Nell Stephenson's Blog, page 63
March 20, 2014
My Favorite Little Portable Fat
Artisana has always been my favorite brand of organic, raw coconut oil, but they’ve really done it now.
Not that it’s a brand new offering, but it’s something I’ve failed to blog about before- their single serve coconut oil packets.
I use them often for travel, as well as for training as they come in quite handy as a healthy, easy to digest fat both when on the go and during an endurance ride or long hike.
Rather than always having to rely on nuts as a go-to fat source simply due to how ‘easy’ they are (no prep, no refrigeration needed), here’s a great alternative that offers the missing component to many a snack or meal eaten out to balance out the other, easier to find parts (clean carbohydrate from fresh fruit and veg, and natural proteins from organic sliced turkey or a some homemade jerky).
With natural antimicrobial properties, and as the only food source of MCTs, this is a must have staple in your diet. Keep a packet in your desk at work, in your car and even in your suitcase. Yes, it’ll turn to liquid when it’s warm, but you’re only going to eat it straight away since it’s meant to serve just one anyway.
March 19, 2014
Help! What Can I Eat At A Vegan Restaurant?
One of the coolest things about the Paleo lifestyle is that contrary to popular belief, it’s actually not all about living in a bubble…or a cave.
Yes, it is easiest to be sure there’s nothing funky in your food if you’ve sourced it and cooked it yourself, but come on now, none of us want to feel like it’s a choice between holing up at home every time you eat, missing out on the social component that is simply a big part of our eating experience as a whole.
And no, I’m not suggesting you show up at the three start Michelin place with a tupperware of steamed organic broccoli and a piece of a pasteurized hen named Charlotte from the local farm.
Most places offer something that’s Paleo friendly, even if you have to modify a bit more than you’d planned.
But what to do if you’re dining with friends of the vegan persuasion? While Paleo and Vegan share in common the plant-based nature of the diet, the one huge differentiating factor is the protein sources.
The easiest fix here is to either eat a little bit of some animal protein shortly before you leave home in order to maintain the macro nutrient ratio, and/or make sure to include some good fats from avocado, coconut oil and olive oil with whatever veggie dishes you order at the eatery.
No need to swallow your pride along with a wallop of tempeh, seitan or good old tofu, which can leave you with a sore belly, bloating and a feeling of ‘why did I do that’ when you can avoid ingesting the stuff you don’t normally eat in the first place, nor to feel out of place when dining with friends who don’t happen to have the exact same Paleo viewpoint you may have.
Problem solved!
March 18, 2014
Things Even A Paleo Hater Can Learn From The Regime
Mind Body Green, a website offering “Daily Wellness Inspiration Straight To Your Inbox”, according to their website, had a great piece about Paleo the other day, and, much to my surprise, it was actually accurate for a change!
Entitled “10 Things Everyone Can Learn From Paleo Even If You Hate It”, it recaps ten principles illustrating ten ideas the author learned from The Paleo Diet and continues to implement into her daily regime.
When Paleo is positioned in terms of ‘Eat Like Your Great, Great Grandparent, Cut The Sugar and Ditch Dairy and Wheat For 30 days’ it sounds a lot more like common sense and a quite doable approach versus the misconception that many have about what Paleo really is.
And I, for one, am all for it.
As I’ve said many a time, even if you’re partly Paleo, heading to totally Paleo, it’s still much better than following the Standard American Diet or not eating any veggies or making stops at fast food joints the norm.
Small steps in the right direction are progress, and progress is a good thing!
March 17, 2014
Is Juice Plus All That?
Recently, a reader wrote in to ask what I thought about a product I’ve heard about many a time…Juice Plus.
She wanted my opinion on what she referred too as ‘a new fad in her area, which she thinks is ridiculous but can’t seems to get thru to my pushy friends who think this is great… ‘
For those of you unfamiliar with this product, here’s the description from their site:
“The Next Best Thing to Fruits and Vegetables, Juice Plus+ is whole food based nutrition, including juice powder concentrates from 25 different fruits, vegetables and grains… We simply don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables. And that hurts our health and wellness. Juice Plus+ helps bridge the gap between what you should eat and what you do eat every day.Not a multivitamin, medicine, treatment or cure for any disease, Juice Plus+ is all-natural and made from quality ingredients carefully monitored from farm to capsule so you can enjoy improved nutrition and wellness.“
OK, first question. If it’s the next best thing to fruits and vegetables, wouldn’t I just eat fruit and vegetables? Maybe it’s me, but that kinda seems like common sense, no?
Next up- a powder made fro fruits, vegetables…and grains? Um, why grains? I get the idea of trying to encapsulate the first two and sell it as a health promoting supplement but grains? Don’t get it.
Next point, true; we do not, as a society, eat enough fruit and vegetables. So…shouldn’t we start doing so rather than taking pills?
Here’s the thing. Yes, one might take a pill like a multi vitamin as what I’d refer to as an ‘insurance policy’ but that’s all it is; a supplement to round out what we should be getting in our fresh food.
Take away on Juice Plus? Skip it and spend your money buying better quality food.
March 16, 2014
True Paleo Away From Home
It goes without saying that it’s far easier to follow your True Paleo regime when you’re buying all your own produce, wild fish and game and preparing everything at home.
What happens the first time you foray out into the world of restaurant dining, send your kids off to school to fend for themselves amongst a deep fried, nutrient-lacking school lunch or…gasp- attempt to eat healthfully while traveling?
These are three of the top five most tricky situations that clients report having difficulty with in terms of keeping Paleo the other being sticking to your guns at work and in social settings.
It’s more than doable to keep on top of your game in even the most compromising situations, as long as you have a game plan.
This is precisely why I’ve created my handy little How to Paleo Guide. For less than a buck, you can learn how to work through grey areas, when sometimes you’ve simply got to make the better choice of two or three not so great options. A can of tuna and a bag of toasted nuts from a gas station stop on a road trip with an apple that’s not organic is still a better option than a candy bar!
March 15, 2014
Eat To Keep Fit- A Nice, Happy Medium
When Aimee Aristotelous, co-founder of Eat To Keep Fit, reached out to connect, the first thing I did was check out her site.
She and her husband, Richard, began in 2011 with the intention of sharing with everyone, the fact that it is possible to enjoy a broad spectrum of delicious foods while maintaining ideal weight and health.
Aimee was quite candid about the fact that she’s not strictly Paleo, but she shares in common with me the idea that a focus on clean eating, limited sugar intake, high nutrient density and most importantly, celebrating good food and fantastic health is the ticket to better health.
We met over a lovely meal of grass fed steak and kale along with other assorted veggies to discuss how we might promote what one another is doing as if you look at the big picture, it’s really the same message: we want to make our society healthier by eating better.
For many, using her methodology as a bridge, as she calls it, between the Standard American Diet and Paleo is a great approach to transitioning into completely Paleo.
I fully support the process that each of us has to get us to the common end goal and if it means gradually weaning out the non Paleo foods, which makes it more attainable for some, that I’m all for it.
Stay tuned for upcoming promotions we’ll be doing together and check out their website here!
March 14, 2014
I Sell Health
said a woman being interviews about her success working for Herbalife one of the most successful (reported net sales of US$4.072 billion in 2012) multi-level marketing company that sells nutrition, weight management and skin-care products.
The piece was featured yesterday on NPR and focused on the The Federal Trade Commission’s preliminary investigation of Herbalife. If the commission finds that the company did anything deceptive it could lead to civil charges.
Set this aside for a second; what struck me most profoundly was what the sales rep said: “I sell health”. She went on to say she herself was an example as she was a slim, active sixty something year old who keeps fit through hiking and yoga, leading by example to show that age is just a number and by using Herbalife products, one can stay healthy, young and vibrant (or something along those lines).
Granted, I only heard a snippet of the interview but that was enough.
The mere fact that we’re spending billions on powders, pills and shakes is horrifying.
Why?
Because we can get every single last nutrient we need elsewhere… in real, fresh food!
This drives me crazy to no end.
Is there a time and place for a supplement? Sure! But it stops there…it’s a supplement. As in, to ‘supplement’ a healthy lifestyle.
Even then, it’s of utmost importance to make sure said supplement is as natural as possible and hopefully still comes in the form of food, such as adding some fresh turmeric to your soup to fight inflammation or some oil of oregano to help ward off a cold.
Not by swallowing an unidentifiable white pill or powder.
As a once in a while/ in a pinch thing, I’ll use an egg powder. Or, I’ll take some ascorbic acid (as in, vitamin C powder)… but that’s the big caveat: once in a while.
To rely so heavily on supplements at such a huge cost is absolutely the wrong approach.
We’re a society looking for a quick fix and the idea of supplements allowing us to look younger, thinner or have more energy overnight is clearly too tempting for many to avoid hopping on the bandwagon.
But just imagine, for a second, all the funds that we collectively spend on this and what we could do if we reallocated the money.
Better food for our families, more money to fund community gardens for those less fortunate, and campaigns to educate the public as a whole on the value of eating real, fresh food are just a few things we might entertain spending billions on, rather than pills, powders and potions.
Skeptical? Try it out for yourself. See how you feel if you nix the ‘extras’ for a month or two and load up on the veg, fruit, natural proteins and plenty of water and rest.
I’d be more than willing to wager a bet that you’ll feel far better than eating poorly, not sleeping well and hoping for a miracle in a bottle.
March 13, 2014
The Marathon That ‘Sucked’…
This morning at swim practice, our coach announced some swimmers who’d run the LA Marathon this past weekend.
One woman had completed her first marathon, an accomplishment in her own right. Another elite athlete had run a 2:31. Both grinned ear to ear while the rest of us applauded.
A third swimmer, when asked how his race went, replied, “It sucked”.
Everyone laughed.
Except me.
Why would you do something you hate as your exercise modality of choice when there are so many other things to choose from?
I had a chat to the guy and asked if he just had a bad race, which would certainly understand the response, but no, he didn’t have a bad race… he hates running.
Um… why would you sign up for a marathon if you hate running?
To each his own, I suppose, but the one thing I always try to impart to every client I work with is that given the facts that:
1) We all need to move
and
2) No one has loads of free time
Why would anyone choose to use that precious spare time doing something they find appalling?
Exercise should be fun, enjoyable and filled with excitement, not unlike the way we see kids at a playground, laughing, playing and screeching with excitement.
What’s the best kind of exercise?
The answer for everyone is universal: the one you’ll do!
If you’re doing an activity that feels like it sucks, pick something else. What have you got to lose?
March 12, 2014
Following The Paleo Lifestyle Does Not Mean You Don’t Support Animal Welfare
I’ve heard it many a time: ‘I think Paleo sounds interesting but I love animals so I’m a vegan’.
In fact, I lived that role for two full years when I followed a strict vegan diet as part of my own food/nutrition/eating path. Back then, I was black and white about my views…rigid, even. It was my way or the highway. I failed to even listen to other viewpoints as I continued along eating foods that were making me really sick (gluten, whole grains, legumes) along with health-promoting foods that I still eat today as part of my Paleo regime (loads of fresh, local produce and healthy fats from avocado, coconut oil and olive oil).
Over time, I began craving fish. I would dream about it overnight, then wake with a start feeling guilty. I did my best to suppress it as long as I could, but ultimately, I caved and reintroduced fish, which I now refer to as the gateway protein.
How could I justify this?
By making the source from which I get all my protein is 100% reliable, ethical, local and humane in its approach to how it rears or hunts its animals.
Supporting the small farmers, ranchers and hunters that are doing their part to do things the right way is the only way to make a dent in the volume that the big, bad guys with nothing but financial gain as their motivation sells.
Boycotting all meat, even that which comes from said small ranchers and farmers, doesn’t actually help in the overall big picture because the prevalence of companies which raise their animals in inhumane conditions have no competition and everyone who wants animal proteins is left with no other alternatives but to keep buying from the Monsantos of the world.
Supporting 100% grass fed meat ranchers, pastured poultry famers and fisherman who catch wild fish certified as suitable by the Marine Stewardship Council, for one, is the one thing to hit the big guys where it hurts (in the wallet) and start to make a difference.
Supporting the humane treatment of animals does not mean one has to be vegan.
And remember, this is coming from a former die-hard vegan of two years that grew tired of being sick and let that be the impetus to seek the balance I now enjoy.
Food for thought…
March 11, 2014
Have You Hit A Plateau? Win Your Paleoista Plan Today: Problem Solved!
You went Paleo, lost almost all those extra pounds, began to feel fantastic…and then it all came to a screeching halt.
Sound familiar?
What went wrong?
Sometimes, clients find themselves in a situation where despite all their best efforts, everything that seems to have been working suddenly is not.
This is where a little fine tuning can come in handy. The timing of meals with regard to exercise, the balance of macro nutrients and the frequency at which we eat can all impact whether we lose weight, gain weight or stay the same, as well as how we perform during workouts and competitions.
Along the same lines with which we measure our workouts in endurance training or in Crossfit, we should have a measurable goal with our diet as well.
If this scenario describes you, one of my six week plans might be the answer you’ve been looking for.
For one day only, in conduction with Eat, Sleep, WOD, I’m happy to offer a promotion that you’ve got to take part in.
It’s pretty simple:
2) Go to http://www.eatsleepwod.com/paleoista-paleo-meal-plans.html and leave a comment at the bottom of the product page.
3) Best comment wins.
Click here for details and spread the word!
Nell Stephenson's Blog
