It's official!

As of today, June 30, 2012, I get to work with James from FastPaleo!

This means, from now on, you'll find my posts on the FastPaleo Facebook Page, and I'm just thrilled to be part of this amazing page of delicious Paleo recipes. Go and like the Facebook page, check out all the recipes posted, or just visit Fast Paleo! I believe, over 1300 recipes have been uploaded to date, and more are on the way.

And what's even better, there is an app for that. For now only on iPhone, but the Android app is soon to follow. Heck yeah, I'll get that app...

The recipe of the day is this: Lamb Kebabs! Yum.

Have a fantastic Saturday!

Day 4!

Can you spell HEADACHE?

Day 1 through 3 of my Whole 30 went unbelievably well. Sure, I had some sugar cravings, but generally I felt fine.

My dreams are a lot more vivid and I remember them all day long, which is kind of weird, when you're trying to go about your day.

My digestion works wonderfully! Hooray!

But this morning I woke up with a killer headache. Ugh... how did I deserve that? No fun! Not one bit. So I had some breakfast (a shake), and I took some ibuprofen. Because really, I don't want to spend my day making that face up there... I got things to do, places to go. May the headache subside quickly, and may I wake up tomorrow morning with bounds of energy and ready to go!

In the meantime, I'd like to recommend a really cool success story from Mark's Daily Apple. A truly inspiring story for all you endurance athletes out there. The Before and After pictures of these Fat Burning Beasts are incredible. They look ten years younger in their After pic!

Have a nice day, all. :)

Time for a challenge

A 30 day challenge that is. For those of you who don't know what the Whole 30 is, I'll give you a quick explanation. Whole 30 was invented by Whole 9 (Melissa and Dallas are the owners), and it is a 30 day clean eating challenge for anyone living the paleo way or wanting to live it.

I'd planned to do a Whole 30 for a while, but posting about the paleo bread made me think. I really need to do this challenge, because guess what, certain bad foods sneaked their way back into my diet. It was not immediately obvious to me. First came the occasional ice cream treat, then I ate ice cream a little more often. This was followed by chocolate, potato chips, and sometimes even gummy bears. I generally, of course, stuck to my diet, because I believe in it, and I want to live like this until I die. But those treats became more and more, and they were accompanied by little ailments. I did not draw that connection at first, but it is now so obvious to me, that I want to slap my forehead.

I also drank more alcohol. Don't get me wrong, I am not an alcoholic. I never drank more than 2 glasses of wine with dinner. But my consumption of tequila went way up... No, I did not drink a ton of tequila, but I'd have a glass of my beloved NoCal margarita every other night.

The fact is, I don't like the way things are going. This may be normal for the old me... but Paleo me desperately wants to go back to my Paleo ways. And a good way to start is by doing the 30 day challenge. I will eat clean for 30 days, will not drink any alcohol, and I will not eat any sugary treats. The plan is to largely stick with it after the challenge is over. Why? Because it feels right, because I am happier that way, because I want to live a really long time.

Because I love myself. And I deserve the very best.

And here are the rules as posted on the Whole 9 website:

• Do not consume added sugar of any kind, real or artificial. No maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, Splenda, Equal, Nutrasweet, xylitol, stevia, etc. Read your labels (and your Success Guide FAQ), because companies sneak sugar into products in ways you might not recognize.

• Do not consume alcohol, in any form, not even for cooking. (And it should go without saying, but no tobacco products of any sort, either.)

• Do not eat grains. This includes (but is not limited to) wheat, rye, barley, oats, corn, rice, millet, bulgur, sorghum, amaranth, buckwheat, sprouted grains and all of those gluten-free pseudo-grains like quinoa. Yes, we said corn… for the purposes of this program, corn is a grain! This also includes all the ways we add wheat, corn and rice into our foods in the form of bran, germ, starch and so on. Again, read your labels.

• Do not eat legumes. This includes beans of all kinds (black, red, pinto, navy, white, kidney, lima, fava, etc.), peas, chickpeas, lentils, and peanuts. No peanut butter, either. This also includes all forms of soy – soy sauce, miso, tofu, tempeh, edamame, and all the ways we sneak soy into foods (like lecithin).

• Do not eat dairy. This includes cow, goat or sheep’s milk products such as cream, cheese (hard or soft), kefir, yogurt (even Greek), and sour cream… with the exception of clarified butter or ghee. (See below for details.)

• Do not consume carrageenan, MSG or sulfites. If these ingredients appear in any form on the label of your processed food or beverage, it’s out for the Whole30.

• Do not eat white potatoes. This is somewhat arbitrary, but if we are trying to change your habits and improve the hormonal impact of your food choices, it’s best to leave white, red, purple, Yukon gold and fingerling potatoes off your plate. (Refer to your Success Guide FAQ for details).

In addition, no Paleo-ifying dessert or junk food choices! We call this “Sex With Your Pants On” (SWYPO), and it will ruin your Whole30 faster than you can say, “Paleo pizza.” Do not try to shove your old, unhealthy diet into a shiny new Whole30 mold. This means no “Paleo-fying” desserts or junk food – no Paleo pancakes, pizza, brownies or ice cream. Trying to replicate junk food with “technically approved” ingredients misses the point of the Whole30 entirely.
One last and final rule. You are not allowed to step on the scale or take any body measurements for the duration of the program. This is about so much more than just weight loss, and to focus on your body composition means you’ll miss out on the most dramatic and lifelong benefits this plan has to offer. So, no weighing yourself, analyzing body fat or taking comparative measurements during your Whole30. (We do encourage you to weigh yourself before and after, however, so you can see one of the more tangible results of your efforts when your program is over.)

The Paleo Bread

Courtesy of Paleo Bread By Julian Bakery

It is here! Well, almost... The Paleo Bread! It will be distributed to stores around the country starting June 29th. Paleo peeps rejoice, as they are salivating over the possibility of sinking their teeth into the fresh, fluffy goodness of bread with ham, cheese, mayo, pickles, and tomatoes. Finally, we no longer have to suffer through our sad little lives of Paleo doom. Imagine the possibilities! Almond butter and jam sandwiches, ham and cheese, French toast... you name it. With the Paleo Bread it is all possible. And it's Paleo!!!

Or... is it?



Friends, when you started your Paleo journey... no, wait, let's make this about me! When I started my Paleo journey, I was your regular bread and pasta junky! Bread for breakfast, bread for lunch, pasta for dinner. Sleep. Repeat. Then I dove into the subject of Paleo-ism... and I found that wheat is not my friend. With a heavy heart I quit eating bread (and pasta, and rice, and legumes... etc!) I wondered how I will find substitutes, especially for my lunch time sandwiches. It took a little while for my brain to shift and get the idea, that maybe substitutes weren't what I needed to be looking for. Maybe sandwiches, to me, could be a thing of the past, and I could eat other things instead. I came up with all kinds of wonderful solutions to this "problem"... and so, I have not eaten a sandwich in 18 months.

The Paleo Bread comes as almond flour bread and as coconut flour bread. We've all learned that coconut flour and almonds are great for us. Or well, we've learned that almonds are almost great for us. Enjoyed in moderation, after soaking, sprouting, and dehydrating them, a handful of almonds a day makes for a wonderful snack. The occasional almond flour pancake breakfast brings ultimate joy and Oooohs and Aaaahs to my house. And it's wonderful to live in the 21st century and be able to offer this treat to my family.

BUT, should you be indulging in paleo bread every day? Absolutely not. Chances are, the almonds used for this bread are not raw, nor soaked, nor dehydrated, and therefore not as easily digestible. Meaning, phytic acids (naturally occurring in almonds) binds to vital minerals in your gut, making it impossible to be absorbed into your intestine... and down the road will lead to a mineral deficiency. (Read this lengthy article on Mark's Daily Apple if you feel so inclined). You will also throw off your omega 6/3 balance by eating too many almonds.

Having said all that... I will likely give this bread a try. Well, let's say, I'll let my kids give it a try, because I honestly don't have that much of an interest. But it shall remain a treat, and it will not become a household stable. I made a conscious decision to be Paleo. And things like paleo bread, no matter how delicious it tastes, will remain the lesser evil, to be enjoyed in moderation (like, really, really!!), but will certainly never become a main source of nutrition for me.

We're a processed food nation

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Credit: Lam Thuy Vo / NPR

~~~~~~~~~~~

This is copied from the NPR article What America Spends On Groceries.

Obviously the biggest difference is how much money Americans spend on processed foods and sweets. "We" (not me, people, not me!) spend 22.9% on processed crap and candy as opposed to 11.6% in 1982.

Another interesting fact? During the last 20 years, obesity has had a dramatic increase. You can find this and more horrifying information on this issue here: Adult Obesity Facts.

• More than one-third of U.S. adults (35.7%) are obese.
• No state has met the nation's  goal to lower obesity prevalence to 15%. The number of states with an obesity prevalence of 30% or more has increased to 12 states in 2010. In 2009, nine states had obesity rates of 30% or more. In 2000, no state had an obesity prevalence of 30% or more.
• Obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer, some of the leading causes of death.
• In 2008, medical costs associated with obesity were estimated at $147 billion; the medical costs paid by third-party payors for people who are obese were $1,429 higher than those of normal weight.

Go ahead and blame it on fat and red meat if you wish. I will then ask you to go ahead and read this information again, compare the numbers and think for yourself.

Nuff said.

Self-Experimentation

Well, he doesn't look healthy, but he sure looks like he's getting his sleep. As a matter of fact, I think, Homer Simpson probably sleeps a heck of a lot better than I do, since that is likely his third favorite passtime besides drinking beer and eating donuts.

When I went paleo in January of 2011, a lot of things changed for me. Less painful periods, quick weight loss, better skin, improved mood, and yes, better sleep.

Interestingly, my sleeping pattern got worse over the past few months, and recently, I started having a hard time falling asleep all together. At night I'd toss and turn, and in the morning I would wake up groggy and usually with a kink in my neck. Every so often I'd be up all night, incredibly tired, but unable to sleep. I'd sit around all night, eyes half open, watching silly TV shows (you wouldn't believe the garbage they show on television at 3am), frustrated and angry. I'd fall asleep around 4am, then woke up again around 6am... because as soon as the sun comes up, I rise and shine... or well... I rise... I DID NOT SHINE!

Then Ogre and I had our little staycation I blogged about a couple of days ago. During those 4 days I slept incredibly well, and this is amazing, considering the hard hotel beds and the amount of wine I had. ;) Plus, McMenamins hotels are not exactly the most quiet place. And yet, I slept. I hoped this would continue when we got home. But well, the first night in my own bed, and it was back to tossing and turning all night. Weird, right?

The next day something occurred to me. In recent months I increased the amount of dairy I consumed pretty considerably. My first night back home I'd had a dessert made with heavy whipping cream. Could this be it? Could my sleeping problems be related to my dairy intake? I decided to put this theory to the test and stay off dairy completely for a day. That night I slept wonderfully. A full 9 hours! The following day I consumed dairy at night. The results? Tossing and turning all night.

Yesterday, the only dairy I did consume was some butter in my food. I slept well, and this morning I woke up feeling rested and rejuvenated.

Wow, I really amazed at how much of an impact dairy seems to have on my sleep. I grew up being told that milk is a great sleep-inducing beverage. Every now and then I'd get a glass of hot milk with a tablespoon of honey to help me sleep. The only thing I remember is getting a stomach ache as a result of it. Should have gotten the hint back then, eh?

Have a nice day, Paleo peeps!

A Paleo Staycation...

A Paleo Staycation...

Well, dear paleo friends, it's been a while, and I apologize... just in case you actually missed me. :) I've been doing a lot of writing on my second book and had to finish up a "school" year with my homeschooled kids by putting on our annual summerfest. What a great success.

After a few crazy weeks, Ogre and I decided it was time to take a vacation, only we made it a staycation, as Portland and its surrounding area is simply too beautiful to ignore it. Of course, as you know, if you're paleo, things are always a little more complicated, when you order food. But, considering the circumstances, I'd say, this trip was all around an awesome experience.

We started our little journey at the Crystal Hotel in downtown Portland, where the staff is friendly and courteous, and the restaurant will gladly accommodate your needs and wishes. I ate eggs, baked in a tiny cast iron can. They mixed in creme fraiche, and boy, was it ever delicious. They did charge me for substituting fruit for bread, though. No like.

I will not waste much time talking about the Bonneville Resort in Washington. We were unimpressed with the room, the staff, the service, and most definitely with the mediocre food at horrendous prizes. Thanks, but no thanks. We cut that visit short and decided to go back to a McMenamins...

The Edgefield is another great place outside of Portland. If you know and love McMenamins' artwork, you'll appreciate this place a lot. What you'll also love is their menu and their willingness to work with you when it comes to food needs. And if you like the occasional potato treat, their cajun tater tots are to die for and gluten free. Big plus! Also, this time they didn't charge us for wanting fruit instead of bread. We thoroughly enjoyed the wildflowers and their beautiful vegetable garden. And you cannot leave the Edgefield without soaking in the fairytale like saltwater soaking pool. What a treat.

The next day we decided to try yet another McMenamins hotel, but on our way there we stopped in NE Portland at the Cultured Caveman  for beef cheek chili, rainbow fries, and kale salad. What a treat! Not only are the owners super friendly and fun to chat with, but their food is absolutely delicious. Don't expect huge sizes! But do know, that you will be treated to a delicious meal there. Well worth a visit, and it's so nice not to have to worry about ingredients. You just dig in and enjoy. Yum!

Our final destination was The Grand Lodge in Forest Grove. It's a little like the Edgefield, although not quite as awesome. Still, we enjoyed our food, wine, and the friendly staff... and of course the artwork, that we've come to love so much. I got treated to an amazing half hour foot massage, and that right there is heaven to me!

What I loved about all three McMenamins locations: when I ordered my NoCal margarita and asked for real lime juice (not the syrupy, sugary stuff some bars sell you), I was assured that they always use real limes. Only downer at the Edgefield... they charged an extra dollar for the lime. Still, the service was great, and the drink tasted delicious.

We'll do another staycation eventually, and I do think we'll have to give the various other McMenamins location a try. I managed not to gain any weight during our time away, and I allowed myself some special potato treats. I came home wonderfully relaxed and felt quite pampered the entire time. It's good to be home and get back on track. I do love my own cooking. :)