Author: T Ross

I spent the first part of my life playing piano and composing music. I graduated from UCLA with a degree in music composition and cognitive science. Then I became a User Interface Engineer for four years. I moved home to Raleigh, NC to be closer to my family and began to freelance. On the side, I created a company called Elemental Nutrition & Wellness that uses interactive resource calculators to give people the tools they need to lose weight and boost nutrition. Now I have my own practice as a holistic nutritionist. I help people meet their weight loss goals by fostering self-motivation. You can reach me at ross@elementalnutritionandwellness.com.

Red Light Therapy

From a skeptic to a believer.

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I was surprised the first time I tried RLT. The trainer told me that I would feel warmth, though it wasn’t coming from the bulbs. At first I was skeptical. I thought they were just hot lights. I turned out to be very wrong. The lights themselves do not get hot against the skin. The warmth comes from your body itself as the red light causes changes in your mitochondria at the cellular level under the skin. After experiencing it, I decided to get one for myself.

For a long time now, scientists have known that there is a link between red and infrared light and healing the body. Even though there have been many studies, many scientists still aren’t convinced that there is causation between red light and healing. This post will go over some of the information about red light therapy (RLT) and let you decide for yourself.

What is RLT?

Red light therapy is based on the principle that red and infrared light penetrate the surface of the skin and have a positive impact on the cells that live there, providing more ATP in the cells’ mitochondria. Therefore, the cells have more energy and can therefore heal themselves and other cells close by. This principle of infrared light penetration is also used with satellite photos in order to “see” just beneath the surface of the Earth.

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What are the health benefits of RLT?

At the moment there’s some evidence to suggest that RLT may have the following benefits:

  • Promotes wound healing and tissue repair
  • Improves hair growth in people with androgenic alopecia
  • Help for the short term treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome
  • Stimulates healing of slow-healing wounds
  • Reduces psoriasis lesions
  • Aids with short-term relief of pain and morning stiffness in people with rheumatoid arthritis
  • Reduces some of the side-effects of cancer treatments
  • Improves skin complexion and builds collagen to diminish wrinkles
  • Helps to mend sun damage
  • Prevents recurring cold sores
  • Improve the health of joints
  • Helps diminish scars
  • Relieves pain and inflammation1

What does RLT not do?

For every study that touts the benefits of RLT, there is another that seems to debunk it. The following come from studies set out to deny the efficacy of RLT. There is no evidence RLT:

  • Treats depression, seasonal affective disorder, or postpartum depression
  • Activates the lymphatic system to help detoxify the body
  • Boosts the immune system
  • Reduces cellulite
  • Aids in weight loss
  • Treats back or neck pain
  • Fights periodontists and dental infections
  • Cures acne
  • Treats cancer2

Are there any side-effects to RLT?

RLT is considered completely safe. There have been reports of people who have been mildly burned but that was when they fell asleep on the device. You can’t overdo it but you do need to monitor the proximity to your eyes.

Where can I get a RLT device?

If you decide that RLT is something you want to try out and pursue further, you can find a number of different types online. Some are flat and hang on the wall, others are in a bulb with a clamp, and the full body machines are the most effective, though they’re also the most expensive.

1, 2 – https://www.healthline.com/health/red-light-therapy

Balance is key

Finding balance between nutrition and energy.

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Eating nothing but leafy greens will never provide enough energy. Eating nothing but sugar will never provide enough nutrition and will lead to weight gain. Eating healthy is about balancing energy and nutrition so your body gets all that it needs. Notice in the first formation below that the nutrition profile is wonderful, but it is almost devoid of energy. Similarly, in the second formation, there is the perfect amount of energy, but it’s devoid of nutrition. The goal of the calculators is to help create balance when planning your meals.

Too much nutrition, not enough energy:

Too much energy, not enough nutrition:

Perfect balance between energy and nutrition:

Trouble sleeping? Blue blockers might help.

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Are you having trouble sleeping at night even with melatonin? It could be caused by an excessive amount of blue light. Blue light is naturally found in sunlight and helps to keep us awake by blocking melatonin production. When the sun sets, the blue light goes away.

In our modern times, we simply turn on the artificial light. But that also contains blue light keeping us awake which is counterproductive in preparing for sleep.

In order to solve this problem, 1) don’t use artificial light and go to sleep when the sun goes down 2) or wear blue blocking glasses to prevent the blue light from reaching your eyes.

What are blue blocking glasses?

Blue blocking glasses are glasses that filter our some or a large portion of the blue light that would otherwise hit our eyes. They come in many shapes, tints, and sizes.

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Do they really work?

They do work in certain conditions. There have been no scientific studies that associate blue light blockers with improved screen fatigue and related eye strain. However, there have been studies that link wearing blue light blockers 2 hours before bedtime improves sleep quality and quantity. It also showed that wearing the glasses improved work performance.

If you think about our cavemen ancestors, they didn’t have artificial light except fire. Fire, though has small amounts of blue light, is mostly yellow, orange, and red light. So, these are the light colors that we have evolved to experience after the sun goes down.

The verdict

Blue blockers might help aid sleep by mimicking ancestral fire which in turn helps us to fall asleep naturally and sleep better. But don’t expect them to cure the headache you get from staring at the screen for hours.

Chocolate. Nature’s Miracle Resource

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One of mother nature’s greatest gifts to mankind is chocolate. It is versatile and powerful, healthy and impactful. It can be used as a sauce, a dessert, or as a meal replacement. It is low in sugar and contains antioxidants and wonderful micronutrients. I’m not talking about chocolate products like candy or mochas. I’m talking about raw chocolate, cocoa nibs, cocoa powder, or chocolate bars with 75% or more cocoa content. Chocolate is a great way to get your dessert without busting your diet. But first, lets learn more about chocolate.

The History of Chocolate

Chocolate’s 4,000-year history began in ancient Mesoamerica, present day Mexico. It’s here that the first cacao plants were found. The Olmec, one of the earliest civilizations in Latin America, were the first to turn the cacao plant into chocolate. They drank their chocolate during rituals and used it as medicine.

Centuries later, the Mayans praised chocolate as the drink of the gods. Mayan chocolate was a revered brew made of roasted and ground cacao seeds mixed with chillies, water and cornmeal. Mayans poured this mixture from one pot to another, creating a thick foamy beverage called “xocolatl”, meaning “bitter water.”

By the 15th century, the Aztecs used cocoa seeds (cocoa beans are actually seeds) as currency. They believed that chocolate was a gift from the god Quetzalcoatl, and drank it as a refreshing beverage, an aphrodisiac, and even to prepare for war.

No one knows for sure when chocolate came to Spain. Legend has it that explorer Hernán Cortés brought chocolate to his homeland in 1528.

Cortés was believed to have discovered chocolate during an expedition to the Americas. In search of gold and riches, he instead found a cup of cocoa given to him by the Aztec emperor.

When Cortés returned home, he introduced cocoa seeds to the Spanish. Though still served as a drink, Spanish chocolate was mixed with sugar and honey to sweeten the naturally bitter taste.

Chocolate quickly became popular among the rich and wealthy. Even Catholic monks loved chocolate and drank it to aid religious practices.

The Spanish kept chocolate quiet for a very long time. It was nearly a century before the treat reached neighboring France, and then the rest of Europe.

In 1615, French King Louis XIII married Anne of Austria, daughter of Spanish King Phillip III. To celebrate the union, she brought samples of chocolate to the royal courts of France.

Following France’s lead, chocolate soon appeared in Britain at special “chocolate houses”. As the trend spread through Europe, many nations set up their own cacao plantations in countries along the equator.

The history of chocolate continues as the treat remained immensely popular among European aristocracy. Royals and the upper classes consumed chocolate for its health benefits as well as its decadence.

Chocolate was still being produced by hand, which was a slow and laborious process. But with the Industrial Revolution around the corner, things were about to change.

In 1828, the invention of the chocolate press revolutionized chocolate making. This innovative device could squeeze cocoa butter from roasted cacao beans, leaving a fine cocoa powder behind.

The powder was then mixed with liquids and poured into a mold, where it solidified into an edible bar of chocolate.

And just like that, the modern era of chocolate was born.1

How Chocolate is Prepared

Chocolate can be prepared as cocoa nibs, cocoa powder, or as a bar. It all starts with a cocoa pod from a cocoa tree. The fruits are removed from the pod and are then fermented.

Fermentation is a natural chemical process in which yeast, bacteria, or other microorganisms break down the sugar in the pulp into acidic compounds such as vinegar. The fermentation process is vital to the creation of chocolate, because it triggers chemical changes that help the beans develop their chocolate flavor.

Fermentation generates heat, causing the temperature within the pile of cacao beans to reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit or more. The heat, in turn, kills the germ of the bean (the part that would sprout and develop into a new plant) and liquefies the pulpy residue, which then just drains away.


The heat also activates certain enzymes in the beans that tame their bitterness, form compounds that contribute to the chocolate flavor, and give the beans a brown color. Milder beans (such as the criollo variety) typically need to be fermented for only about three days, while more bitter beans (including forasteros) may require six to nine days of fermentation. Inadequate or interrupted fermentation prevents the development of true chocolate flavor. When the cacao beans finally turn brown, they are ready to be dried.2

 The beans are then dried and can be separated into their constituent components, the shell, the butter, the nib, and the powder. The nibs are then combined with sugar and cocoa butter. Cocoa butter is a type of fat that comes from the cocoa bean. Cocoa butter is only used in chocolate bars, not in cocoa nibs or cocoa powder.

Health Benefits of Chocolate

Chocolate contains minerals such as iron, magnesium, and zinc. It also contains antioxidants called flavonoids. The antioxidants in chocolate might help prevent:

  • Eye disease
  • Heart disease
  • Diabetes
  • Memory loss
  • Parkinson’s Disease
  • Alzheimer’s Disease
  • Stroke
  • Cancer

And it also might improve:

  • Blood pressure
  • Weight loss
  • Cognition
  • Mood
  • Skin
  • Cholesterol
  • Insulin sensitivity
  • Brain function3,4

Cocoa butter is a great reinforcer (fat). It can be mixed with cocoa powder to make your own chocolate bars without all the sugar. Just melt cocoa butter and mix in cocoa powder, pour into a mold and place in freezer until sets. Or blend it into your cocoa smoothie.

In addition to Cocoa Butter, unsweetened cocoa powder is one of the best reinforcers (protein and fiber). It is a wonderful source of fiber value and protein value and pairs nicely with aqueous resources like water or milk. Mix or blend 3 tablespoons of powder with 2 cups of water or almond milk for a tasty and nutritious smoothy or hot chocolate.

1 – https://www.magnumicecream.com/us/en/stories/food/the-history-of-chocolate.html

2, 3 – https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/dark-chocolate

4 – https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-and-nutrition-pictures/delicious-reasons-to-eat-dark-chocolate.aspx

Elemental Exercise

How to exercise effectively without chronic cardio.

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Exercise, though only 20% of weight loss, is a very important component of overall health and wellness. A primal lifestyle emphasizes 3 elements of a healthy routine: 1) move a lot every day, 2) carry heavy things, 3) sprint every now and then.

Our ancestors moved a lot in order to forage and find the best foods. Move a lot means finding creative ways to stay moving during the times when sitting in a chair at a desk. Invest in a stand up desk or even better, a stand up desk and a treadmill. Moving a lot helps the body to burn fat and prevents metabolic syndrome. Move a lot every day.

Carrying heavy things is something our ancestors did to carry a kill back to the village or carry water from the river. Carrying heavy things can be done in a variety of ways. Do strength training at the gym, do body weight exercises like push ups or sit ups, or carry a medicine ball. Carry heavy things 30 min 3-5 days a week.

Our ancestors sprinted from time to time in order to 1) outrun predators or 2) chase down prey. Engage in 30 second sprints once or twice a week.

Doing the exercises above will prime for fat burning not sugar burning, as long as eating primal is a priority.

One way to increase your mobility is a jog or walk 3-5 times a week. Step 1: Determine your MAF heart rate which can easily be calculated by 180-your age. Step 2: Get a fitbit so you can monitor your heart rate. Step 3: Jog or walk at or beneath your MAF 30 minutes 3-5 days a week (you don’t want to overdo it).

Trapped in a cycle of “chronic cardio”, it’s possible to push too hard and load up on carbs after a big workout. This will make it difficult to prosper because fat burning can only happen with a medium intensity workout determined by your MAF heart rate. If your heart rate is above your MAF, your body is burning sugar which leads to sugar cravings when not exercising.

Nuts and Seeds

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One of the approved primal resource categories is nuts and seeds. They pack a wholloping punch of nutrition and energy. But what are nuts and seeds and why are they so good to eat?

What makes a nut a nut or a seed a seed?

A nut is actually a fruit that doesn’t open it’s shell to release the seeds. Examples of true nuts are hazelnuts, chestnuts, and acorns. Most seeds come from a fruit and free themselves from the hard shell that contains them. Some examples of seeds are almonds, pecans, pistachios, walnuts, and brazil nuts. Even though they are technically seeds, in the vernacular they are called nuts, any hard-walled edible kernel.1

Nuts are high in fat, protein, vitamins, and minerals and naturally low in carbohydrates which makes them a great primal snack. The fats are largely unsaturated and are a wonderful source of omega-3 fatty acids (ALA).2

Health Benefits of Nuts

As part of a healthy human diet, long-term consumption of nuts may contribute to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, reduced levels of blood cholesterol, and lower mortality. For vegetarians and vegans, nuts provide many of the essential nutrients which may be in short supply in other plant foods.3

The following shows nut and seed resources sorted according to the Wellness System:

1, 2, 3 – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nut_(fruit)

Fasting Safely

Fasting is an important component of weight loss and overall health. Most people think it’s healthy to eat three square meals, but those who fast have been shown to have less risk of diabetes and metabolic syndrome. A lot of people are willing to fast but don’t know how to do it safely. That’s what this post is about.

What happens to your body when you fast?

Fasting removes toxins from your body and forces cells into alternate metabolic pathways. When fasting, the body does not have access to glucose, forcing the cells to resort to other options and chemicals to produce energy. The result is the body begins a process known as gluconeogenesis, a natural process that happens in your liver and produces sugar. The liver converts non-carbohydrate materials like lactate, amino acids, and fats into glucose energy. Because our bodies conserve energy while fasting, our basal metabolic rate (the amount of energy our bodies burn while resting) becomes more efficient, thereby lowering our heart rate and blood pressure.1

Ketosis is another process that occurs later into the fast. It happens when the body burns stored fat as its primary power source instead of sugar. This is the ideal mode for weight loss and balancing blood sugar levels. Fasting puts the body under mild stress, which makes our cells adapt by enhancing their ability to cope and become strong. 2

How can I fast safely

Long-term fasting is dangerous. Always check with your doctor before attempting a long-term fast. Intermittent fasting is a way to reap the benefits of fasting without the dangers of long-term fasting. This can be as simple as skipping a meal or 2. It’s all your body needs to enter into metabolic flexibility. In fact, fasting for 2 or 3 days straight will cause your body to thinks that it’s starving and it will start to hold on to fat reserves in order to conserve energy, the opposite of what we want. It’s best to alternate fasting so your body doesn’t start to expect a routine. Fast for breakfast one day. Then fast for lunch the next. Then eat brunch one day instead of breakfast and lunch. By fasting intermittently and tricking your body, it is forced to be sensitive to alternate ways to metabolize chemicals and make energy without the dangerous side-effects.

What are the benefits of fasting

  • Boost cognitive performance
  • Protect from obesity and associated chronic diseases
  • Reduce inflammation
  • Improve overall fitness
  • Support weight loss
  • Decrease the risk of metabolic diseases
  • Benefit cancer patients3

1, 2, 3 – https://www.bouldermedicalcenter.com/6703-2/

The 80/20 Rule

Switching to an ancestral diet can seem overwhelming at times. You can get obsessed with making the right choices and making them all the time. However, one of the guidelines of ancestral health is the 80/20 rule. In other words, if you are conforming to the diet 80% of the time, the other 20% doesn’t matter. This rule is necessary so you don’t get burnout and quit the diet all together. So if you have the occasional ice cream or cookies and cakes, it’s OK as long as you are only eating them 20% of the time or less. This isn’t a license to eat bad foods but rather a way of staying on the diet in the long term.

It can be difficult trying to change your eating habits, especially if the are very different from primal. What you can do is start small and work your way into a more primal-aligned set of eating patterns. Start by eating 1 primal meal every day. That’s 33/66 compliance (1 meal) and see if you can maintain it for a week or 2. If you do, you can bump it up to 66/33 (2 meals). Try that for a week or 2. If you continue to do well, bump it up to 80/20 (approximately 2 1/2 meals).

If at any point you fall off the wagon, do not worry. Just get back on the wagon when you feel like it and keep going. The goal of Elemental Nutrition & Wellness is not to judge you but to help you feel better and accomplish your wellness goals.

Elemental Eating

Mark Sisson’s Primal Blueprint Food Pyramid is the ultimate way to eat like our ancestors ate.

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So what exactly is a diet based on ancestral health? Do I have to give up my favorite foods? The answer is not necessarily. There are many ways to replace certain foods with something more primal-aligned. This is a list of inclusions with some exclusions at the bottom, a perfect companion for the grocery store. There are more resources that aren’t explicitly listed here. Check with the Primal Shopping List for more.1 Remember, whatever works for you is best.

Prioritize

  • Healthy Fats and Oils
  • Meat
  • Eggs
  • Produce

Approved Foods

  • Meat
  • Fish
  • Fowl
  • Egg
  • Vegetables
  • Nuts and Seeds
  • Approved Fats and Oils
  • Coffee
  • High-fat Dairy
  • Local, in Season Fruits
  • Chocolate (75%)

Fats and Oils

  • Coconut Fat
  • Butter
  • Ghee
  • Animal Fat
  • Olive Oil
  • Avocado Oil
  • Palm Oil

Meat

  • Beef
  • Goat
  • Pork
  • Chicken
  • Lamb

Seafood

  • Anchovies
  • Bass
  • Cod
  • Eel
  • Halibut
  • Mahi Mahi
  • Salmon
  • Sardines
  • Tilapia
  • Tuna
  • Clams
  • Crab
  • Lobster
  • Mussels
  • Oysters
  • Shrimp
  • Scallops

Vegetables

  • Artichoke
  • Arugula
  • Asparagus
  • Avocados
  • Beets
  • Bell Peppers
  • Bok Choy
  • Broccoli
  • Brussels Sprouts
  • Cabbage
  • Carrots
  • Cauliflower
  • Celery
  • Collards
  • Potatoes
  • Cucumbers
  • Eggplant
  • Endive
  • Fennel
  • Garlic
  • Green beans
  • Kale
  • Mushrooms
  • Olives
  • Onions
  • Sweet Potatoes
  • Wild Rice
  • Peppers
  • Radishes
  • Romaine Lettuce
  • Sea Vegetables
  • Spinach
  • Squash
  • Swiss Chard
  • Tomatoes

Fruits

  • Blackberries
  • Blueberries
  • Boysenberries
  • Cranberries
  • Gooseberries
  • Raspberries
  • Strawberries
  • Lemon
  • Lime
  • Cantaloupe
  • Cherries
  • Coconut
  • Figs
  • Goji Berries

Nuts and Seeds

  • Almonds
  • Brazil nuts
  • Hazelnuts
  • Hemp Seeds
  • Macadamias
  • Pecans
  • Pine nuts
  • Pistachios
  • Pumpkin Seeds
  • Sesame Seeds
  • Sunflower Seeds
  • Walnuts

Beverages

  • Water
  • Herbal Tea
  • Coffee (unsweetened)

Grain-like Foods

  • Quinoa
  • Veggie Noodles
  • Riced Cauliflower
  • Konjac Noodles
  • Konjac Rice
  • Wild Rice

Sweeteners

  • Allulose
  • Stevia
  • Honey
  • Blackstrap Molasses
  • Maple Syrup

Resistant Starches

  • Raw Potato Starch
  • Plantain Flour
  • Green Bananas
  • Green Banana Flour
  • Cassava or Tapioca Starch

Supplements

  • Multivitamins
  • Fish Oil
  • Prebiotics
  • Probiotics
  • Protein Powder or Shakes
  • Vitamin D

Avoid

  • Canola Oil
  • Cottonseed Oil
  • Corn Oil
  • Soybean Oil
  • Safflower Oil
  • Grapeseed Oil
  • Peanut Oil
  • Margarine
  • Crisco
  • Fried Meats
  • Farmed Meat (CAFOs)
  • Cured Meat
  • Sausage
  • Bacon
  • Deli Meats
  • Jerky
  • Designer Coffee Drinks
  • Energy Drinks
  • Fruit Flavored Drinks
  • Real Fruit Juices
  • Non-dairy Milks
  • Sodas
  • Sports Drinks
  • Sweetened Cocktails
  • Sweetened Teas
  • Vegetable Juice
  • Processed Cheeses
  • Ice Cream and Frozen Yogurt
  • Low-fat Dairy
  • Low-fat Yogurts, including Fruit Sweetened
  • GMO Dairy Products
  • Snack foods, prepared breakfast items, and packaged desserts that contain grains, sugars, and highly refined oils.
  • Beans
  • Peanuts
  • Peas
  • Lentils
  • Chickpeas
  • Soybeans
  • Wheat flour, semolina, and other grain-based flours
  • Chips (corn, potato, tortilla)
  • Pasta and noodles
  • Sweeteners (agave nectar, sugar, evaporated cane juice, high- fructose corn syrup, brown sugar, powdered sugar, raw sugar)
  • Brownies, cake, cookies, cupcakes, pies, and other baked treats
  • Candy, candy bars, and all other confections
  • Milk chocolate: switch to dark chocolate at 75% cacao content or higher
  • Frozen desserts (popsicles, push-pops, ice cream, frozen yogurt)

1 – https://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-blueprint-shopping-list/

Lipids

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What is the difference between lipids, fats, and oils? We hear them used interchangeably but there is a molecular definition. A lipid is a class of molecule that is hydrophobic, in other words, it resists water on a chemical level. Fats are lipids that have single bonds and are “saturated” with hydrogen which is why they are solid at room temperature. Oils are lipids that have double bonds so the intramolecular attraction is low which is why they are liquid at room temperature.

Therefore, fats and oils are both lipids, saturated fat is redundant since by definition fat is saturated, and unsaturated fat is a misnomer since by definition oils are unsaturated. Therefore, coconut oil is technically coconut fat since it is solid at room temperature.

Lipids function

Lipids are one of the most important molecules as they are used by the cell to form the phospholipid bilayer. Lipids perform a variety of other functions like precursors of hormones, aids in digestion, provides a store of energy, and provides metabolic fuel. The main purpose of lipids is to store energy.

Lipids and Diet

Eating fats has been given a bad connotation by medical science because of the apparent correlation between eating saturated lipids and the buildup of small, dense LDL cholesterol in the inner epithelial cells of the circulatory system. However, recent medical science has been able to prove that this correlation is just a myth and that the buildup of cholesterol is actually due to a diet high in grains and sugars that cause systemic inflammation. Therefore, eating lipids from animals can be considered essential to a healthy diet.

Polyunsaturated and Monounsaturated Oils

Regarding oils, there are two types: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Monounsaturated have a single bond and polyunsaturated have more than one bond. Why should we avoid polyunsaturated oil? The problem is that they go rancid and oxidize very easily. This means that they are able to break other chemical bonds in the body and cause cell damage over time. Monounsaturated oils do not oxidize as easily and therefore do not cause oxidation in the body.

Overall

Overall, the best lipids to eat come from fatty fish and other seafood, other pastured animal fat, butter, some plant fat (like avocado), and other monounsaturated oils found in olive oil and most nuts. Don’t be afraid to eat high-fat dairy. In fact, consumption of high-fat dairy has been found to be associated with a decreased risk of obesity.1

1 – https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/is-it-time-to-stop-skimming-over-full-fat-dairy-2019102118028