The Weekly Thread: the healing benefits of grounding, the importance of saturated fats, and acceptance means moving forward.
The idea that getting your bare feet in the grass and connecting directly to the Earth’s energy can be good for you, heck, even help the body heal, and reduce inflammation seems a little “woo woo”.
However, this is the case.
To better understand why grounding works, you must understand how the body produces energy, and what the actual function of this energy is in the body.
The Central Nervous System Runs on Bioelectricity
When you are feeling low on “energy”, or when something, or someone (like myself) says “increase natural energy”, what does that mean?
We know it when we don’t have energy, and I’m talking about chronic low energy, not just the lack of energy from say, a poor night’s sleep.
What then, is that “energy”, or lack thereof?
Well, it’s electricity…bioelectricity to be exact, and it’s what the human body runs on.
If I were to cut the cord on your Central Nervous System (CNS) it would instantly be lights out.
So it’s the CNS that is at the core of running the entire body.
It’s why our heart automatically beats and pumps blood throughout our body.
It’s why our lungs take in air and circulate that oxygen throughout the body.
It’s why the brain functions.
So if the CNS is at the core of all functionality in the body, what then, makes it run?
Bioelectricity.
Meaning, if the CNS is at the core of all functionality in the body, if there is no function without it, and the CNS runs on bioelectricity, then that means bioelectricity is truly at the core of all functionality in the body.
Therefore, to improve all functionality in the body, the goal is to become more effective, more efficient at producing this bioelectricity.
The Human Body is a Battery
Think about the battery on your phone, or any device, when it shows the percentage of battery life left.
This is quite literally a direct relation to the human body.
If the body is only say 53% charged up, then you are only producing energy 53% as effectively as you could be, which could very well mean…feeling low on energy.
But it goes beyond just the feeling of energy.
The physical human body is a bag of water, bacteria, and cells.
It’s estimated that there are around 40 trillion cells in the human body, and it’s within these cells that this bioelectricity that the human body runs on is produced.
Imagine if all 40 trillion cells in your body were working more effectively, more efficiently at producing the energy (bioelectricity) that fuels the entire body.
Imagine how seemingly everything would work better, how all functionality would improve.
Furthermore, if you think about disease, disease develops over time. It doesn’t simply show up one day. Aside from genetic conditions or predispositions, we are not born with disease.
No, it develops over time due to dysfunction in the body, due to metabolic inefficiencies inside our cells.
When our cells are healthy, fully vital, metabolically efficient, meaning they are producing bioelectricity very efficiently and effectively, disease cannot develop in the cell.
The human body is a battery, in a pretty literal sense, and the more you treat your body like a battery, a battery that needs to be charged up, and needs to be an effective, efficient producer of bioelectricity, the better you will feel all around.
Why Grounding Works
In the past, I’ve explained why human beings sparkle, and can produce energy through biophotons in the skin when connected to natural light.
This is one way to “charge” the human battery up, and a major reason why natural light exposure is so important to good health.
Another way to “charge” your battery up is by grounding, or earthing, which is the simple act of connecting your bare skin to the natural ground of the Earth. (Getting your bare feet in the grass is by far the easiest way to accomplish this)
The Earth has what are known as “native electromagnetic frequencies” (native EMFs), the same EMFs the human body runs on, as it’s all bioelectricity essentially.
When you connect your bare feet to the ground, and as a result, to these native EMFs that are flowing through the Earth everywhere, it’s quite literally like connecting a battery to a battery charger.
Therefore, when “grounding”, what you are actually doing is charging up your human battery.
Within the body are 1000s of endogenous processes that are always working to restore the body back to health.
Which is great.
Think about it, the goal of the human body is ALWAYS to return to health, or simply, homeostasis.
When you get sick, the body heals itself.
When you cut yourself, the body heals itself.
Go to bed at night, the body restores itself.
Your body is trying to work with you to always return to health.
If you can help it out by charging it up through more natural light exposure and getting your bare feet in the grass, the more effectively all of these endogenous processes that are working to return you to health will work.
Your body has it’s own anti-inflammatory pathways.
Charge your body up, and they will work more effectively.
You have an immune system.
Charge your body up daily and it will work more effectively.
Want more energy?
Charge your body up.
Control what you can control.
This will not instantly fix everything that ails you, but referring back to our definition of longevity, and the idea of chipping away over time with small acts, the more you get natural light, the more you get your bare feet in the grass, yes, the more you will be helping the body to return to, or maintain health.
And when the body is in homeostasis, there is no disease.
When you understand the actual science of it, and more importantly, we more clearly define “natural energy” as bioelectricity, the seemingly “woo woo” becomes pretty hard science and understanding.
And this has been documented in a clinical sense, if you’d like to read a paper titled: “The effects of grounding (earthing) on inflammation, the immune response, wound healing, and prevention and treatment of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases”
I begin each morning first with a specially charged up, biohacked glass of water that is aimed at helping my body produce much more bioelectricity (more on this in a future segment) and then I get my butt outside, bare feet in the grass and do some breath work and mobility while I’m grounding.
Pro Tips:
Whenever there is a storm with lightning, get your bare feet in the ground as soon as you can afterward, as the ground is literally far more charged up than normal.
Swimming can be a very effective way of grounding as well.
Most notably swimming in the ocean. The ocean being salt water, and therefore loaded with highly conductive minerals that when combined with the water, carry one heck of a charge, and will then also charge you up when immersed in it.
A lake, if spring-fed, will be mineralized naturally as well (not as much as the ocean, but still enough to carry a charge) and will carry a charge that can charge the body up.
NOTE: Still lakes, that are not spring-fed, do not contain enough minerals to effectively charge you up.
Of the three macronutrients: carbohydrates, fats, and protein, fats are the most important for survival.
We’ve discussed quite a bit about the importance of protein for living optimally, especially longer in life.
Fats however, are probably the most critical overall.
You can survive without carbohydrates.
You cannot survive without fats.
In fact, there is a very real thing called “rabbit starvation”, where individuals who’ve survived off hunting rabbits have actually starved to death, because the rabbits are so lean that they don’t get enough fat to survive, and they die from malnourishment.
There are, however, many kinds of fats, and too much of certain types can increase risk of disease, whereas other fats are very effective at reducing risk of disease, can help boost metabolism, improve brain function, and reduce systemic inflammation.
This is the second week of a segment where I’m breaking down each individual type of fat for you, discussing the benefits of it, the potential downsides if eaten too much, and the best food sources for said fats.
Last week I covered Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs).
This week I’m going to break down the often misunderstood Saturated Fats.
Saturated Fats
The sugar industry paid scientists in the 1960s to play down the link between sugar and heart disease and promote saturated fat as the culprit instead. This paid “research” fueled the creation of the food pyramid that is still recommended to this day, and has left us with an unfair understanding of fat, especially saturated fats, and their relation to heart disease.
Saturated fats are simply a type of fat whose chemical makeup leaves it solid at room temperature, and they, like all types of fat, play certain critical roles in the body.
Here are some of the beneficial roles of saturated fats in the body:
Boosting HDL cholesterol levels. HDL cholesterol is known as the good cholesterol because it helps to remove LDL (bad) cholesterol from the arteries. Saturated fats can help to increase HDL cholesterol levels, which may protect against heart disease. That’s right, saturated fats can actually help lower bad cholesterol.
Protecting against insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is a condition where the body's cells do not respond properly to insulin. This can lead to type 2 diabetes. Saturated fats have been shown to protect against insulin resistance, which may help to prevent type 2 diabetes.
Promoting brain development. Saturated fats are essential for the development of the brain and nervous system. They are particularly important during pregnancy and early childhood.
Providing energy. Saturated fats are a good source of energy. They can help to provide the body with the clean energy it needs to function properly.
Furthermore, saturated fats play critical roles in hormone production for both males and females. Here are some of the hormones that are made with saturated fats:
Testosterone: Testosterone is most notably a male dominant hormone that is responsible for a variety of functions, including muscle growth, bone health, and metabolism. Women also benefit from the production of testosterone, just not as much as men.
Estrogen: Estrogen is a female dominant hormone that is responsible for a variety of functions, including menstruation, fertility, and bone health.
Progesterone: Progesterone is a female hormone that is responsible for preparing the uterus for pregnancy.
Cortisol: Cortisol is a stress hormone that is released in response to stress. Cortisol is often demonized as objectively “bad” because it’s correlated directly with stress. However, cortisol is not the problem, in fact, we want to be able to be more effective at producing cortisol to help mitigate stress. The real problem is the amount of stress we have, and how we deal with it, that’s the problem.
Insulin: Insulin is a hormone that helps the body to use glucose for energy.
Growth hormone: Growth hormone is a hormone that helps the body to grow and repair tissues, and is beneficial for long term joint health, cardiovascular health, and metabolism.
Pretty much, if it’s a hormone the body produces, saturated fats play a critical role in their formation and production.
If you’ve been actively avoiding saturated fats thinking they’re bad, it might be worth considering working them back into your diet more readily as they are truly critical for optimal health.
As with all fats I discuss, consume them all in moderation as too much of anything (even water) can have deleterious effects.
Food Sources Rich in Saturated Fats
Animal-based foods are the most rich sources of saturated fats.
Red meat is going to be your best source. Gone are the days of thinking a fat free, nutrient free chicken breast is the healthiest choice of meat.
Fats and protein are the most critical nutrients for the body, and the fact is that red meat is rich in both, along with lots of vitamins.
Dairy products are also rich in saturated fats. Ideally, go grass-fed, full-fat dairy, the way it was meant to be consumed. Much of our issues with dairy result from consuming processed, reduced-fat, “dairy” that is a far cry from the way it was meant to be consumed.
If you are on a plant-based diet, saturated fats tend to be a deficiency in the diet, sometimes a major one depending on the foods you are consuming.
Saturated fats are pretty tough to come by in plants and fruits.
Some non-animal-based sources of saturated fats are coconut oil, macadamia nuts, and pili nuts. Pili nuts are absolutely loaded with saturated and anti-inflammatory, heart-healthy monounsaturated fats like none other.
If on a plant-based diet, and not consuming the aforementioned fat sources, they’re probably worth considering, as there is a good chance your diet is deficient in these critically important saturated fats.
I want to stress, none of this should be considered actual dietary advice. I am simply trying to arm you with more information for consideration when making your own dietary choices.
Acceptance Means Moving On
There is a five word mantra of sorts that I’ve repeated to myself more and more in life as my years pass, that has served me very well mentally and emotionally…
It is what it is.
It can apply to almost any type of situation in life.
The fact is, most things are what they are.
The world doesn’t have it out for you.
Not all friends will remain friends.
Things will not always go your way.
When there is a lack of acceptance for the misgivings of life that we all experience, we remain locked into that moment, looking back, rather than forward, which holds us back in all facets of life.
Acceptance means moving on, and moving on, means moving forward.
It is what it is.
