What’s Happening: Stress

Stress: it’s a guaranteed way to wreck your health even if you’re eating everything right. And it’s not only the stress you think of as “bad stress” that counts. Anything can be a damaging stressor if you don’t respond well to it, or if you’re overdoing it without getting enough rest and recovery. This week, we’re focusing on things you might not know can stress your body out, and a practical stress-busting solution.

• Exercise addiction (via Robb Wolf) – exercise is usually a beneficial stressor (it causes your body to “bounce back” stronger than it was before), but that doesn’t make it any less stressful, and pushing it too hard with poor nutrition or inadequate recovery is just as dangerous as any other kind of stress.

• Food stressors (via Paleo Parents) – this author of this post describes how kefir, a food that’s normally healthy, caused a bad reaction for her specifically and put her body under too much stress to handle.

• Hunting for a way to relieve all that pressure? A new post on Food Renegade suggests a simple way to get your magnesium on: homemade magnesium oil.

If you’re lucky enough to be reading this post from some idyllic stress-free hideaway, there’s also plenty of other news to catch your attention:

• On the sugar front, a recent discussion from Peter Attia explores exactly what we mean when we say “sugar is toxic” and whether or not it’s true.

• If you’re wondering about the Blood Type Diet, this post from Mark’s Daily Apple ought to put your mind at rest: the evolutionary theory behind the concept is incorrect, and everything we know about diet indicates that your blood type doesn’t actually make a difference.

• The second post in a two-part series (part one here) from Chris Kresser wrapped up a discussion of whether the environmental impact of red meat – as it turns out, it’s surprising how much we really don’t know.

• Finally, there’s a new “odd bit” to join organ meats, bone broth, and the other “weird” animal products that Paleo dieters love to eat: cicadas! On the East Coast of the US, an expected influx of these long-dormant bugs is giving residents a chance to try them as a snack. This week, one NPR reporter baked them with brown sugar and Sriracha and concluded that “It’s kind of like caramel popcorn” – that doesn’t sound so bad!

Also, don’t forget to let us know on Google+ if there’s an anti-Paleo argument you’d like to see debunked!