Nell Stephenson's Blog, page 118

The ‘Peanut Butter’ Cure?

I thought I’d heard it incorrectly.  NPR was on in the background as I was writing yesterday, and I heard mention of this seeming oxymoron.

I was wrong.  I hadn’t heard it incorrectly; apparently, over a decade ago, a French doctor “invented a treatment for severely malnourished children that had a revolutionary, life-saving impact; the product goes by different names in different parts of the world, such as Plumpy’Nut, Nourimanba and Chiponde. It’s basically peanut butter with some added ingredients: dried milk, oil, sugar, and essential minerals and vitamins.“

While I could certainly wax poetic about how un-Paleo this is, there’s a more significant problem with this proposition; something that brings to mind something a certain company did a couple of decades ago when they introduced their baby formula to impoverished areas in Africa, suggesting that their product was superior to mother’s breast milk.  

The issue is that the peanut butter packages are being promoted by private companies that make them and the concern is “that glitzy, foil-wrapped packets could distract people from local, low-tech nourishment, or from breast-feeding.  In an ideal world, we wouldn’t rely on packages of enriched peanut butter.”

Here’s a revolutionary concept: how about developing more programs to fund organization which help parents get good local food like eggs, meat and whichever vegetables and fruit naturally grow in their regions, rather than pushing yet another  processed  product upon them?

As in, let’s help people get real food?

Incorporating Avocado

One of the Paleo best sources of fat is the avocado.  

I wrote about this delicious fruit a few weeks back; after receiving an interesting idea from a regular reader about incorporating avocado in what might be seen as an unusual, I felt it warranted another appearance, despite the close timing.

Of course, it has a much higher fat content than most other fruit, (mostly monounsaturated fat), which is the essence of why it’s so versatile can be used in so many ways above and beyond sliced in a salad or in guacamole.

The ‘interesting’ idea I reference above may not be all that novel to you if you’re in certain regions of the world where avocado is routinely used in sweet preparations, including certain countries in Asia and South America.   It’s a simple concept that I’ve actually used in my own kitchen, yet I find many of my US clients have never considered avocado having a place in any dish other than a savory one.

The recipe was for a blended avocado, coffee and dairy milk drink, but you can quite easily make it into a paleo friendly version simply by using coconut milk in lieu of dairy.

Swirl up your own version in your blender, using the ratios based on what tastes good to you, throw in a little ice for frothiness and, why not add an umbrella to edge of your glass for a little extra paleo pizazz?

Paleo, Chocolate & Alkali

Who doesn’t love chocolate?

And does it have a part in Paleo?

Yes…as long as it’s the right type of chocolate.

Raw cacao is extremely high in antioxidants, good fats and has zero sugar.  

Recent research studies have shown a link between cacoa and cardiovascular health, with reduced risk of blood clots, strokes, and heart attacks; in fact, Cornell University food scientists discovered that cocoa powder has nearly twice the antioxidants of red wine, and up to three times the antioxidants found in green tea.

Remember, though, we’re talking about the real deal, not an ultra processed, adulterated version of something that used to be healthy it its original form.   

What to avoid?

Using your common sense should clear it up.  Not a candy bar, laden with synthetic sugars and hydrogenated oils and not alkalized cocoa powders, which significantly lowers the antioxidant value.

Hershey’s Center for Health & Nutrition (yes, it really exists) states on their site when describing the process:

“Alkalized cocoa powders, sometimes referred to as Dutched, come from cocoa nibs and/or chocolate liquor that have been treated with mild alkali solutions in order to raise the pH. This alkalizing or dutching process is a safe and approved process for cocoa that is used to modify the color, taste, and functionality of cocoa powder in food products. Alkalization can be used to create a range of dark brown and red-brown colors that add desirable appearances to some food products that contain cocoa powders. Alkalization can improve taste by reducing some of the sourness and bitterness associated with natural cocoa powders. The alkalization of cocoa powder can also improve the solubility of cocoa powder in certain beverage applications.”

A study presented in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry in 2008 showed that the processing that alkalized cocoa powder undergoes substantially reduces the amount of beneficial substances it contains.

So how much and how often can someone who’s Paleo partake?

It depends on what you’re doing with the goods, what you’re combining them with and how you’re balancing out the macro nutrients in the rest of a meal.

I like to use raw cacao nibs sometimes in my smoothies, and once in a while I’ll use them to make my decadent Paleo truffles.   The former is something I’ll do more often, whereas truffles are not something one would eat with any regularity.

Throw out those Snicker bars and grab the nibs!  It’ll take some getting used to if you’re accustomed to eating milky, sugary chocolate, but eventually your palate will adapt.

I’m a fan of the 99% raw cacao myself…dark, rich and oh-so-paleo-luxxe! 

 

Finishing Salts in Paleo Cooking

I’ve written before about my thoughts on incorporating salt into the modern Paleo lifestyle, but here’s a brief recap:

1) If you’re a Paleo endurance athlete, you actually need to add some salt to your food.  Sweating out all the electrolytes and not replacing them is not a great idea.  

2) If you’re a formerly sedentary person who is not exercising very much, you do not.  

Yes, there is a bit of a grey area in between but the take away message is that none of us need to be over-salting or eating foods which are highly processed and high in sodium on a regular basis.   Salt should not be the only ‘spice’ or ‘flavor enhancer’ in anyone’s diet.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s talk about the different kinds of salt.  One of my favorite categories from a cooking stand point are the finishing salts; adding them after a meal is cooked is the idea, and there are several varieties to choose from.

Some of my regulars include:

Pink Himalayan Salt – a fossil marine salt, rich in Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Copper and Iron (which gives the salt its pink color).


Fleur de Sel - comprised of crystals that form naturally on the surface of salt evaporation ponds in the Guérande region of France and raked  using only wooden tools. The process can only be completed in the summer. Called the “caviar of salts” by chefs worldwide, true Fleur de Sel comes from the Guérande region of France, just like champagne, which must come from the Champagne region of France to be truly authentic.


Black Kona Salt - dramatic, glossy black sea salt.  The unique color comes from lava, which adds minerals and activated charcoal which results in a sulfuric aroma and earthy flavor.

Again, please don’t use salt and nothing else with your food, as doing so would limit so many of the other lovely herbs, spices and natural flavors of the foods themselves.

A little in moderation, however, is a perfectly Paleo part of it!

Raspberry Bars, Frosted Flakes and Bear Claws, Oh, My!

This morning as I was running my usual Monday errands, I made some interesting observations.

I’ll admit, I’m typically guilty of being glued to my iPhone at times, so usually, if I’m somewhere which requires me to wait on line for something, I’ll use the time to catch up on an email or two, or send out a tweet.

Today, however, for some reason, I opted to leave my phone in the car.  This allowed more time for me to actually be present during the mundane task of waiting on line, first at a local little market to grab some sliced turkey and an avocado, later for a bottle of sparkling water and finally just walking from one place to the next.

At the first place, the woman in front of me ordered a ‘raspberry bar’ and a coffee.   Later on, in my second stop, the customer ahead of me ordered a bear claw, a chocolate croissant and a large nonfat latte.  Finally, as I walked along the main drag in Santa Monica, passing several premium hotels with outdoor dining, I saw two thirty something women dining al fresco eating…Frosted Flakes for their breakfast.

Wow.

Put Paleo aside for a moment…I really don’t think anyone can come up with any argument why any of those options were good ones?

These observations all occurred before 11 am.  All those people chose to begin their day with processed grain and sugar, no protein, no veg, nothing remotely nutrition in any way, shape or form.

What an awful shame.  Here in Los Angeles, no less, where we have such an abundance of gorgeous produce year round; it just pains me to think of it!

It was quite interesting to note, I will add, that the four women I described above all happened to be slim and appear healthy.  Note the use of the words ‘slim’ (over lean) and ‘appear’ (as we don’t know what’s going on, on the inside).

Unfortunately, at times, that’s the very crux of the issue.  People eating junk and believing they can ‘get away with it’ simply because their weight is within the healthy range.

Alas, it’s just not the case.

Even if you’re someone who eats a diet filled with junk but just not a lot of it, you’re still causing harm to your body and creating a situation that will someday require some level of ‘fixing’ down the line.   Whether it’s a decreased bone density, leaky gut or diabetes, eating things that are not food is not a good idea, even if you’re ‘skinny’ (or skinny fat, as I like to call it!)

Food for thought, literally.

Put down that doughnut and grab an apple!

 

 

Is It Paleo to Use a Neti Pot?

I doubt it.  

Let me clarify; what I mean is that I doubt Paleolithic man used any form of nasal irrigation, but does that mean someone who’s Paleo today should (or should not) use this ancient Ayurvedic technique?

Nasal irrigation is “the personal hygiene practice in which the nasal cavity is washed to flush out excess mucus and debris from the nose and sinuses. According to its advocates, nasal irrigation promotes good sinus and nasal health.”

I was first introduced to it in my pre Paleo days, when I was still consuming dairy, and as a result, experienced varying degrees of nasal and sinus congestion.  During a bout with a particularly horrible cold, I learned that flushing the nasal cavity via a benign saline wash could potentially expedite the passage of much of the excess mucus we all experience when fighting off a cold bug.

The first time I tried it, it was a wash.  Pardon the pun.  I spluttered water all over the place and found no relief.  Fortunately, my stubborn nature warranted another try and the second go was a success.   

I felt as though I’d  never breathed that clearly in my entire life.

Being that I felt such a heightened sense of the ability to inspire and expire so efficiently, I decided to incorporate it into part of my daily regime, right there along with brushing my teeth.

Too much?

Alas, for me it was.

Unbeknownst to me, I began to accumulate small amounts of fluid in my Eustachian tubes which resulted in not only an ear infection, but a six month long sensation of a clogged ear that, despite visits to several ear docs, including a facility right here in LA which is touted to be the best, would simply not go away.

I took my antibiotics straight away (in any case where there’s a documented infection, I feel it’s suitable to do so, for myself), then took my 50 billion units of probiotic tablets for months afterward to replenish what that Cipro had killed, and ultimately it subsided.

I tried the Neti Pot a couple of times after that, but it created a clogged ear feeling again that I can absolutely do without.

For me, it’s no longer something I chose to do.

However, I would certainly not broadly tell all to avoid it; rather, give it a try (and cut out the dairy and gluten- both of which can cause significant congestion) see for yourself if it fits with your own hygiene-routine.

 

 

Raw Fish…And Meat?

It’s funny; I spend so much time trying to explain (when asked!) that Paleo is not all about ‘just eating raw meat all day long” that I seem to have been remiss about mentioning the fact that is can serve as a fantastic part of a healthy Paleo regime!

Some choose to follow Paleo from a perspective integrating some raw with some cooked, while others feel strongly about preparation being sans heat.    There are arguments for both approaches, the most common ones that I’ve heard being:

“Cooking kills nutrients” (true)

versus

“Not cooking puts one at risk of bacterial contamination” (also true)

For those who have been reading my work for a while, you won’t be surprised at what I’m about to suggest: balance!   Sometimes eat raw, and sometimes eat cooked.

Including meat and fish.

The key is to be fastidious about sourcing your proteins.    I wouldn’t suggest going into the local franchise grocery store, purchasing their day-old beef tenderloin and eating it as-is.  However, dining at a local restaurant where they’ve made an in-house carpaccio out of local grass fed beef, finished off with a raw quail egg is something I’ve partaken of many a time.

Similarly with fish- wild salmon sashimi, for example, is a fantastic source of protein and rich, Omega 3 fatty acids; the sunfish your son caught in the lake today at boy scout camp, however, might be better off cooked over an open fire!

Certain populations may want to be a bit more careful, including pregnant women or anyone with a compromised immune system.

As long as you’re diligent about sourcing your proteins and use common sense about it, you’ll reduce your chances of getting ill from a bacterial contamination as well as increase the huge variety of options for your Paleo plate!

 

Paleo, Protein and Going the Distance

I often find blog post subjects from questions or comments I receive via twitter, facebook or emails, so keep them coming along, please!

The other day I received a such one comment via Twitter to my post about eating bananas and coconut water during training, or carbohydrate gels.

“So no protein for you? Paleo Diet for Athletes says 4:1 carb/protein during long races“, the question read.

To begin, I definitely found Paleo for Athletes to be an invaluable read; it was the second Paleo book I read, after the quintessential must-read, Dr. Cordain’s The Paleo Diet.   Both are an important component in any Paleo athlete’s library.

My own interpretation that I suggest for my clients as well is to read the books, soak up the knowledge and get to work implementing them by trial and error.   While we all share the same commonality of being human, we all vary in terms of how much food we can handle close to training, how much we can properly ingest during and how long it takes us to recover, to a degree.

In other words, take the science provided by Dr. Cordain and then do your own ‘field-tests’ on yourself to see what works.

For example, in Paleo for Athletes, there is a recovery plan of what to eat involving phases of recovery.  

I’ve had clients tell me that they’ve had their homebrew recovery drink but don’t want to wait for a certain period of time to elapse before eating protein and veggies because their body is craving it.  Or, in my example from the other day’s post, I find that for me, eating protein when I’m working at high intensity for a long period of time doesn’t sit as well with me as just carbohydrate.

This is certainly not meant to oppose all the science behind the recommendations; rather a suggestion to understand the science and see what works best for you.  

Test it, try it, test it again and get everything dialed in before your key race and just watch how much better you perform and recover compared to the old days before you were Paleo!

 

Beating Belly Fat and Slimming Thighs…Really?

“Beat that belly fat, once and for all”.   “Slim your thighs with three simple moves”.  ”Look ten pounds thinner by standing taller”.

OK.

Really?

How are headlines such as these still gracing the covers of so many magazines, blogs and ads?   Does anyone still really think that eating one certain food is going to create such a huge caloric burn that the doughnuts and ice cream you ate late night are of no significance?   Or that if you eat one particular food at a certain time of day that it will somehow not contribute to the total number of calories you’re consuming that day?

To review:

There is no such thing as ‘spot reducing’.  One cannot eat random, junky food, then do hundreds of sets of hip abduction exercises and expect to slim the bulges on the outsides of their legs. If there is an excess of bodyfat anywhere in the body, the diet needs to be addressed.  Period.  Go Paleo.
There is also no magic recipe to lose weight rapidly that is also safe and effective and lasting.  If one has been gaining weight over the course of the last several years and now tips the scales at fifty pounds heavier than they should be, why on Earth should they expect it to come off in two weeks.   Slow and steady is the way to go; go Paleo.
There is no way to ‘increase one’s metabolism’ by taking a pill.   There is one way to increase metabolism:  build lean muscle.  That’s it.  All those dangerous pills that claim to do so, really do nothing more than increase one’s heart rate and sometime suppress appetite.   On the mild side, it can result in a jittery feeling; on the serious side, death.  Not really worth it, is it? Again, go Paleo.

Quite likely,  in many cases, we know what’s good for us, what we should eat and what we should avoid; the problem is just wanting it all now.

Be patient, treat your body kindly and feed it good foods.   Doing so will pave the way for a long, healthy life in a lean, fit body.

Vegan & Paleo- Can It Work?

In a word…no.

While I’m asked this quite a bit, surprisingly, it just can’t happen, any more than one can be a vegan who eats beef.  

Incidentally, even when I was vegan myself, I never quite understood some of the permutations I heard such as  lacto-vegetarian or pesco-vegan.  

If you’re vegan, you don’t eat any animal products, period.  If you’re Paleo, you do; that much is fact.

As there are no grains or legumes on the Paleo diet, the proteins sources that many vegans rely upon (again, this includes me, twelve years ago) are largely based on soy (tofu, tempeh, edamame) or gluten (texturized vegetable protein, and so many of the fake ‘meats’) or beans, all of which are not part of the Paleo diet.

Properly following the Paleo diet means eating a balance of fresh vegetables, fruit, natural fats and yes, I’ll say it, flesh protein.  It simply cannot work if you nix all of the protein sources.

I will say that I’ve had clients find success with eating only seafood, and that’s certainly better for your body than not giving it any protein, so if you’re on the fence, this might be an option for you.

 Paleo + Vegan, though?  There’s just no such thing.