or transitioning?

I’m natural.


3) What mistakes have you made in your hair care journey?

The biggest mistake I made was getting my hair colored once. The color applied did not deposit well on my hair, so the salon lifted it from my hair (along with my natural color) and re-applied it. The lifting burned my scalp and my texture did not return for a month. My elasticity was also gone (ability of hair to spring back when pulled).

The second mistake was getting it colored a second time, 6 months later, to darken it back from the lighter shade. Overall, I was able to maintain my hair by increasing the moisture in my routine and I also learned how to seal around this time. Almost 2 years later and my hair has since thrived, but the left over colored ends are showing signs of damage. They are thinner, brittle, tangled, and full of knots compared to the length of my hair. I am trimming them off a little at a time.


4) What is your current HEALTHY HAIR routine? (include regimen, products, etc.)

My basic routine consists of conditioner cleansing, conditioning, adding more conditioner as a leave-in, then a sealer on the very ends. I guess, I would call myself a “conditioner chick” :}

The most important part of my healthy hair routine is the cleansing. It can either maintain or deplete the natural moisture my hair has accumulated, and no product or oil can replace that moisture. So..

I use Curl Junkie Daily Fix Cleansing Conditioner to wash my hair once a week. If I need to gently clarify, which is usually once a month, I will use Kinky-Curly Come Clean diluted with water to cleanse my scalp and the run-off will cleanse my hair. In between cleansing or after 3-4 days, I water wash my hair and use a lavender-vatika oil-white musk-water spritz to refresh my scalp and scent my hair. I’ve found that my hair prefers frequent water washing because it is less drying than conditioner washing, and re-activates, rather than washes away, the product already in my hair.

I deep condition every 2-4 weeks depending on the season and my schedule. I stopped deep conditioning my hair last summer because I found it drying and coating. I then realized that I was not using deep conditioners in a way that worked for my texture. I now apply my conditioners to wet, damp, or dry hair depending on how well they work like that.

Deep conditioners:
-Aubrey Organics HoneySuckle Rose Conditioner on dry hair only,
-Nature’s Gate Herbal conditioner for detangling,
-or Mayocado (avocado-mayonnaise) mix for a little strength, a load of moisture, and incredible shine; when I have time

Leave-in: I use different leave-ins depending on how dry my hair is.
-Elucence Moisture-Balancing Conditioner alone on damp, water washed hair
-Elucence mixed with Kinky-Curly Knot Today as a basic leave-in on wet hair
-Curl Junkie Curl Rehab deep conditioner as a winter leave-in
-Karen’s Body Beautiful Super Silky as a summer leave-in or for wash n’ go buns
-Elucence mixed with a little shea butter and emu oil on damp roots if I’m experiencing dry roots

Sealer: I only use sealer on my ends and occasionally on my edges.
-I use a shea mix to seal in the winter. I either mix it with my detangling oil blend (Olive oil, Sweet Almond oil, Castor oil), or individually with Sweet Almond, Safflower, or Red Palm oil. These oils are all great for dry ends and some help coat the hair, while others penetrate it.

-Qhemet Biologics Amla and Olive Heavy Cream as a lighter sealer in the summer
-Vatika Oil or Emu oil mixed with conditioner and shea butter or water, as needed, to seal my roots in the winter

5) Do you have a HEALTHY BODY routine? If so, what is it? (diet, skin care, etc.)

I don’t really have a healthy body routine. The health aspect is improvised :}

I live in a walking city. I walk to school and back (sometimes more) everyday for 18 minutes both ways. I walk everywhere unless it’s late at night, so that helps with physical activity. I also live in an apartment building with no elevator and attend a school that has slow elevators, so I’m up and down the stairs all day.

I pack a water container with me everyday and there are water filters on almost every floor of my school, so I drink water more than anything else.

I also make sure to have fresh fruits and vegetables in my fridge each week to snack on so I don’t reach for sweets all the time.

I’ve eliminated most dairy and whole grain from my diet and I eat red meat sparingly (whenever I have the energy to cook it or order it at a restaurant). As a result, I feel more cleansed inside, and my body spends less energy trying to digest these foods.

I try to eat light breakfast such as oatmeal, fresh fruit, with high energy additions (almonds, blueberries, flaxseed) rather than heavy, greasy, caffeinated foods and drinks.

For skincare, I used to use Dial Soap to wash my face when I was younger and my skin was fine so I really think genetics plays a large role in how healthy our skin is. Next is diet, followed by hygiene.

Now, I use Nubian Heritage black soap or their honey and black seed soap to wash my face. I also use Alba Papaya Enzyme mask and Giovanni D-tox exfoliant once a week. Lastly, I use Thayer’s Rose Petal-Witch Hazel Toner on my face after using masks or wearing heavy make-up.


6) Do you have any advice for those seeking healthy tresses?

The key to healthy hair after genetics and diet, is preserving the natural oils that your scalp produces because they are made to keep your hair at levels of optimum moisture and shine. Constantly washing, or piling on product will prevent your hair from benefiting from your own natural oils. Keep your scalp healthy, limit your use of stripping shampoos, water wash when you can, add more moisturizing product when you think you’ve added enough, especially after cleansing, and use heavy products like butters and oils sparingly so there is less buildup to wash out.