Happy Valentine�s Day!

Truly "Heart-Healthy!"

To mark Valentine�s day, I propose - with tongue firmly in cheek - a new �Heart Check� logo. What do you think?

I�m posting again after a long absence. A lot has been happening and a great deal has changed. My goal is to publish regularly, but the nature of my posts may need to change. I really won�t know that until I actually startwriting again, so here goes!

Last September I changed jobs after more than 16 years. I am now Barenbrug USA�s Forage Product Manager. Every day presents multiple learning (and re-learning!) moments with frequent calls to the long-term archive for information I used to have a firm grip on. It�s great to be working in forage agriculture again, but the seed industry is new to me. Barenbrug, a family owned company founded in 1904, is among the top 20 seed companies, worldwide. The vast majority of our business is grass seed. Barenbrug is truly �Great in Grass!� And they support my continued �Grass Based Health� activities. I presented a paper, �Saturated Fat and Cholesterol: Health Hazards or Vital Nutrients?� at the 2012 American Forage and Grassland Council Conference in Louisville, KY, January 10. I�ve posted a video that combines a slide set with an audio recording here.

As I�ve walked through this time of transition, I�ve become aware of all the anxiety, conflict, and frustration I�d been living with in my previous job. I wasn�t consciously aware of it then, but now that I�ve made the move it�s obvious. It�s similar to the time I realized, while carrying two twenty pound bags of bird seed to my car one day, that I used to carry more than that around with me all the time. Sometimes we need a push to make a change.

One effect of the anxiety regarding the impending career change was a loss of focus on my dietary discipline, I�m afraid. And I experienced the completely predictable results. So I�m applying the principles and re-establishing the practices that worked before and are working again. Nothing magic, just basic carbohydrate restriction and intermittent fasting. I hope to get to my goal weight by May.

Why May? Because Nancy and I will be on the 5th Low Carb Cruise! Neither of us have been on a cruise before, and we�re looking forward to meeting folks whose books and blogs have helped us on our journey. A perfect way to celebrate our 35th anniversary.

Last August I presented a poster at the first Ancestral Health Symposium. This August I�ll present �The Reality of Ruminants and Liebeg�s Barrel: Examining the New �Conventional Wisdom�� at Ancestral Health Symposium 2012!

I�ve been invited to speak at the Wise Traditions 2012 on the �Science and Art of Pasture Feeding.� This will be their 13th annual conference, held in Santa Clara, California Nov 9-12.

Primal / Paleo Valentine

So, let�s all walk forward into whatever this New Year brings our way. If you�ve fallen short of your resolutions, you can always start over. It�s never too late. A re-evaluation may be necessary to make sure they�re realistic. A resolution to lose 30 pounds in a month probably needs to be re-thought. But great changes can be accomplished, one step at a time. Last weekend we saw a friend who�s lost 180 pounds, and is off all cholesterol, blood pressure, and diabetes medications!