Nell Stephenson's Blog, page 26

The Hidden Truth About Kale

As if there were anything to hide!  

 

Anyone who’s been reading the Paleoista blog since its inception back in 2007 can vouch for the fact that I am, admittedly, quite possibly, one of the biggest kale pushers around.

 

I’ll throw some Kale in the Vitamix as part of my post workout smoothie in the morning and shred some to top off an afternoon wild salmon salad. If you need to dress it up, my signature Raw Kale Fusion salad, as featured in The Paleo Diet Cookbook is the star dish of any dinner party.

 

In fact, the truth is, I feel odd when a day passes without eating some of my all time favorite leafy green.

 

How does Kale measure up on the ANDI scale, which ranks the nutrient value of many common foods on a scale of 1-1000 on the basis of how many nutrients they deliver to your body for each calorie consumed? Kale rolls in at 1000!

 

For context, Coca Cola bottoms the chart out with a 1.

 

At just 33 calories, one cup of raw kale has:

 

Nearly 3 grams of protein (but please don’t let that lead you to believe it’s a good source of aminos!)
5 grams of fiber
Vitamins A, C, and K
Folate, a B vitamin that’s key for brain development and essential during pregnancy
Alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid
Lutein and zeaxanthin, nutrients that protect against macular degeneration and cataracts
Potassium, calcium, and zinc

 

So pile on the kale… right?

 

Yes, but here’s the caveat- there is, sadly, such a thing as too much kale.

 

All cruciferous veggies contain sulfur, but when eaten to excess, and without balancing it out with iodine, can actually hamper normal thyroid function.

 

What to do?

 

Simple fix- add seaweed to your diet. Seaweed is the best food source of iodine, far superior to taking an iodine supplement, or worse, piling on the iodized table salt. This tasty veggie makes a great snack or add on to any meal. 

 

Try making your own sashimi wrap at home with a sheet or two of Nori, some raw fish and a few slices of avocado.

 

Now, back to the star of this article:  kale.

 

You may find red curly, green curly, black, or Dino/Lacinto Kale, Cavolo Negro or Scotch Kale in your local farmer’s market or grocery. Which is best?

 

All of them!  Some find the black kale makes a better juice if you’re throwing it in the Vitamix, and perhaps raw curly warrants the best texture for a quick stir-fry in coconut oil with some garlic, ginger and scallions.

 

Why not try all of them?

And if you’re convinced that there’s no good way to try it raw, you definitely haven’t experienced Paleoista’s Raw Kale Fusion, sure to turn even the biggest skeptic or most picky eater into kale’s newest fan.

 

Join me in my East Coast Kitchen as I prepare it, step by step!

 

 

Or try it for yourself!

 

Click Here for Paleoista’s Raw Kale Fusion Salad Recipe!

 

REFERENCES

Dr. Fuhrman’s Nutritarian Handbook, by Joel Furhman, MD, May 2013

Agricultural Research Service National Agricultural Library, USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference

Can’t Beet This!

You’ve probably read about it by now; beets are hot!   While I may not go so far as to say they’re the new kale (solely because of my love of the leafy green), they’re something worth looking into, to say the least.

Beets, rich in Nitrates (NO3), provide a concentrated source of dietary nitrate, which becomes Nitric Oxide in the body, acting as a vasodilator.

Health benefits include:

a boost in stamina, helping you exercise longer
improved blood flow and lower blood pressure
greater power output and less fatigue.

So what’s it to you?

You can see improvements in training and performance, creating a scenario whereby you increase muscle strength, muscle growth and muscle endurance.

And while whipping up a smoothie of your own (check out my recipe), is the easiest way you to, there’s also another thing worth trying:

AMRAP’s newest product, NoB, offers a good replacement when you’re traveling and didn’t happen to pack your juicer in your overnight bag!

 I first tried it about a month ago, solely because I feel their bars have always been one of the few out there which claim to be Paleo, that really are.

With a clean ingredient panel, I needed no further convincing:

 INGREDIENTS: Non-GMO Beet Juice Concentrate, Electrolyte Blend (Potassium Citrate, Sea Salt, Magnesium Oxide), Stevia, Natural Flavor.

It tasted great, mixed easily and proved to be a nice fill-in product for when I’m away from my kitchen and beloved Vitamin.

Click here for more

and be sure top check out my recipe for making your own beefy-concoction!

Spring Fennel, Apple, Radish Citrus Salad

Spring is here!   What better way to take advantage of the abundance of produce than to create something that embodies the essence of spring:   a light, easy to prepare, crisp salad that’s ready in less than five minutes.

Being a fan of some heat, such as what you might enjoy when dining on a piece of Blackened Cajun Salmon, I like to balance of this type of dish with something that is naturally cooling to the palate, yet doesn’t compete with all the decadence of the lovely, oil fish and the fiery chili.

Enter fennel. And radish.  And why not throw in a little green apple, while you’re at it?

Light, crisp and lovely to look at, it’ll go perfectly with that meal you’re trying to whip up when you’ve got no time to spare!

Click here for the recipe!

Oh! So Saucy!

Looking for an easy, fast way to turn boring carrot and celery sticks into a more interesting snack?  How about a way to jazz up broiled wild Halibut?

Do you like roasted red peppers, almonds, a twist of lemon and some cilantro?

Check out my recipe for Paleoista’s Romesco Sauce; perfect as a dip for crudités, a sauce for a hearty, white fish or a marinade for pasture raised poultry!

Say good bye to boring and welcome in flavor, taste…and health!

Livening Up Bland Proteins with Some Pizzazz!

I’ve never been a big fan of dousing steak sauce on a beautiful grass-fed filet or covering an arugula and pear salad with a wad of gorgonzola.

I tend to like simple, local and fresh… all of which make for an opportunity to enjoy the real taste of the food you’re eating instead of masking an unsavory meal with some type of veil.

However, that is certainly not to say that there aren’t times when we’d all like something with a bit more flavor when we’ve grown tired of eating what feels like same old, same old.

One easy fix to this dilemma is to create a sauce out of herbs, spices and some good fat, like olive oil or avocado, and create a concoction that can be used as a sauce, dip or base for a stew!

Check out my recipe for one such easy to make recipe:  Spicy Cool Cilantro, Lime and Spinach Sauce.  

While a vitamix is handy, you can also use a mini prep food processor.

Ready in less than five minutes, boring food won’t stand a chance!

Paleo at San Ysidro Ranch, Montecito

It’s been a lovely getaway here at the San Ysidro Ranch; the perfect place for some R&R after Sunday’s marathon.

This is a particularly special place for my husband and me, having spent the days leading up to our wedding here, as well as several birthdays and anniversaries.

I could go on for hours about the accommodations, the nearby hiking and running trails and the simple serene nature of the place, but since I’m not a travel writer but Paleoista, I may as well get straight to the point:  the dining here is incredible.

With their own, on-site organic garden at their fingertips, and local wild protein sources, the chef and kitchen easily prepare a vast array of wonderful options.

From the Sauteed Garlic Chard, Farm Fresh Eggs over-easy and bowl of berries we enjoyed for breakfast to the Kale Salad with House-Smoked Bacon, Heirloom Cauliflower and Soft Poached Egg , followed by the Venison chop, Baked Sunchokes with Roasted Asparagus and Braised Endive, Kumquat  and Fennel Pollen I enjoyed at last night’s dinner, there is no lack of options for fine dining that is at the same time decadent, delicious, delightful…and Paleo, whether or not the menu says it in so many words.

In fact,  I’d almost argue that the menus I’ve seen that follow this template versus those who have ‘Paleo-ized’ a recipe, such as making almond flour noodles and serving it with cashew ‘cheez’ in order to serve ‘Paleo Fettuccine Alfredo’ are far closer to the real deal in the first place.

When in Montecito, regardless if if you’re staying at SYR or not, you’ve simply got to dine here at the Stonehouse.

You’ll be glad you did!   

Another Fun Day at the Races

Perfect race conditions.  

Despite a prediction for a mega heat wave that was certainly in effect yesterday in LA, the race began today just before 7 and temps felt significantly lower than yesterday, although, being a fan of racing in hot, humid Kona, I wouldn’t have minded if it had been even warmer.

I’d had my typical pre-race smoothie at home, along with an espresso, then headed up to Dodger Stadium around 5:15. Another nice feature of LA Living- no travel necessary for this particular event!

Inspiration is everywhere:

It’s always a treat to start right behind the professional men and women; athletes with lithe bodies and correspondingly beautiful running gates; those who finish around the ballpark of 2:10 and 2:30, respectively.

In addition, the Legacy Runners at this race, a group of runners who have completed every single ASICS LA Marathon since the first race in 1986 and strive to continue their streak, are always inspiring to watch as their dedication to a lifetime of fitness sets an outstanding example for all of us, as do the challenged athletes as well as the Students Run LA group.

And overall, the simple fact that 26,000 of us came together to share in an event that, in my opinion, is one of the two most natural forms of movement (the other being walking) to bipeds.

Moving, eating real food (or as we know it, Paleo food) is the recipe for a long healthy life and the single most important factor I was able to transition from a rather average age group athlete to competitive runner.

And while I still didn’t achieve my goal of breaking three hours today, I gave it all I had on this particular day and continue to feel inspired, happy to be a part of this running community and incredibly grateful to be able to engage a the sport I love the most: running.

What to Eat The Day Before a Marathon?

In a word…food.

You’ll want to perform, so you’ve reduced training over the course of the week, increased rest and truly primed the pump in order to toe the line as though you’ve got springs in your feet.

Starchy root veggies such as yam or sweet potato play a role in the diet of a Paleo endurance athlete.  When we’re getting ready to go long, these are two perfect examples of real, clean food that can serve to load the body with glycogen.  

So, when you’re got a long run, ride or whatever activity it is that you do, coming up, it makes sense to eat this starch.

And it’s simple- all you need to do is add small quantities of yam or sweet potato (depending where in the world you live and what’s available locally) to your Paleo template of each meal.  No need for three cups of pasta in one sitting or to inhale two bagels.  The body won’t process those carbs in that manner most efficiently anyway.

Here’s my typical day before the race day (which is pretty similar for marathoning, ultra running and ironman) meal run down:

Breakfast (after my quick, 25 minute run with 5 minutes of strides)

Steamed broccoli, two runny eggs, avocado, blueberries

Snack

Arugula, Nori, leftover salmon, avocado, yam

Lunch

Sauteed Garlic Spinach, leftover steak, olive oil, banana

Snack

Mashed yam, sliced turkey, coconut oil, applesauce, shredded raw kale

Dinner

Roast chicken, salad, broccoli, yam

Straightforward, isn’t it?

For more…

Pocket Paleo WORKOUT on itunes or amazon

See you out there on the course! 

USDA and Athlete Recommendations

Wondering what the USDA suggests for athletes?

Let’s see.

First, we head to the parent site and do a search and are greeted with a list of resources, starting with such references as MedlinePlus and Australian Institute of Sport and then…there it is. 

The Gatorade Sports Science Institute.

“Founded in 1985, the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI) is committed to helping athletes optimize their health and performance through research and education in hydration and nutrition science.

GSSI scientists study the effects of nutrition on the human body before, during and after exercise. For more than two decades, hundreds of amateur, elite and professional athletes have participated in testing with GSSI and in studies with university research partners around the world. GSSI’s headquarter lab, mobile and satellite laboratories and on the field testing enable GSSI to do leading research with the aim to provide athletes with advice and products that help their performance and achieve their goals.“

I can recall back in my days at USC that the GSSI was referred to quite a bit both from my professors and their teaching assistants.

Clearly regarded as one of the go-to sources of reliable information on subject pertinent to athletes including hydration, fueling and performance.

My question is, how unbiased can the research be if the whole organization is funded by Gatorade?

Something I cannot answer, but it does beg the question.

So, with their affiliation with the USDA, what is the recommendation for athletes?

The guidelines from Colorado State, also posted on the USDA’s site suggest:

“For events that require heavy work for more than 90 minutes, a high-carbohydrate diet eaten for two to three days before the event allows glycogen storage spaces to be filled. Long distance runners, cyclists, cross-country skiers, canoe racers, swimmers and soccer players report benefits from a pre competition diet where 70 percent of the calories comes from carbohydrates.”

70%.

Wow.

I used to subscribe to that idea, in my pre-Paleo days.   And while the high-carb diet I ate wasn’t the reason I was sick all the time (that was thanks to the gluten in the bagels and pasta I thought I needed to fuel and the whey in the protein powder I thought I needed to recover), it was certainly the reason I never looked as lean as I wanted despite training 25 – 30 hours per week for Ironman.

So when I switched to Paleo for health reasons and experienced the nice side effect of reaching the lean body weight I’d been working towards, I also began to train myself to become efficient at using fat as my fuel.

Over time, the body can learn to function quite optimally this way and simultaneously, the risks of many health concerns like diabetes, insulin sensitivity and simply being over-fat drop tremendously.

So now, even the thought of eating a 70% carb diet to prep for an event, and a short event at that, is enough to make me feel  a little sleepy!

My own diet hovers between 40 – 50% fat and it’s proven me well time and time again, both in racing as well as in day to day living.

If you’re mulling it over, check out Pocket Paleo workout (on iTunes or amazon), endorsed by renewed triathlon coach Joe Friel (also a Paleo proponent) and try your hand at letting your body become more reliant, firstly on food rather than refined sports nutrition products, and at the same time learn to be a better fat burner.

Curious to see what my diet actually looks like?

Tune in tomorrow, the day before my next race (the LA Marathon this Sunday) for an outline of a day in the life.

 

USDA, How About More Farm to Table in School Lunches?

Marketplace.org featured a great article on this very topic in late fall of 2014; which is a far cry from what many children are served during lunch at school.

Of course, the idea is great, but how would it be paid for? It’s obviously far more economical to serve highly refined, mass produced  food versus farm to table and according to the article, California public schools serve 560 million lunches a year, so it’s no small number.  

Plus, it’s not as easy as just deciding to change the menu in any particular school as school lunch is bound by federal requirements and a strict budget.

So what’s the answer?

Creativity.

According to Alexandra Emmott, Oakland, California’s Unified School District’s farm-to-school supervisor stated in the article, “Sometimes the district balances the extra cost over the course of the lunch calendar, or hits the price point by replacing a second piece of chicken with, say, red beans and rice. It involves some creativity, but this type of thinking is starting to catch on.”

A perfect example is illustrated by what Chef Jamie Oliver is doing with his Food Foundation, whose mission is “to replace processed junk food with freshly cooked meals in schools all over America. They’ll be made from fresh, locally sourced ingredients and cooked from scratch by properly trained cooks in well-equipped kitchens.”

We’ve got to all do our part to make a positive impact wherever and however we can.   Jamie even offers a ‘toolkit’ on his site which helps outline the steps to get involved, including:

Get the facts. See for yourself what’s being served on the breakfast and lunch trays and in the snack lines. Find out what’s working and what’s not.

Find support. If you think things need to be improved, find other parents in your school who feel the same way and work together.

Start your campaign. Get informed and make a plan, make friends with your school
nutrition director and ask for their help and support, go to PTA meetings, get the kids involved, send emails, make noise, track change and share your progress. Take every opportunity to keep discussions about school food on everyone’s agenda.

Let your school, and the USDA know that it’s not a matter of sitting back and expecting them to snap their fingers and make a change; rather, if we approach it collectively and move forward with a plan of attack together, that’s where the real progress lies.

After all, you can catch more flies with honey, and honey is Paleo…sort of…