Gift Certificates for Christmas

Christmas is getting closer but do not worry if you have not bought the perfect gifts for your loved ones yet. This Christmas we have the perfect choice for you! Gift certificates available for barefoot running coaching, invigorating personal training, sports massage or introducing our very new and exciting mobility yoga massage treatment.

A printed copy can be posted to you in advance if you order your gift certificate before the 5th December 2012, after this date only e-vouchers will be issued.

To snap up your gift certificate contact us at info@primalurbanhealth.com

Kind Regards
Lea Bentzen

Do you have Glute Amnesia?

Many of us are suffering from glute amnesia, our butts have literally fallen asleep. Just because you are doing squats, dead-lifts, or lunges does not mean your glutes are necessarily working. They should, but the body will compensate and use whatever muscle is strongest to complete the lift. Many people will only “feel” squats in their quads because they are so quad dominant, and don’t know how to use their backsides. Too much sitting and lack of movement have contributed to this imbalance. If you look at glute development around the world, you can clearly see the difference in communities where running, jumping and squatting is a daily part of their life. We all spend too much of our day sitting, often up to 10 hours a day. From our earliest years we are taught to sit in chairs, in cars, slouch on sofas, hunch over computers, and stare at TV screens. We sit at breakfast, we sit on the train on the way to work, we sit at work, we sit at lunch, and we sit all afternoon. So what is the big deal I hear you ask? When sitting down our glutes switches off and forces other, less powerful muscles to pick up the slack. This results in unnecessary tightness, strain and pain in muscles like the hamstrings and inner thigh muscles that were originally designed to assist the glutes, not take over for them. 

Mushroom Nutrition

Mushrooms may be small but nutrition facts prove that they have plenty of vitamins and minerals. One cup of mushrooms includes vitamins C, D, B6 and B12, plus large doses of riboflavin, niacin and pantothenic acid. These vitamins along with minerals like calcium, iron, potassium and selenium keep you fit and in good health.

Mushrooms have been used for thousands of years both as food and for medicinal purposes. Mushrooms contain a high percentage of water (80-90%), they have very little sodium, and 8 to 10 percent of the dry weight is fibre. Mushrooms are an excellent source of potassium, a mineral that helps lower elevated blood pressure and reduces the risk of stroke. One medium portobello mushroom has even more potassium than a banana or a glass of orange juice. One serving of mushrooms also provides about 20 to 40 percent of the daily value of copper, a mineral that has cardio protective properties. 

Mushroom Foraging

Picking your own mushrooms is very much on trend and there are apparently around 100 edible types in Britain, you just need to get out there and pick them. The first time you go it's worth going with an experienced picker as you want to avoid the poisonous varieties, which, if eaten, can cause serious illness. So make sure to use a guidebook and/or get expert advice. Nick Weston from Hunter Gather Cook in Sussex, offers courses in October where you learn how to identify and gather mushrooms, followed by cooking up a variety of taster dishes using the fungal finds from the day. 

Coconut - The Tree of Life

The coconut provides a nutritious source of meat, juice, milk and oil that has fed and nourished populations around the world for generations. Coconut is highly nutritious and rich in fibre, vitamins, and minerals.

It's the coconut oil that makes it a truly remarkable food and medicine. Coconut oil consists of over 90% saturated fat and is therefore nearly solid at room temperature. It can be used in cooking, but is also a common ingredient in home remedies and skin/hair products. Once mistakenly believed to be unhealthy because of its high saturated fat content, it is now known that the fat in coconut oil is unique and different from most all other fats and possesses many health giving properties. If you want to read more about the benefits of coconut oil check out Dr Joseph Mercola's article in the Huffington Post.

Stand-Up Paddleboarding a.k.a. SUP

While most of Britain celebrated the Queens jubilee, I headed to Devon to try out some stand-up paddleboarding. While Devon is more famous for surfing, stand up paddleboarding (SUP) is getting more and more traction. It is a growing sport in the region and the rest of the world for that matter. With minimum equipment, you can paddle anything from ocean surf to lakes and rivers—no waves required. Paddle boarding offers an amazing full body workout and it's a fun and easy way to go play on the water. Since you're standing at your full height, you will enjoy fantastic views of everything from sea creatures to what's on the horizon. It's almost like walking on water! One of the real benefits of Paddle Surfing is that you get a solid workout without even knowing it (until afterwards, that is). Besides the obvious 'paddle fitness', there is a solid 'core workout' when handling and turning the board. During my 3 day visit in Croyde, I was lucky enough to team up with my friend Matteo, who is a bit of a SUP guru. He got me set-up with a board, paddle and plenty of good paddling techniques on the water. As a beginner I recommend flat calm water for your first sessions and before setting off you should always check weather conditions and the tide times if you are SUP in tidal waters.  

The foot is a biomechanical masterpiece

What is the purpose of you taking off your shoes?
When I ask people to take their shoes off when training with me, most people question me in more of a derogatory than inquisitive way, so I try to keep my answer as short as possible by saying: "it makes your feet stronger."  While this is true, there are a few more reasons why we should train with bare feet.
                                                                              
Barefoot training improves mobility

How deep do you think you can
squat wearing Nike Air Max?

When you train without trainers, it allows you to sink deeper into your squats and lunges. The deeper you can sink, the better able you are to improve ankle mobility. Full range of movement in your ankles also improves your ability to sprint, run and walk pain and injury free. Barefoot training takes your lower limbs through their full range of motion, it builds strength and improves your balance and mobility. Most of the barefoot populations around the world can remain in a deep squat for extended periods of time with no discomfort while they cook, gossip, eat and poo. Not all at the same time of course. Most western populations cannot do a barefoot deep squat and if they can it will not be without discomfort. This is because we spend too much time in chairs and cushioned shoes. Barefoot squatting opens up the hip and the groin area and maintains good hip flexion which in turn helps prevent injury. This is particularly useful for runners who often have tightness in the hip area. Squatting is also good for your back as well as maintaining a good range of motion in the knees, ankles and feet. Being able to squat easily will have huge carry over to your general athleticism: the squat is required for jumping, running and lifting.

Personal Training - New Location

In addition to Lea's outdoor venues, she is now training and consulting from Club 51 in Marylebone. Bespoke personal training is designed to address your specific needs to get you fit and lean . She will create a plan and work with you to achieve your goals and improve your overall fitness.  

Lea focuses on several key skills designed for natural and functional movement. These mimic the movements and intensity that our bodies are designed for including barefoot running, lifting, balancing, swimming, climbing, throwing, jumping and boxing.  

She likes to use the following training methods to get you moving more efficiently: 

• MovNat inspired Training
• Olympic Lifting
• Kettlebells
• Barefoot Running
• CrossFit Style circuits

You don't need to stuff your body with pills and potions to give yourself a lift and get a body bursting with energy and vitality. Lea can help you reach your goals through natural movement and a diet based on evolutionary principles.

Lea will help you with many lifestyle, fitness and diet related issues. To learn more about her background please visit the The Team page. 

For more information and to book your first personal training session contact:

email: info@primalurbanhealth.com
phone: 07990571290 

How to keep fit on your summer holiday

Hammock time ..

You are somewhere new and you don’t have access to your usual shiny gym machines, cardio vascular toys and weights.  What are you to do? Lack of equipment is quite an easy one to get over.  All it takes is a bit of imagination and a willingness to give it a go. Body weight Exercises – This is how people have kept fit and strong for thousands of years.  These exercises can range from the easy (star jumps, walking/running, press-ups, body weight squats etc) to very challenging (burpees, pistols, pull-ups, hill sprints, handstands etc). Use the environment, again, this is the way people have kept fit and strong for thousands of years.  Is there a beach or a trail?  Go for a hike or run.  Is there a nice bit of sloping ground?  Try some hill sprints.  Is there a good strong tree?  How about climbing it or improving your pull-ups. Holidays are about resting too, so by all means, treat yourself and have plenty of naps in the hammock, chill out on the beach, relax and recharge the batteries. Here are a few ideas on how to stay active while on your summer holiday:

Create your own beach circuit

Use your imagination to make up your own beach circuit. While on a holiday recently I created my own combination using jumps, crawling while pushing an old coconut along the beach and finally lifting a log. You can create your own mix using whatever is available in your environment including sprinting, throwing/lifting stones, swimming and so forth.  Repeat your combo at least 3 times and up the intensity as needed. Check out a video of a circuit I created on Santa Catalina beach in Panama:

Bored of running like a Hamster in a wheel? Try Wild Running

Treadmills are one of the most popular pieces of gym equipment ever constructed. You have total control of every aspect of your workout, the weather is irrelevant, and you don't have to worry about darkness and careless drivers. But let's face it. Treadmills can be really boring. Like a hamster on its wheel, you can run to your heart's content, and the view never changes. The annoying motor sound of treadmills, and the whirring of cross-trainers and stationary bikes in basement gyms couldn't do more to disconnect the mind, body and spirit from the natural world. Unfortunately most of us still choose this option because it is convenient and we feel more comfortable indoors. In order to escape the hamster wheel and spice up your workout I suggest you take a break from the human treadmill zoo and try some wild running. Wild running is what most kids do when they are outdoors playing. Kids will constantly make a detour from the official path to jump over fallen logs or swing from the branches of a tree. All for fun of course. Grown-ups stay on the path and do not include the landscape in our workout, we have forgotten how to play and move our bodies naturally. Instead we stick to one form of motion such as running at the expense of our other muscle groups and movement skills. Wild running is, in essence, including the landscape on your run, in order to create an obstacle course for yourself.

Juicing, Enemas and Detoxing. Should we bother?

Many people believe detoxing is necessary for the maintenance of good health, whilst others say that there is little benefit and that it is a complete waste of time. I guess the only way to find out is to try it and then decide what is right for you.

The body does have the natural ability to eliminate toxins through the skin, liver, kidneys and intestines. It has been doing so since the beginning of time. However times have changed. We are no longer living in a natural environment without toxins. Our lifestyles have changed dramatically over the past 100 years. On a daily basis we are exposed to dangerous chemicals in the air we breathe and the foods we eat. The human body is being bombarded with more toxic attacks and at a rate that's next to impossible to keep up with. Here are a few examples of harmful substances we take in:

To CrossFit or Not to CrossFit?

If you are not already familiar with CrossFit, in short, it’s a strength and conditioning brand that combines weightlifting, sprinting, gymnastics, power lifting, kettle bell training and plyometrics.  CrossFit is already very popular in America and has achieved some sort of cult status amongst its fans. It is growing fast across the rest of the world and you will now find affiliates all over Europe. I signed up for 10 sessions at CrossFit London to find out what it was all about.

CF girl using Rubber Bands

CrossFit London is based in Bethnal Green in one of the arches on Malcolm Place. My first impression of their studio went something like this in my head: "What a dump".  The place was messy and dirty and the shower and toilet facilities looked like those present at festivals or on construction sites. If you expect nothing less than white fluffy towels and shiny floors, CrossFit London is not going to be your cup of tea. However if you want to improve your strength, endurance, stamina, flexibility, power, speed, agility, balance, coordination and accuracy, CrossFit can be pretty awesome. At the price of approximately £10 per class it is also good value and unlike the chain gyms across the city, where no one talks to each others, CrossFit London is a super friendly place.  At CrossFit London they prefer new-comers to start with their seven beginner sessions. Each of the sessions covers a specific part of their beginner’s syllabus, and you will need to complete these in order to ‘graduate’ to their main or foundation classes.

Is there a Life Beyond Cereal, Croissants & Caramel Caffe Latte's?

If breakfast is in fact the most important meal of the day why do so many people stick with the traditional breakfast choices of muffins, croissants, bagels, cereal and toast washed down by sugared coffee and juice. Sorry guys but there are much better options out there.

Smoked Salmon, Eggs and Spinach

For the last year I have been eating a paleo style diet, also known to many as the hunter-gatherer diet. This is not a new fad diet but just how we used to eat before the agricultural revolution started about 10,000 years ago. It's all about natural foods to help achieve great health and physique. So what did we eat before the agricultural revolution? It's very simple really, just foods from nature such as game meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, eggs, seeds and nuts. If you want to learn more about the paleo diet check out the YouTube link from my June post or even better read Robb Wolfs  "The Paleo Solution". I eat a paleo style diet for health reasons and because it makes me feel better. As a result I now have more energy than in my 20's and have also managed to sort out my food sensitivities by switching to this style of eating i.e. no dairy and grain. I am not sticking to this diet religiously, but I do try to apply the 80/20 rule. It is unrealistic (for me at least) to be 100% paleo.

Egg's from the office microwave

I often get comments in the office about my "weird food habits" and many friends and colleagues ask me what I can possibly eat for breakfast if grain and dairy products are not on the list. There are many articles on the Internet suggesting wonderful paleo style breakfast options and they are all great, however a lot of them assume you can cook eggs and bacon every morning at home and prepare fancy smoothies and egg-muffins on a daily basis. For me, and I believe many other people out there, this is not realistic. In the morning I need to get to work early and often I do a work-out before getting to the office, so preparing food in the morning at home isn't an option. Instead I prefer to eat my breakfast at work. My office does have a canteen but the options are limited to fruit if you want to eat a paleo diet, everything else is pretty much cereal, muffins, toast, bagels, croissants, sweet yoghurt's and so forth. However I do have access to a microwave and a fridge in the office, which I can use to cook and store food. Since I am definitely not one of those women who will prepare breakfast the night before or get up extra early to scramble eggs and carry around tupperware, I need something which is quick and easy to prepare at work. However at the weekends, I love cooking a beautiful breakfast and taking my time to prepare it, I have therefore divided my paleo breakfast options (according to Lea) into weekday versus weekend treats.

Going Bare in NYC - No trainers and No Jimmy Choos

On the 24/25th of September, barefoot runners gathered in NYC for a weekend of barefoot running. This was the 2nd Annual NYC Barefoot Run - and a true celebration of everything barefoot. Christopher McDougall, author of Born to Run, has named the event "The Woodstock of Wild Human Animal Mayhem".

Barefoot Ken Bob clinic

On Saturday morning, I joined one of the barefoot running clinics in Battery Park down town Manhattan. This event was organized and sponsored by VIVOBAREFOOT. The barefoot running coaches were VIVOBAREFOOT certified or other specialists in the field including Barefoot Ted, Jason Robillard, Michael Sandler and Barefoot Ken Bob. I did a 45 minute clinic with Barefoot Ken Bob, a very funny man, who does not cut his hair, or shave his beard. So far he has completed 77 marathons barefoot and written a brilliant book 'Barefoot Running Step by Step'. He gave us some great tips about barefoot running which allowed us to improve our technique before the actual run on Sunday morning. Transitioning from running in regular trainers to either barefoot or minimalist shoes is not straight- forward, you need to re-learn the correct form and change the memory foot-print of, for example, heal striking to landing midfoot.

On Saturday evening Merrell hosted a Barefoot party at South Street Seaport, starting with a minimalist Expo, where we got a chance to check out the latest products and mingle with all the other bare footers and who's who in the industry. Later in the evening (and also the most interesting part) panel discussions were lined up with an impressive list of experts discussing barefoot running. Q&A sessions were done with Jason Robillard, Lee Saxby, Michael Sandler, Mark Cucuzzella, Christopher McDougall, Barefoot Ken Bob, Dr. Howell, Barefoot Ted, Erwan Le Corre and John Durrant.

Having a chat with Chris McDougall

Full presentations were given by Esther Gokhale on Posture, Dr. Lieberman on Running and Injury and Anand Anantharaman on Barefoot running in India. Anand Anantharaman is the managing trustee of the "Barefoot Runners of India Foundation". He organized the first Navi Mumbai Barefoot half marathon last year in 2010. 306 barefoot runners participated and the race entered the Guiness World Records as the largest Barefoot Race. This year they expect to break the record even further with 1000+ runners. The interesting part was that no injuries were reported. Today within a 100km radius of Bombay, there are several villages where no footwear of any kind has ever been used, not to mention Nike or other running shoes. Villagers walk barefoot, just like their ancestors have done for thousands of years. When they participate in races they prefer to be barefoot because they feel they can run faster.

Dr Lieberman, Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University and leading researcher of running biomechanics, also delivered a very interesting presentation about running and injury.  Recently the most common running injuries are runners knee, shin splint, achilles tendinitis and plantar fasciitis. Today more than 30% of runners get injured, the question is why?

Wild Swimming - Why you should strip off and take the plunge!

What better way to get up close and personal with nature this summer than with a bit of wild swimming? If you ask me nothing beats a refreshing dip in a beautiful lake on a nice sunny day and without fail you will emerge from the water a new person, bouncing and invigorated by the cold, your mind recharged and refreshed. So what is wild swimming? Here are some definitions from Daniel Start's book Wild Swimming.

wild-swimming (vb.): 

1. Swimming in natural waters such as rivers, lakes and waterfalls. Often associated with picnics and summer holidays.
2. Dipping or plunging in secret or hidden places, sometimes in wilderness areas. Associated with skinny dipping or naked swimming, often with romantic connotations
3. Action of swimming wildly such as jumping or diving from a height, using swings and slides, or riding the current of a river.

Sounds romantic doesn’t it? I like to swim in the ponds on Hampstead Heath. Considering they are only 4 miles from Piccadilly Circus, they are truly an urban treasure for swimmers living in London. Last summer, I did quite a few open water swims in the South of England training for my first triathlon. In all honesty I am not a fan of the swim leg, being churned in a washing machine of arms, swum over and occasionally kicked or punched is generally not my idea of having a good time. However I really enjoyed swimming outdoors when I was training for my first Eton Super Sprint. I swam in what felt like arctic cold water at Heron Lake near Staines in April and later at Leybourne Lakes in Kent once the water temperature was more tolerable. I learned over time that it is always worth the first bracing shock and I try to ignore my wimpish excuses before taking the plunge. Cold water swimming is understood to have many health and psychological benefits. Cold water dips soothes muscle aches, relieves depression and apparently boosts the immune system. All cold water swimmers are familiar with the natural endorphin high that raises mood and creates an addictive urge to dive back in. According to research at NASA repeated cold swimming leads to substantial bodily changes known as "cold adaptation". These bring down blood pressure and cholesterol, reduce fat disposition, inhibit blood clotting and increase fertility and libido in both men and women. These are all great reasons to start your wild water swimming career.

Summer Gazpacho Soup

Here is an easy recipe for gazpacho. This cold soup will restore the nutrients and also keep your body cool during the hot summer months. Many nutrients, vitamins and minerals are obtained from consuming this soup. Not only that, it is replete with antioxidants that can fight of heart diseases and cancer. Enjoy ...

Gazpacho
3 cups of diced tomatoes
1/4 cup of chopped red onion
2 tablespoons of chopped coriander
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 cup of chicken stock, chilled
Juice of 1 lemon
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 cup of peeled, seeded and finely diced cucumber
1/2 cup of peeled, cored, and finely diced apple
Freshly ground black pepper

Paleo in a Nutshell: FOOD & EXERCISE

These YouTube videos describes the rationale and philosophy behind eating and exercising as our ancestors did and provides me and hopefully you with a way to tell others why it makes sense. Enjoy!

Modern life has made British children weaker in the last decade

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/8529071/Modern-life-has-made-British-children-weaker-in-the-last-decade.html

The enclosed article "Modern life has made British children weaker in the last decade" from The Telegraph discusses how modern Britain is raising a generation of weaklings as computer games and health & safety rules are curtailing rough and tumble outdoor play. We are all guilty of being couch potatoes and spending too much time sitting in front of a screen so I hope this article will inspire you to switch off the TV and head to the park or the woods (with or without kids) to climb trees and ropes. In Scandinavia many parents send their kids to outdoor nurseries. These nurseries are held almost exclusively outdoors. Whatever the weather, children are encouraged to play, explore and learn in a forest or natural environment. Forest schools originated in Sweden in the 1950's and spread to other countries, particularly Denmark where they have become an important part of the Danish early years programme. In a typical Danish Forest School, young children from 3 years are taken into the forest for 4 hours each day of the week. They take no toys with them, but instead use only what the forest provides (and their imaginations) to develop their games. There are some pioneering outdoor nurseries in the UK including The Secret Garden in Scotland and The Urban Forest Schools in London. If you want to find out more about these schools/nurseries you can read about them on the wikipedia page Forest Kindergarten.

Have a great day and enjoy the article.

Lea Bentzen

Why Mud, Sweat and Bruises is my idea of paradise!

After 2 ferry crossings and a life threatening taxi ride, I arrive to Relax Bay on Koh Lanta, a beautiful island in the south of Thailand. This is where I will be spending the next 7 days with coach Vic Verdier and 5 other guests learning about natural movement. Our coach tells us there will be no fixed daily schedule lined up. All he asks of us during this workshop is simply to eat, drink, breathe, move and use our imagination. Vic will give us the tools and techniques on how to do this in a useful and natural way. Humans need nature in their life, and to feel it close to their bodies. We have lost touch with real nature and the ability to touch and taste what it originally gave us. Nature is not soft with smooth edges made of plastic and metal. He encourages us to be barefoot throughout the workshop and only wear shorts and maybe a top if you are a woman. He makes sure we all know this is not a military boot camp with a strict rigorous schedule but that we will be moving approximately 6 hours a day at various intensities and eating a paleo diet. Paleo food is basically what hunter gatherer's ate before agriculture arrived and this is a diet humans thrive on. Vic's objective is to make us all love MoveNat and make it part of our everyday life. Let's see if he succeeds.

DAY 1

Almost a monkey ...

We meet for breakfast at 8am, I stuff myself with fresh fruit, eggs and bacon. I reckon I need the energy after a night with little sleep. Adjusting to a new time zone and a noisy gecko in my room takes a little getting used to but it beats sitting in the office for 10 hours a day looking at a computer screen. At home, I have looked at the u-tube video about the workshop at least 500 times. I am finally here myself and very exited about getting started. The first day we do some assessment exercises. Vic films us doing jumps, lifting a log, balancing on a low plank of wood and attempting to get up on a 2 meter high horizontal bamboo branch. He also films us barefoot running on the beach and doing breaststroke and front crawl swimming in the sea. We do all the movements without any instruction. The idea is that he will film the exact same movements at the end of the workshop so we can see any improvements after applying new techniques learned during the workshop. Later in the morning we do some more balancing work, we progress to doing walking lunges on an elevated wooden plank, walking backwards, turning and walking low as if trying to avoid deadly laser beams or poisonous branches. After a delicious lunch and a little siesta in my private hammock we start our first climbing session. I am a bit apprehensive about this as I feel I don't have enough strength and grip to even hang on the bar for more than 10 seconds. But Vic promises me I will be able to get up on the bar by the end of the week. I am delighted that I manage to at least swing my legs up on the bar today even if I use the tree to help me a bit. Later in the day we are taught barefoot running and jumping on the beach.  When jumping we focus on explosiveness but also on precision and control when landing. The day finishes off with a super fun Combo in our own jungle gym. We have to repeat three exercises seven times. First we have to walk balanced on the elevated wooden pole, then pretend we are crossing a river using either the monkey bar or an explosive big jump and in the end we have to walk on all fours, which is surprisingly hard. After seven repeats we are all exhausted and ready for a dip in the sea.  In the evening Vic tells us about the MoveNat philosophy, which is based on how George Herbert trained recruits in the French Navy. We discuss important questions about what natural movement is and the essential qualities that make an overall movement practice "natural". It makes sense moving the way we were designed to move (walking, running, jumping,balancing, walking on all fours, climbing, lifting, carrying, throwing, catching, swimming and defending oneself). Most people don't train like that anymore. How is it useful to bench-press 100KG on a machine in the gym or run long distance marathons if you cannot sprint or climb up a tree if chased by a dog? hmmmmm interesting stuff and on that note I am off to bed after another feast of paleo food. This evening I am easily lulled into sleep to the sound of the Andaman sea. 

Whole Eggs vs Egg Whites

If you are confused or concerned about eating too many egg yolks please read this brilliant article by Mike Geary. Have a great day. Lea

Are Whole Eggs or Egg Whites Better for You?

by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer

I was on a weekend trip with some friends recently and one of my friends was cooking breakfast for the whole group. I went over to see what he was cooking and saw he was getting ready to make a big batch of eggs.
Well, to my shock and horror, I noticed that he was cracking the eggs open and screening the egg whites into a bowl and throwing out the egg yolks. I asked him why the heck he was throwing out the egg yolks, and he replied something like this...
"because I thought the egg yolks were terrible for you...that's where all the nasty fat and cholesterol is".
And I replied, "you mean that's where all of the nutrition is!"
This is a perfect example of how confused most people are about nutrition. In a world full of misinformation about nutrition, somehow most people now mistakenly think that the egg yolk is the worst part of the egg, when in fact, the YOLK IS THE HEALTHIEST PART OF THE EGG!
By throwing out the yolk and only eating egg whites, you're essentially throwing out the most nutrient dense, antioxidant-rich, vitamin and mineral loaded portion of the egg. The yolks contain so many B-vitamins, trace minerals, vitamin A, folate, choline, lutein, and other powerful nutrients... it's not even worth trying to list them all.
In fact, the egg whites are almost devoid of nutrition compared to the yolks.
Even the protein in egg whites isn't as powerful without the yolks to balance out the amino acid profile and make the protein more bio-available. Not to even mention that the egg yolks from free range chickens are loaded with healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
Yolks contain more than 90% of the calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, thiamin, B6, folate, and B12, and panthothenic acid of the egg. In addition, the yolks contain ALL of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K in the egg, as well as ALL of the essential fatty acids (EFAs).
And now the common objection I get all the time when I say that the yolks are the most nutritious part of the egg...

Why Grass-Fed Beef is Awesome

Meat from grass-fed cows has a much different fat profile than ordinary supermarket meat: high in omega-3s, lower in potentially harmful omega-6s and loaded with CLA, a kind of fat known for its anti-cancer activity. A superb source of protein and vitamin B12, it's also missing the antibiotics, steroids and hormones found in the meat that comes from feedlot farms.

If you are living in a big city like London it can be hard to source grass-fed beef and other wild meats, however I have managed to find a few good suppliers.

WILD BEEF
http://www.wildbeef.co.uk/
London Borough Market, Southwark every Fri & Sat
London Broadway Market, Hackney every Saturday

WILD GAME CO
http://www.wildgameco.co.uk/
Broadway Market, Hackney every Saturday