Nell Stephenson's Blog, page 107

Cooking Tricky Veggies

I came across a fantastic column in the Huffington Post today, and it was all about what to do with unfamiliar produce in your CSA box.  For those of you who may be unfamiliar, CSA is Community Supported Agriculture and in its simplest terms, it’s a  way for consumers to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farmer.

Here are the basics, according to LocalHarvest.org:

“a farmer offers a certain number of “shares” to the public. Typically the share consists of a box of vegetables, but other farm products may be included. Interested consumers purchase a share (aka a “membership” or a “subscription”) and in return receive a box (bag, basket) of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season”.

Cool concept, isn’t it?

Picture this:  a box arrives at your doorstep with some apples (Oh,great; your kids’ favorite fruit to take as part of their meal for school!), some lettuces (ideal for salads), a few bunches of kale (throw some in your smoothie or use my signature raw kale fusion recipe!) and some…wait… what exactly is that plant that looks sort of like broccoli, sort of like cauliflower but it’s not the right color, exactly, nor the right shape…what the?

Enter the column in the HP I mentioned earlier.  Now is the time to share the title “ ”WTF, CSA?”

Genius!

The HP states, “Each week this CSA season, we’ll help you make use of your overflowing CSA baskets. You ask, we answer. That’s how this works. Or rather, you shouted, “WTF?” into your CSA box and now we’re going to tell what on earth to do with all that romanesco.”

I only wish I’d thought of it sooner!

Nonetheless, readers should always feel free to send me an email, too, if ever they’re in the proverbial produce pickle and have no idea how to prep the green, leafy but unidentifiable plant in their CSA delivery!

Paleoista Goes Social

Feeling like you’re the only one you know who’s eating this ‘radical, crazy’ diet?  (You know I’m kidding, I hope!) Looking for like minded individuals to network with?

Why not start a Meet Up?

That’s what I recently did, and there are already over 40 people who have joined and we’ve got our first Paleo In LA Meeting coming up on the 24th of January.

While I realize I may have an advantage in terms of having more people to talk shop with, given my profession, but I continue to look for ways to promote Paleo awareness and, on a very fundamental level, reach as many people as I can to make a positive impact on our society’s health.

All are welcome to the Paleo in LA group, and if you’re not in the vicinity, why not start your own?

Click here for more details about Paleo in LA and hope to see you there!

Avocado vs Almonds- Which is the Better Choice?

Avocado, by a long shot.

While almonds are often the first go-to as a replacement for peanuts when one begins following the Paleo diet, often they end up getting eaten far too much.

All nuts are inflammatory, with high levels of Omega 6s and low levels of healthy Omega 3s, which is why they’re meant to be eaten only in moderation.  Big picture:  at the end of the day, we just need to balance out the 3:6 ratio by making sure we’re including wild fish to get our 3s.  (Incidentally, we know from The Paleo Diet, by Dr. Cordain, that raw walnuts are the best choice when it comes to nuts).

Enter the avocado.  Actually a fruit, rich in Omega 3s as well as antioxidants and vitamins A, Ba, K, E and C, it should be eaten on a daily basis, if possible.

Think outside the avocado box, too, as it’s not only meant to be eaten sliced up on a salad or in guacamole.   Use it where you might have used peanut butter in the past- in smoothies, or spread on top of celery or carrots.

Half a ripe avocado whizzed with some fresh berries, green tea, a bunch of raw kale and a couple of soft boiled eggs, as one example, made into a smoothie will provide a delicious, Paleo friendly meal to go, balanced in the proper Paleo 40/30/30 macro nutrient ratio with loads of ‘super foods’ (for lack of a better term!)… and you can take it for on-the-go.

Take home message- almonds once in a while, and avocado all the time!  Well, not all the time, but you get the gist!

 

Paleoista Technique: Prepping Shrooms

Ah!  I knew that would get your attention!

Now that I’ve got it, I can let you know I’m referring to the type you eat and how to prepare them for cooking.

Unlike leafy greens which can be rinsed then spun dry or hearty crucifers like broccoli or cauliflower which won’t be harmed if they stayed in their rinse water a few minutes too long, mushrooms aren’t something that should be left to ‘soak’.

Acting like a sponge, if left in a container of water, the mushrooms will not only remain dirty, they’ll also retain so much water that whatever they’re being cooked in will end in a very diluted final product.

What to do them?  Risk eating bacteria and eat ‘em as is?

Oh, no.  Don’t do that.  It’s as simple as giving them the brush off.  Buy a mushroom brush and whisk away any debris or if you feel a bit more particular, you can use a damp towel to clean them off as well.

A good food source of vitamin D, anti oxidants and high in umami, they’re a fantastic part of a healthy Paleo meal.

Don’t be afraid of eating this type of fungus!

Bacon for Dessert?

I just read about a shop in NYC completely devoted to bacon.   Cool concept, isn’t it?  But is it Paleo?

Yes, that’s a picture of a bacon and chocolate concoction and yes bacon can certainly be a part of Paleo, but in moderation.

The title of this post says it all.

Hopefully, most people understand that dessert is something meant to be enjoyed on occasion, rather than something to partake of every single day. Same with bacon.  In addition, eating bacon that only comes from pastured pork, that’s uncured and doesn’t contain many of the harmful additives that are omnipresent in many of the mainstream brands these days is of utmost importance.

If you’re eating bacon several times a day and thinking it’s too good to be true, I’m sorry to be the one to tell you that it is.  

It’s when people take things out of context like this that the end result can be such that the person who thinks they’re following Paleo, isn’t really doing it properly and then deduces and declares for all to hear that ‘Paleo didn’t work’.   A similar example is making sweet desserts out of Paleo ingredients and then eating them as snacks throughout the day, rather than focusing on veg with protein and fat.   Sorry, but it’s just Paleo to eat brownies, bread or muffins as snacks, even if you did make them with almond flour, raw cacao and honey.

 

Balance, guys!  

It’s all about balance on Paleo.  Sure, have a slice or two with your breakfast sometimes, but I’d no sooner suggest you eat only one type of veggie than I’d tell you to eat bacon as your main source of protein every day.

You get the idea?

Incidentally, has anyone checked out Baconery yet?  Do tell!

Sanitas Per Escam…Via Paleo?

That was a Latin phrase I’d not heard of prior to yesterday.  What does it mean, you might wonder?

Simply, Heath Through Food.

Not only that, though; it’s also the name of an idea of a Belgian Entrepreneur which would allow for restaurants to use the representative insignia to indicate that a particular dish on a menu is ‘good for you’.

Some restauranteurs like the idea and have signed on, others, not so much as they feel it would make the other offerings on their menu indirectly ‘not good for you’.

So what has this got to do with Paleo?

Well, here’s my question- when is someone going to come up with a Paleo stamp of approval?  We already see notations for

gluten free
dairy free
vegetarian
vegan

And although Paleo is still a bit niche, it wasn’t that long ago that gluten free or vegan were right there in the minority, too. 

So, who’s with me?  

Let’s put our Paleo heads together and see if we can’t come up with something?  Having  a Paleo option in restaurants is, as many of you who are Paleo know, something that does not require much tweaking in many an eatery; it would just mean having the chef sign up with making the notation.

This is a real practicality that is far likely to happen sooner than a fantasy of all cafes going Paleo overnight!

Can’t Sit Still?

That would be me. I often liken myself to a toddler in a sense; when I’m on a plane, I simply have to sit in the aisle seat as I’m up at least one or two times each hour for no other reason than I absolutely hate to sit.  (Yes, I’m that person.  And have no qualms about it, either!).

Years ago, I read an article by Juan Carlos Santana, which he called, “Sitting:  The Root of All Evil” and in it, he discusses many of the health problems that develop as a result of sitting too much and not enough movement.

We’re animals.  We’re meant to move.  Not meant to sit.  It’s such an unnatural position and doing so day after day, year after year will absolutely create a situation where the body adapts to this stimuli we present to it, and that is not a good thing.

Shortened hip flexors, slouchy shoulders, tight chest muscles, weak back muscles, a mushy core and an overextended (chicken-esque) neck are just a few of the musculo-skeletal adaptations that result.   And these are just the foundations.  After that we can add headache (sometimes due to the neck straining forward along with staring at the glare of the computer screen), carpal tunnel, nerve pain…and so on, and so on.

The American College of Sports Medicine also reports that ‘prolonged sitting significantly reduces lipoprotein lipase which plays an important role in the body’s ability to process fats.  This leads to an increased risk of cardiovascular mortality, insulin resistance, diabetes and obesity’.

What to do?

As much as you can, avoid sitting!

Balance on a ball!  If your office is relaxed, this might be an option.
If your workplace is more conservative, perhaps a standing desk could be arranged.
At the very least, make sure you’re set up correctly by an ergonomic specialist.
Get up and move!   Even if you have a horrible chair and equally appalling desk, getting up to stretch throughout the day and making sure you’re engaged in activity away from work to counteract all the sitting will help offset the damage.
At home, squat, rather than sitting- just like what a child might do.

Remember, chairs are not Paleo!

 

No Research Behind Paleo? Excuse Me?

I am always pleased when my google alert directs me to an article that I believe will be accurately discussing Paleo, or someone who’s had success with Paleo, or a great new source for Paleo recipes.

So yesterday, when I received an alert to read a piece in the Tampa Bay Times about Paleo ‘gaining support by those who want to get healthy and lose weight’ I expected to read an intelligent article about the merits of Paleo.

While there was some of that, there was also some glaring errors.

The following paragraph, and last statement (from an RD) in particular,  is perhaps one of the worst:

“Even with a growing legion of adherents, the Paleo diet has its detractors. Some nutrition experts are concerned with increased consumption of saturated fat from the meat-centric diet and a lack of calcium from the elimination of dairy. Also, there is much research that shows legumes and whole grains help fight some diseases of aging and keep blood sugar at appropriate levels. Neither is part of the Paleo diet.”There’s no real research behind it,” Lisa Sassoon, a registered dietitian and assistant clinical professor of nutrition at NYU, told the Huffington Post last year. “And it eliminates things that do have research behind them: grains, beans and low-fat dairy.”

Pardon me?

I had to reread it: “There’s no real research behind it.”

Perhaps what should have been written was that “There’s no real money behind it.” (As there is behind the Dairy Board and the entire agricultural industry.)

It’s one thing to say one doesn’t agree with the principles of the diet, but please, get the facts straight.   What about the decades of research from Dr. S. Boyd Eaton, Dr. Cordain, The Doctors Eads and Gary Taubes, just to name a few?

To say there is no research behind Paleo would liken it to some gimmicky fad diet created by someone with zero knowledge or expertise and that’s simply not fair. It does a huge disservice to anyone interested in learning about how to follow this healthy lifestyle.

How can it be argued that the idea of eating plenty of fresh, local, organic veggies, along with lean, wild meats and healthy, natural fats and avoided processed, refined junk be a great idea?

Chat Live with Paleoista on Facebook!

Thrilled to announce the first Facebook chat for Paleoista!  

Here’s your chance to spend an hour online, at zero cost, to ask me any of your Paleo questions.

From sport to weight loss, clearing up skin conditions to having better energy, Paleo is the way to go.

Attend on Wednesday, January 9th at 8PM EST to learn why!

Click here at the time of the event to go online and participate.  Get your questions ready!

Selling Soda

Mark Bittman raised some great points in his piece in the Times yesterday, in which he discussed celebrities lending their likenesses to soft drink companies to endorse their products.

Money talks, of course, but at whose expense?

If you’re already a multi-millionaire and you claim to be interested in supporting the First Lady’s “Let’s Move” Campaign, how can endorsing Pepsi a few months later help in the ‘effort that addresses a public health crisis’?  Does Pepsi not actually help contribute to worsening the health crisis?

It’s quite an awful situation if you think about it.  It’s not even as though one could argue that soda has anything remotely healthy to offer, as you might attempt to do with other products endorsed by this actor or that singer, such as some type of ‘energy bar’ that people might perceive as being healthy or that good old ‘got milk’ campaign which told us all about that commonly believed idea that we need dairy for strong bones (sure we do…). 

When are we going to have some A-listers touting the benefits of kale, grass fed meat and avocados?

Much to my dismay, there doesn’t seem to be quite the lucrative offering coming from those industries as compared to big soda conglomerates, but then, if you’re earning far beyond what you need to live on, couldn’t it be done on a volunteer basis?

Just my suggestion, of course…