Day 90 – 90 Days

Wow 90 days, that’s one quarter of a year and one third of one percent of my life. These ninety days have taught me more about myself, my physical limitations, inner strength, nutrition, social norms and values and the unique and complex relationship between, food, exercise and the new world of unreal food, than any other time in my life.

90 days is great because it is long enough to ensure habits form and yet not too long that I could not see the finish line. Really the PCP is genius in its elegant simplicity and I believe anyone can do it and finish off well.

These are some of the big things I will take away from the PCP:

• The fitness and nutrition industries are designed around people’s need to be healthier/look better but exist because it is difficult to get results and keep the weight off. To me, one key is to make the system as easy to accomplish as possible and then make the intensity difficult.
• You can exercise all you want, if your diet sucks then your weight goals will never be achieved.
• Make sure the food you’re eating is real.
• Make your workouts count – don’t go through the motions – short term pain – long term gain.
• Keep it simple – no need to get crazy with weights or elaborate workout equipment. Likewise with food, keep it simple and build up with natural flavors for a real taste.
• As Mark Twain said – “Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example.” I am an example to others and in being an example I find strength it that for myself to be better.
• With my children, while words often fail, actions are the best way to teach them what to do. While I know I succeeded in the PCP, it’s the fact that my children have learned so much good from this adventure that I know I’m successful.
• Read “In Defense of Food” by Michael Pollan.
• You need the support of others. Get as many people as possible to follow your progress. Use the PCP blog because it keeps your mind focused on the task. Where I missed workouts and dropped my nutrition plan was also when I missed my blog. Keep the dialogue going.
• Especially for men, you are not as fit, in as good shape or slim as you think you are.
• Life is too short not to be healthy(Although I had an argument with a very overweight man who said, life was too short to waste time eating all that healthy stuff – I tried to explain that my standard of living and condition plus lack of pain, sickness etc. was directly proportional to the time I spend keeping healthy. He didn’t buy it and went off to get a Big Mac…)
• My wife is starting to get active. Part of it is my example to her and I think more of it is that she thinks my newer/buffer body will bring on the women. This goes to what I said about role modeling but also, who doesn’t want a better body?
• Junk food makes me feel bad, good food makes me feel great!
• The right thing and the hard/tough thing are usually the same thing.
• Get a good coach who will encourage, support and give great wisdom everyday – Patrick is a great coach.
• Find inspiration wherever you can.

So here are my final critical stats:

BMI: 25.1
Fat Percentage: 15.2%
Height: 160cm
Weight: 91.4 kgs
Arm: 40 cm
Chest: 116cm
Waist: 92cm
Hips: 94cm
Thigh: 62.5cm
Resting Heart Rate: 53 bpm

Here is what my beginning critical stats looked like:

BMI: 27.2
Fat Percentage: 18.6
Height: 160cm
Weight: 102kgs
Arm: 36cm
Chest: 108cm
Waist: 101cm
Hips: 100cm
Thigh: 61cm
Resting Heart Rate: 62 bpm

So thats a BMI from overweight to normal, fat percentage drop of 3.4%, a drop in weight of 11.6kg or 25 lbs. , 4 cms on my arms, 8 cms on my chest, loss of 16cm on my waist and 7 cm on my hips, 1.5 cm on my legs and a loss of 9 bpm.

I am elated!

Here’s what I looked like 3 months ago:



Here’s what I look like today:




This one’s for my hero in the top logo



Here’s a few more for the fun of it:





This above all else was a great experience of discovery. I know more about myself then I would have ever dreamed possible. If you’re reading this and wondering if it’s the right thing to do, stop thinking and just do it. It’s the right thing.

Patrick has been great the whole time. He has thought of everything for the PCP and knows of what he speaks. Trust in him and his methods. Thanks Patrick for everything.

Tanya is a little firecracker! She always had a great blog and encouraging words for me. She worked extra hard on getting through some of the tougher exercises and even did pull ups! I only know three women who can do one pullup and one’s on the Canadian Olympic rowing team – awesome Tanya. If you ever need anything – let me know! I’m very proud of you for finishing so well.

I think that in this day and age we need to have a simpler lifestyle to a degree and that’s what the PCP does, it allows us to eat, be active and healthier, in a simple but very effective way. The best part about it is that the PCP teaches you what to do today and for the rest of your life.

So long and good luck to everyone on the PCP now an into the future!

Day 89 – ReTest

Like many things in my life, I need to measure my strength and condition for me to know how much I’ve improved. There is no doubt in my mind that the PCP has made me stronger, I can feel it but lets get a little more scientific about it:

If you would like to review, my original test methodology and results go to my day 44 here.

1. My resting heart rate is now 53 bests per minute, down from 57.
2. My 1-½ mile run time is now 10:47 minutes, down from 11:24.
3. My maximum pushups are now 94, up from 60.
4. My one-rep-max bench press is now 305lbs., up from 275 lbs.
5. My bent knee crunch maximum is 76, up from 63.
6. My sit and reach measurement is now 11cm, down from 16.

I am blown away by these results. I amazed myself with what I have accomplished and can say without hesitation that I am now in the peak condition of my life.

These tests are a way for me to gauge my progress but have been a source of motivation too. Each time I exercised, I wanted to work toward doing better on these tests and focused to failure when I had to.

I can now do 15 pull-ups consecutively, which amazes me to no end – I remember not long ago when completing two was a major chore.

So there you have it. Only one more day to go and I feel like superman. These test results have been a great motivator and a benchmark for me to get even better!

See you tomorrow!

Day 87 – A four letter word for Hypothalamus

I was listening to an interview with a pharmacologist who was looking at the hypothalamus. The interview reminded me that along with other functions, the hypothalamus controls body temperature, hunger, thirst, fatigue, and circadian cycles.

This doctor wants to find ways of playing with the hypothalamus so that a person would not have to exercise, wouldn’t have to worry about what they ate or drank and so forth. This is what the learned do, this is what technology is all about but what will happen years from now when we realize that playing god with our bodies when we don’t really know that much relatively about them and that the things we are doing to them today is or can be harmful.

One thing the PCP has taught me is that in many cases, simpler is better exercise is good for you and 80% of getting in shape is what we eat. There are no short cuts and in a world where instant gratification is the norm, I need to work even harder to be in the best condition I can.

Just a few more days. Tomorrow I am doing my final physical tests and in the next few days I’ll post some pics of me and give you my final stats.

See you soon.

Day 86 – The Great White North

I was planting carrots today and thought about living in a northern climate where much of the food we eat must be shipped in from other parts of the world. These foods cost more and then there is the environmental impact causing me to question whether people living north of a certain latitude are actually bad for the environment.

With winters longer than 7-8 months, much energy is spent keeping things and people warm, infrastructure from decaying, and the shipping in of foods, fuels, and all manner of items necessary to survive(live well). Wouldn’t it be better, all political and socioeconomic conditions aside, for us to be living in a more hospitable place? Time may tell. 75% of Canadians live within 161 miles of the U.S. right now.

I also thought about the distances that we in North America must travel to get places. Neighborhood pubs are almost non-existent, we need to drive to the grocery store in most cases and friends live hours away. This has had an impact on our health as we venture further out to get what we want, we drive more, take public transit, etc. but walk, and bike less. My wife and I both agreed to walk to the corner store more for small items – It helps the little guy out in this economy and helps our health too.

Great superset workout today! I love the extra level of difficulty that these final exercises have. Jumping rope for over 10 minutes is not something I ever thought I’d do but I did it and I feel the benefits!

See you soon.

Day 85 – Recon Part Deux

A few weeks back I was able to visit a gym that I could work out in and found the experience less than pleasant.

This weekend, I was guest at my friend’s club and again felt awkward in the presence of so many people who were either too focused on themselves or too focused on making an impression on others.

I explained to my friend Mike that I would work out with him but that I was also doing some reconnaissance. By the end of the session, he was eager to hear what I had to say.

I explained that I was used to working out at home with very little equipment and he was doubtful that anyone could get a great workout from bands, body weight and skipping rope. I then let him have it – most of the people doing exercises didn’t have a clue what they were doing and I felt that this is when people get hurt, I also questioned the patron’s reasons for coming since many seemed to make it a social time to talk. I also mentioned that with so many machines there can be a disconnect to how the body actually moves and muscles may not get isolated, plus you want to develop balance and synergy with your body. He asked if I thought the cardio equipment was great. I had to say that I’d rather get out on the road with my running shoes or jump rope rather than sitting on a bike or treadmill reading a magazine or watching TV.

Once I realized he wanted to hear more about the PCP, I let him have it all, the great program and the challenges. So I may have a convert and I don’t think I’ll visit a gym again, at least one like this very soon.

Last few days of the PCP and I am locked in!

See you soon.

Day 84 – Race Day

I regularly compete in trail running events where the terrain is varied and off road. I enjoy the change from road racing and the challenge of tree braches in your face, rocks on the paths and steep hills both up and down. I also like that the races usually involve kids with a short pre-race for them.

Today was the first one in the season for me and I wanted to compare it to how I did last year. I felt that I wouldn’t do quite as well since I haven’t been training much outside the PCP and it was not a physical or emotional focus for me.

I was surprised that I held my own on the course and the hills did not pose much of a problem due to the strength I gained in my upper legs and gluts from PCP. On the last hill, I felt quite winded but recovered quickly to finish the race strong.

I compared my time to the last year and found I beat the previous by two minutes even though in this event they increase the distance by about ½ kilometer. So, without as much running training, the PCP got me into really good shape for this race.

I am sure that my weight being down by twenty odd pounds, muscle condition and strength at my best level since university and a sense of euphoric self pride all helped to get me to the finish line faster.

After the race, I was famished and had a quarter whole-wheat bagel, a banana and some oranges. For the last few weeks, I haven’t been eating much fruit and have been seriously craving sweets. When I had the orange It satisfied a craving and I will have some this week when the need arises. For the last few days I’ve been craving pop, candies, almost anything sweet and for the most part I’ve been good but I’ve got to get back to fruit!

So there you have it, the PCP will likely help you finish a short race faster and you don’t even have to spend much time training for it.

I even did my rope jumps and training today, which really got me in the mood to race and I felt that there was no impact on my time because of this.

See you soon.

Day 80 – Speed PCP

Holy Toledo! I Did a power workout today that saw no rests between strength training exercises and cardio. It was tough but I had a choice as to cut it short or blaze through it.

It was amazing how it felt like a cardio workout the entire way through and I sweat like no other time - I think I made a breakthrough since I really didn’t believe I could do it when I started.

I also felt like I was pushing myself harder than ever before which I needed to do to get stronger. Even with a great program like this, that is constantly changing, I got complacent and this mixed things up a bit for me.

I’m going to do my regular workout tomorrow but I’ll come back to this speed session again before the end of the PCP for me.

See you soon.

Day 79 – Where Did the Fat Go?

My boys are really great about PCP – as much as they can they understand what it is and why I’m doing it. My wife and I encourage them to ask questions of anyone, regardless of their age and authority – this I believe sets them up to be able to function socially and effectively now and when they are older. So they ask all sorts of questions about what I do. Sometimes I have no answer for their questions(but we agree to look it up) and sometimes their very questions make me realize what I’m doing is not very good(“Dada, why do you like pop so much”).

So In making them comfortable enough to question everything and everyone respectfully, they have become an extended conscience for me and If I want to do right by them I better be able to give them the right answer by doing the right thing.

I am often amazed at how their sense of justice and fairness is as mature as I believe it is – perhaps a little parental pride, but If the future is to be better, if people are to become healthier, if the world is to become better – then teach your child to do what is right, confront ideas and articulate concerns. If they sit by idly while something wrong is happening then we are all worse off.

Its also funny how my eldest slaps my belly now and asks where did the fat go? I enjoy telling him where it went quite a bit.

See you soon.

Day 77 – Treat Day!

Today I ate the normal PCP diet until dinner…

For dinner I made some great hamburgers for my family and some friends. The burgers were big, about 10 onces each – lean ground beef about 80% beef, 20% fat. The burgers themselves were about 700 calories plus the whole wheat bun, lettuce tomato, mustard and onions - which would have topped it out at about 1000 calories.

It really tasted great! Although looking at the burger, if I changed the proportions arounde, it would have been close to what I would be eating on the PCP anyway, just not so much meat.

I love a good burger and barbecue them often during the summer. I like this book, not so much for the recipes but because the author does a great job of writing about burgers, some of his lines read like poetry:



Less than two weeks left and here are my critical stats:

BMI: 25.7
Fat Percentage: 16.1%
Height: 160cm
Weight: 93.6 kgs
Arm: 39 cm
Chest: 115cm
Waist: 93cm
Hips: 95cm
Thigh: 61.5cm
Resting Heart Rate: 54 bpm

Not too bad. I’ve got to get that fat percentage down – its coming slowly and I always question whether its accurate.

Here I am:




See you soon.

Day 76 - I'm not a caveman?

I often think how much better life would be if we lived in simpler times. No TVs, cell phones, email, 70 hour work weeks, deadlines, etc., etc. I believe we as humans are doing the best we can to cope with stresses but stresses that we did not evolve specifically to handle.

If I get stopped by a police officer, evolutionary behaviour kicks in and I want to either fight or flee. But something else happens before I punch the policeman in the mouth. I think about the consequences and do the right thing that society dictates fighting generations of evolution.

When it comes to our lifestyles, we are constantly bombarded with images and choices - most of which are bad – and more choice can actually be a problem to choosing the right thing for ourselves.

I guess what I’m trying to get at here is that if I was living one hundred years ago, or a million, there would likely be no need for the PCP. But I’m here today and so I'll just have to take all the good things we have with the bad.

What I really want to do is not let go of all the things that made life better for our ancestors, like more time with family, simpler eating and so forth so that my life is more basic and I can really enjoy the essence of things.

Things are going well. Tomorrow I am designating as my treat day and I am looking forward to it!

See you then.

Day 74 – This Is Why You’re Fat

I'm amazed with what companies come up with to satisfy the consumer’s cravings. I am even more amazed that people eat them. Take Burger King – they came out with Enormous Omelette Sandwich and they state: “Wake up to a mouthful of breakfast with the Enormous Omelette Sandwich. Two slices of melted cheese, two fluffy eggs, three crispy strips of bacon, and a sizzling sausage patty, piled high on a toasted bun. The Enormous Omelette Sandwich from BURGER KING®. So big, breakfast will never be the same.” And if you eat this regularly, you too will be enormous and never the same.

I ran across this website – this is why you’re fat, with a name that speaks for itself. At first I thought that all the foods on the site were made by individuals to create the most unhealthy food possibly, but then I realized that most of these were in fact meals prepared by companies/restaurants and consumed regularly by patrons.

My favorite has to be the bacon crust pizza, with (burp) bacon!



I also like the pork brains in milk gravy.



As if Swine Flu wasn’t enough, now pigs have to deal with the aftermath of this website!

If you’re ever craving something fattening and unhealthy, take a look at this site and you’ll probably run to your garden for some organic celery!

As for me I have an real queasy feeling from just looking at the site.

See you soon!

Day 73 - Failure is only an option

I spoke to a friend of mine who is a trainer. He had a lady client that started his program overweight and out of shape. He weighed and measured her and then did all the standard tests. At the end of one month he tested her again. She went from no pushups to 12, from no pull-ups to 1 and 11 situps to 25. The problem was that while her proportions changed, she did not loose any weight. This lady promptly quit the program.

If anyone is to blame, who would that be? Far be it from me to tell this experienced and certified personal trainer what to do. I have found during the course of the PCP that you need to see progress, and if no progress comes, then your initial goals have to be cultivated and motivation must be increased.

One aspect missing from this trainers program was a systematic nutrition program. Rather then telling people that they need to eat better, I believe people need a specific guide, at least to start, of what to eat and what not to eat. One of the things I found very enjoyable about the PCP when starting was that the portion weight was right there, all I had to do was find the right protein, carbs and vegetables and mix them together. It was and still is a lot of fun putting these combinations together.

This lady that gave up was likely unaware that what she was eating was the real problem – she may even have been rewarding herself with high calories after a great workout. I find that most people believe that if they would only start working out, they will get into shape and they don’t need to change their high calorie diet.

There are so many factors that can stall or derail a program like this. If one of the crucial elements is not in place, it makes it easy or inevitable that a person will give up.

I’m glad I found this program.

See you soon!

Day 72 - French Fit

I love France. I love the food, the culture, the people, even when they seem a little rude, I love that about them.

So I was a little intrigued when I saw this OECD report on cultural and social trends. What the article boils down to is that the French spend more time sleeping than all other researched countries and also devote more time to eating.

Time Spent Sleeping


Time Spent Eating


This may be an indication of why France is known for having one of the lowest rates of obesity in developed countries(10% obesity).

According to the report, the French spend on average nearly 9 hours a day in bed and more than 2 hours a day eating and drinking — nearly twice as much time at the table as Americans, Canadians or Mexicans.

But there are certainly inconsistencies: Americans, with one of the highest rates of obesity, get almost as much sleep as the French; Koreans and Japanese, with less obesity, are at the lower end of the sleep scale.
So although obesity may well be a “symptom” of a society that does not take enough time to eat and sleep - the relationship is unlikely to be that straightforward.

I do know that when I eat great food more slowly and get more sleep, I feel better and I’m overall healthier.

My abs are killing me today. Did the exercises to complete failure and now feel the aftermath!

See you soon!

Day 71 – 3 Weeks left

The PCP has been and amazing ride for me and its now down to the final stretch!

The past week was not a great one for me, I missed a couple of work outs and on two days my diet was crap. No excuses, I just let myself down. So I have to work extra hard in the next few weeks to accomplish some of my major goals:

1. Do 100 pushups in a row
2. Increase my flexibility and ranges of motion
3. Improve core strength
4. Reduce body fat below 15%
5. Increase leg strength and stamina
6. Actually see my abdominal muscles

While some of these are vague, I gauge them against running, especially hills, and where I want to be at Peak Condition. Some of these goals are newly formed during the program and others have been my goals for a very long time.

It all comes down to the next 3 weeks.

Here are my critical stats

BMI: 25.9
Fat Percentage: 16.5%
Height: 160cm
Weight: 94.3kgs
Arm: 38.5cm
Chest: 114cm
Waist: 94cm
Hips: 95cm
Thigh: 61cm
Resting Heart Rate: 57 bpm



Not much change from last week but If this is a plateau, I’ve got to get through it. Wish me luck!

See you soon.

Day 70 – Best of the worst

Its been a crazy day taking my two boys out by myself and without a plan for food. We went to a park for the spring opening and then downtown to a spring fair. Great fun but the food was not nutritious as you can imagine.

It seems to be an ongoing problem that when I leave the house without my planned meal, it’s almost impossible to get what I need to stay on track or even have a basic level of nutritious food.

So what happens if you need to eat something nutritious but you forgot to set it up before and your away from home? I checked out this site and at least it gave the best of the worst when it comes to fast food.

Here are some tips from www.surfnetparents.com that I need to remember when I go out, especially with kids:

Some healthy food choices
Whether you are the parent of a young child or a teenager, providing them with options is important. If you show them some of the better foods to eat when they're eating out, they will be more comfortable choosing those. Here are some healthy fast food options:
•Grilled chicken or fish sandwich. Grilled chicken and fish can provide your body with the protein it needs, but not all the extra fat.

•Whole wheat rolls or bread is way better for your body. It contains less sugar than white bread does.

•Fruit and yogurt

•Drink milk or water. Soda has a ton of calories in it and has no nutritional value whatsoever, and most fruit juice drinks are high in sugar. 

•Consider a different side, like apples. If you have children, you know McDonald's is always going to be an option because it's so cheap. So instead of ordering large french fries with the meal, get something different for your side. Even McDonald's has a little nutrition. You can get apples instead of french fries and give your child a little bit of a healthier meal.
Teach proper portion sizes

Now that you have covered what is healthy and what is not so healthy with your child, it is important to teach them about portion sizes. Our portion sizes have become ridiculously big and as a result so have people. Teach your child to eat until they are comfortably full; not feeling sick to their stomach and ready to throw up. Teach them to eat smaller portions more often throughout the day so they're not trying to digest a huge meal in one sitting. If you can teach them this at home by showing them what proper portion sizes are, they will know when to stop if they're eating away from home.
So what can you do to ensure your child chooses nutrition away from home? You can education them about healthy eating and proper nutrition at home, so when they eat away form home they are better prepared to choose more nutritious foods and proper portion sizes.

While this is great info, I still need to be better prepared for all contingencies to ensure that my family and I are able to choose what we can eat rather than being forced into eating something that is unhealthy for us.

It was incredible how bloated and uneasy I felt after eating some pretty bad food. This is the second day this week that my diet has been shot and my body has instantly told me how bad it is for me.

See you soon.

Day 68 – Technology can be bad for the body and soul

My eldest son loves hoses, sprinklers, pools, water features, really anything that has to do with a manmade source or tool for water. Today we went online looking at various water/gardening devices and found this: http://www.no-crank.com/, the no reel hose reel which ingeniously uses water pressure to self reel the hose with the flip of a switch. My son and I loved it and ate it up, with me wondering how I could justify the expense to my wife and myself. It wasn’t until I read several of the testimonies that logic sank in.

Many of the testimonies on the site wether real or not mentioned that the no-crank hose reel saved them from the laborious chore of reeling a hose. Others mentioned that they had a bad back and couldn’t lift a hose and some testimonies painted the person as lazy. While reading these I though that this type of work was good for people, something that I will enjoy and get something out of. I figured that the no-crank hose reel would be neat to have, save me some labor(but not time) and would prevent me from getting some exercise.

I then wondered how many things in my life were there to save me time and effort but ultimately hindered me from staying in shape.

Here a few of the things on my list:

Car: Do I really need to drive 1 km to get groceries?
Segway: I don’t owe one but please shoot me if I ever step on this to travel 5 km/hour instead of walking!
My automated sprinklers: I know in the long run they save water, but I should get out and do a little watering/gardening more often.
Snow Blower: I had a snow blower but I gave it to my dad. There is no workout like shoveling snow after a large storm.
Nintendo Wii: Come on, get out and play tennis instead of doing it with a computer!
Lawn mower: I switched to a manual reel mower and it's tough to cut the grass but satisfying for the ears, lungs and soul.

It was neat that while thinking about this, Patrick sent an email letting Tanya and I in on this: http://www.jumpsnap.com/. The reason that people don’t want to jump rope? “It’s too damned hard!”. No doubt and that’s the point.

Maybe we should all look at those things in our lives that were supposed to make it easier for us, but are actually killing us slowly and throw them out – just don’t use the automated, extra easy, super quiet trash compactor to do it.

See you soon.

Day 65 - Good with the bad

I always look for the bright side of any seemingly bad situation. Take high oil prices, they actually do quite a lot to motivate manufacturers that use oil and its products to make new and sometimes miraculous innovations. Now look at the economy, not very pleasant right now but there are some very good by-products.

Christopher Ruhm, an economics professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, has spent more than a decade studying the effects of economic booms and busts on our well-being. He’s examined recession all over the world going back to the 60s and he’s come up with a simple formula: a one point increase in unemployment causes the death rate to fall by half a percent and the overall number of medical problems to fall 1.5%. While not advocating recessions he says that when times are tough and many things are beyond our control, people decide that the only thing they can take charge of is their own health.

When economic output slows, air pollution falls – that helps people with breathing and circulatory problems.

The fewer people with jobs also means emptier roads and so car crashes go down.

Since there is less work, people have more time for exercise.

As budgets tighten, people buy less booze, quit smoking and eat out less often. When work gets busy, we drink and smoke more to unwind and also get fatter.

When people are busy in a good economy, they also take less vacations. Dr. Mel Borins, an associate professor at the University of Toronto’s Department of Family Community medicine and author of Go Away: Just for the Health of It says that people who take regular vacations are less likely to suffer heart attacks.

Of course when the economy does bounce back, health suffers. So in order to be healthy you have to eat right, drink less, and exercise without the stress of your job overpowering you.

Here are my critical stats

BMI: 25.9
Fat Percentage: 16.4%
Height: 160cm
Weight: 94.1kgs
Arm: 38cm
Chest: 113cm
Waist: 94cm
Hips: 95cm
Thigh: 61cm
Resting Heart Rate: 59 bpm

See you soon.

Day 61 – Pork in Swine Flu

My eldest asked what a swine was as he had heard about the Swine Flu. I explained what a swine was and he asked if it was okay to eat bacon or pork. I wasn’t sure so I did some research which led me to the U.S. Center for Disease Control which reports that H1N1 influenza viruses are not spread by food - you cannot get H1N1 influenza from eating pork or pork products, eating properly handled and cooked pork products is safe.

So I told this to my son and he asked if bacon (or pork) was on my diet. I told him that while pork has become very lean in recent years I have decided not to make it part of my diet. I stressed to him however that it was fine if he or his brother or mother ate pork, they would not get sick from it when made properly.

I’ve read a lot about pork and how it how it has changed over the years, there is a lot of info out there but when doing your own research be careful since many sources have their own agendas. My father was a pig farmer for the early part of his life and has some very interesting and funny stories about the animals – these have lead me to be interested if not respect them.

I don’t eat real bacon but have on occasion eaten turkey bacon – realizing after, that the modified kind is probably not very good for me.

Pork has become very lean today through improved breeding and feeding practices, a system that rewards pork producers for producing leaner meat and better trimming of fat that the processor level and in grocery stores. I wonder however how else pork has been modified to become leaner and I have discovered that while it is leaner, the protein content is not as potent as it was years earlier due to over breeding.

I’ll stick to fish, chicken and lean beef from here on out.

See you soon.