Nell Stephenson's Blog, page 51

Your Dog is On Prozac?

I love dogs.  

In particular, having just lost our 15 y/o Weim, Daisy, barely a year after her brother passed away (both shown above, 2009), I feel inclined to approach any Weimaraner I see to say hello.

Just the other day, I saw a seemingly older Weim being walked by her mom on the street, not too far from our pied-à-terre in New York.

Upon having a brief chat with her human, I learned that she was deaf.  Then, the woman shared that she’d recently gone through a divorce and so her Gretel was no longer being taken out on her daily runs, as that was her ex’s job.  As a result Gretel started to become rather anxious and hyper, so her mom took her to the vet and got a prescription for Prozac.

Just at that moment, Gretel needed to answer nature’s call and judging by her effort to go to the bathroom and poor stool quality, it was very apparent that she’s not eating properly.

So there you have a beautiful dog being fed horrible ‘faux food’, not  being exercised and being medicated with prozac.

You know the saying, some people shouldn’t have kids?  Well…

It’s not that hard.  Our Graham and Daisy were not remotely hyper.  They ate real food and ran every day.  

Hello?

Same goes for dogs as humans; just eat food and move.

Too Many Berries?

When you’re just getting started on your weekly Hour in the Kitchen, it’s easy to buy the wrong quantities of foods.

Too much fruit, not enough veggies?   Enough pastured chicken to feed an army but barely enough wild salmon to feed your toddler?

Happens all the time.

It’s part of the learning curve to determine how much of each fresh, lovely Paleo food you need to suit yourself and your family.

Not to worry if you’ve overbought as many things can be used up in other creative ways that you may not have planned, or cooked, portioned out and frozen.

One commonly made error is washing too much produce too soon.

While there’s no reason not to wash large, whole fruit and veggies like apples or lettuces that you can easily spin dry, other, more delicate foods are better off left as is until right before you’re going to eat them.

Two perfect examples are grapes and berries.

Unless you’re actually going to take the time to painstakingly dry them one by one, chances are higher than not that you’ll end up leaving too much moisture on each little fruit causing them to decay far more quickly.

But what if you’ve already washed them?

It’s not too late- freezer to the rescue!

Simply line a baking tray with parchment paper and scatter berries and/ or grapes on top, then place in the freezer.  Delicious scattered on top of a salad or as a tasty little treat after dinner on a hot, summer day.

Love Bread? Then You’ll Love This.

This was the subject line on a recent email I received from a rather well-known ‘healthy eating/living’ online journal.

“Have this yummy quick bread with a side of low-fat Greek yogurt and you’ll get the carbs and protein you need to fuel exercise and recovery.“, stated the description of the recipe I saw once I clicked on the link and learned how to whip up a batch of  Banana Raspberry Bread. 

Vegetable-oil cooking spray, all-purpose flour, sugar, salt and milk make up the most of the composition; the fact that it contains one egg and some banana are the only reason I’d keep from calling it completely appalling…

Look- it’s just a cake recipe.  Call it what it is and there’s no issue.  No one bakes a chocolate cake with the goal being to make a healthy snack, do they?  (Maybe I shouldn’t even go there…).

Does the fact that the recipe is authored my an RD make it healthy?

I think not.

When are we going to stop this nonsense?   Even if you’re not Paleo, or not following any type of eating regime, is anyone really thinking flour plus sugar plus salt equals a good idea?

Reminds me of a high school friend I had who was convinced smoking menthol cigarettes to help clear out clogged sinuses was smart.

If you want to eat cake, it’s your choice.  But don’t pretend it’s healthy.

 

 

Sitting Isn’t Paleo

Sitting.  In the words of Juan Carlos Santana, it really is the root of all evil.

For a combination of reasons, the more we sit, the worse our bodies feel.   Poor posture, decreased caloric expenditure and a strong correlation with a tendency to feel less alert are only a few reasons we might consider doing less of this sedentary ‘activity’.

Here’s another one for you: it’s not Paleo.   And, it’s quite  unnatural.

Let’s compare this unnatural manner of being to another one:  not running.  

Using children as an example, we can look at any young one who’s learned to walk and then run and see their natural movement patterns.   It’s been said that running can be considered controlled falling.   Those who have run as a child and continued doing so have a more fluid gait and are far less likely to have issues than those who stopped running and had to awkwardly re-learn to run at a later stage in life.

Couple that with the wrong footwear, too much too soon, poor running surfaces and compensations resulting from tight or weak muscles stemming from inactivity and you’ve got an absolute recipe for disaster.

Same goes with sitting.

Kids don’t sit.  They squat.   Their quads aren’t too tight to keep them from squatting, nor are their knees aching from being stiff from sitting at a desk all day. Their hip flexors aren’t twanging and their hamstrings aren’t balled up in knots.

You might try squatting and find it’s far from comfortable and, on top of that, it requires muscle activation.

Let this be motivation to get up and get moving.

If you’re stiff, find a qualified massage therapist to help you get back in order.

If you’re injured, seek a physiotherapist to help address what you can proactively do to promote healing.

And use the squat test to see how you’re progressing.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m certainly not suggesting you never sit again; while you’ll often find me squatting on the floor amidst a pile of paperwork that needs to be sorted out or a series of magazine article I need to catch up, I’m not going to be assuming that posture when I’m out for dinner.

You get the idea.

Sit in extreme moderation and get a move on! 

Click here to read the full article- it’s quite relevant to anyone who sits…ever.

Obsessing About Food?

“Hi!! I feel so clean and less water retention when I eat your recipes, but how do you suggest to not obsess about food when you are trying to make the Paleo switch?” wrote in a blog reader the other day…

The most common issue I see clients dealing with when they report feeling ‘obsessed with food’ is that they’re not eating enough.

Think about a very calorically restricted diet as an example.  Say, perhaps, that you’ve decided to adhere to the rules of an early 90′s model and you’re doing a low-fat, low-cal model and trying to get by on 1,200 calories per day.  Sure, this might be enough if you’re three feet tall, but for most adults, it’s far too low.

However, many of us, myself included, have certainly given this a try.

End result?  Typically one could follow this approach for a period of time and while the weight may come off, it’s usually short lived.  Days after days or weeks after weeks of eating too little, feeling irritable and dizzy and unable to stop thinking about when the next meal is combing along.

Kinda like obsessing over food.

When a True Paleo regime is properly implemented, however, you’re every sense is satiated.  You’ve eaten a meal that looks lovely, smells fantastic, tastes incredible with a pleasant mouthfeel and all the colors of the rainbow have graced your plate over the course o the day. You’ve consumed adequate fat, the proper amount of protein and balanced it all out with a range of local, seasonal veggies.

With no fillers, and no bad side effects, to boot!

So, if you find yourself constantly thinking about food, check in and make sure the type of approach you’re following really is that of a True Paleo regime, and not some strange, too-low-calorie version of it.

Need help?  You know where to find me!  Consults available globally!

6 Reasons to Eat Peanuts. What?

According to Learnist,  a “crowd-sourced collection of the world’s knowledge, with curated web, text and video content on Learnboards™ covering tens-of-thousands of topics”, we should all be eating peanuts.

Why?

Because of their ability to:

Can Lower Cholesterol 
Control Blood Sugar
Lose Fat
Make You Lean
Provide Good Fats
Boost Memory Power
Provide Protective Nutrients

Hmmm… where is this information coming from?

No mention about the fact that peanuts are one of the most common allergens?   Or that they’re packed full of the anti nutrients, lectins, which contribute to leaky gut?   How about their susceptibility to a mold that produces a mycotoxin called aflatoxin which is linked to certain cancers?

If you’re hooked on this legume and can’t imagine a world without peanut butter, switch to a nut butter instead, but make sure it’s raw, and that you’re not eating it in huge quantities as all nuts are high in Omega 6s, which are in inflammatory, and all nuts also contain phytates, which, unfortunately, also can contribute to leaky gut when eaten too much or too often.

Better yet, transition to more avocado, rich in monounsaturated fat as well as coconut oil, the only food source of medium chain tryglycerides and, of course, olive oil.  

These three fat sources, in addition to the natural fat we get with our proteins like wild salmon or a nice, grass-fed rib eye, provide a great balance of the fat we desperately need in our lives!

 

 

Not Enough Veg.? Keep Asking!

I had to laugh to myself.  Last week in Amsterdam at one of the most premium hotels, I ordered a large side of garlicky sautéed spinach with my breakfast of two runny eggs and salmon.

I told the server I liked a lot of veggies so please ask the chef to prepare a nice, hefty portion.

When the meal came, there were about three spinach leaves.

I asked for more, please, and the server came back with a larger plate which was far closer to what I’d had in mind, and the plate was served with an apology.

Apparently, my husband and I had eaten the hotel’s entire ration of spinach for the whole day.

Wow!  That was a new feat for me, but sadly, and more importantly, it says a lot about what people are asking for.

A quick peak at their breakfast buffer provided the same information; the trays of asparagus, fresh tomato, cucumber and avocado remained practically untouched (except by the two of us), while the baskets of breads, croissants and every gluten-rich baked good you could imagine needed to be restocked time and time again.

Change is needed, certainly, on a large scale.

What can we do?  Start with ourselves and our own family.  Don’t assume that you have to eat poor quality ‘food’ choices just because you’re traveling and/or dining out.

Ask, and nine and a half times out of ten, you’ll get what you’re after, at many different places all around the world. Sure, it may be difficult at times, and it’s clearly very easy to just eat what’s there, but at what cost?

Why choose something that’ll make you feel ill when being patient and creative will warrant the food you’ve become used to eating and keep you feeling healthy?

It’s not that hard, and it’s definitely worth asking for!

Unnecessary Additions

Why is it assumed that one would automatically want certain things with their meal when dining out?

A basked of bread with butter is easy enough to turn away before the server actually even places it on the table but what about sides that come with a meal that weren’t on the menu?

This evening, my husband and I had an absolutely suitable Paleo meal at a hole in the wall en route to one of his events.   Greek salad sans the feta and pita bread, simply grilled lamb kabobs and a half roast chicken to share which came with steamed cabbage and carrots.

Perfect!

But then out came not one, not two but three types of preparation of white potatoes that weren’t mentioned on the menu (shown above).

Aside from being a total waste of plate space as I would have preferred more veg, it’s a waste of cost and time that the cooks spent prepping it.

If only it would automatically be assumed that everyone would want loads of veg!

Oh…the bain of my existence- the overwhelming, omnipresent status of processed, refined carbohydrates with little to no nutritional value and no purpose whatsoever other than stuffing one’s belly.

Who wants to be stuffed?   What are we, couches?

I’d rather keep energized, light, lean and filler-free, thank you very much!

Finishing Strong…With Chocolate Milk?

Oh, geez….here we go again.  One of the interesting parts of receiving subscriptions to several triathlon and running periodicals is all the curious promotions from random products ranging from compression socks to running water bottles to ‘EPO Boost’ pills to, of course, ‘sports nutrition’.

I feel the need to use quotes as many of the products are not remotely nutritious in any way, shape or form.

Take, for example, one promo I received today, entitled: Finishing Strong with Chocolate Milk. 

Click on the link to ‘science‘ and you’ll learn:

“More than 20 studies support the benefits of recovering with the high-quality protein and nutrients in chocolate milk after a tough workout. Low fat chocolate milk:

• is a natural source of high-quality protein to build lean muscle
• contains the right mix of protein and carbs scientifically shown to refuel exhausted muscles and help return to peak potential
• provides fluids and electrolytes – like calcium, potassium, magnesium and sodium – to rehydrate and help replenish critical nutrients lost in sweat“

Then, scroll down to the bottom and it all becomes clear:

Got Milk?® is a registered trademark of the California Milk Processor Board.

Ah!  Ok, now it makes sense.  Of course the milk processor board wants us to think consuming bovine bodily fluid, plus extra sugar minus fat is a great, healthy option for athletes.

And we are too easily fooled.

The mindset that athletes just need to ‘get the calories in, regardless of their source’ is about as ridiculous as thinking you can just put any liquid in your car’s gas tank, in the event you cannot find a gas station.

The source of calories, and the balance of when they’re consumed with regard to training is of utmost importance.  That is, if you’re interested in not only performing at your best but also achieving optimal health.

If not, go ahead and go with the candy-during-a-workout and chocolate milk afterwards approach.  You can choose health, or you can choose…not.  

Your call!

How Do You Say “Lara Bar” in Dutch?

I’m not quite sure, but I don’t need to learn, now that I’ve found two good ‘in a pinch’ options for travel!  

I spent my first afternoon in Amsterdam wandering around all the shops along the canals,  throughout the museum district near our hotel and into Old Town, too.

I popped into a juice bar where I had a lovely green juice, made to order and a side of raw cashews.  It was there that I happened upon what appeared to be a Euro version of a Lara Bar, one of the few, commercially sold ‘bars’ I’d recommend having on hand for those situations where you’re stuck with no great options.

Pictured above, Raw Bite and Roo’Bar both have a short list of real food ingredients, all of which are Paleo friendly.  Double check the bars before buying, though, as I only saw a few of each varieties, and, just as with Lara Bars, there could quite possibly be a flavor or two with peanuts.   

As a reminder, the idea is not to chomp down bars of any description day in and day out; they’re still rather high in sugar, even if the sugar does come from fruit, and they’re still packaged and…they do not have any veggies!  However, they’re still good for situations such as being stuck in the office when your only other choice is microwave popcorn or vending machine candy bars.

OK, then!

A quick check on both labels showed that they did, in fact, contain only nuts and dried fruit and as such, I picked up a few for the road.

What a great find!  Who knows, they may come in handy on this very trip!