Nell Stephenson's Blog, page 83

Running It Off…Then Putting More Back On

This morning after a lovely open water swim., my husband and I headed for a little hole in the wall place for some breakfast.

Next to us was a table with four heavy-set ladies, dining on croissants, eggs benedict, pastries, pancakes and waffles.  They were all in running gear and were chatting with animation about the training run they’d just done (good on them!  One had run 16 miles, another 11 and the other two ladies, a distance in between) as well as how much weight each had lost recently, and how many points their meal would equate to (assuming they were on Weight Watchers?).

All began complaining mid way through their meal that they were beginning to feel stuffed.  Then, one reminded the others that because they’d run 11 – 16 miles, it would all even out; they could simply not eat anything for the rest of the day.

Yikes!

Never in a million years would I have given unsolicited advice here, but it left me with a lot to think about.

Where’s the disconnect here?

They’d all clearly  made an effort to sign up for a race, put in the time to train, yet they all were eating ‘food’ that was not only lacking in any nutritional value, it was the last thing that would help them in their running goals in terms of proper recovery as well as any potential weight loss goals they may have had.

This has to be due in part to the mentality we have here including misconceptions like:

As long as you workout, you can eat whatever you want and still lose weight
Number of calories is all that matters, regardless of source
What one eats is not a very big picture of the weight loss or gain equation
Working out, then eating a huge meal right away and then starving the rest of the day because too much was consumed is also a good method

We’ve got to get the message out there- we need to move, but what we eat is, in my opinion, at least 50% of the equation.  Probably closer to 80%.  Who knows?  

The other important thing is patience.  We have to throw the idea out the window that losing five, ten, fifteen pounds is going to happen in a week.  Remember- if you’re over your goal weight, think about how long it took to get there and work backwards for a sense of how long it will take to get the weight off again.

Finally, try not to view exercise from a purge then binge type of approach (as in- burn 500 calories on the elliptical then eat 500 + calories of junk).

Go for balance, treat yourself kindly and stay the course. It’s the only way that pays off in the long run!

The ‘Tipping’ Point

No- I’m not talking about what I refer to as the gluten tipping point- the point at which, I believe, our body tells us, in no uncertain terms, “Stop giving me gluten”.

I’m talking about tips.  In a restaurant.

Being that I am quite possibly the pickiest orderer ever (aside from Sally of When Harry Met Sally, of course), I am hyper conscientious of making sure to compensate every server I encounter generously.

I joke with them and thank them in advance for bearing with me and my questions, and in almost every single place I’ve been, the order comes out, perfectly Paleo, and I am able to enjoy my meal without fear of having a reaction later or getting sick.

So I leave them at least 20%.  

Or do I?

An interesting article yesterday from Serious Eats, New York, really served to be an eye opener in terms of where our tips really go. 

“Unless you’re in the habit of tipping with a handshake, sliding a $20-or-whatever directly into your server’s hand, here’s the reality: your tip does not go directly to your waiter”, is the opening line in the piece.

Following is a more complex than you’d think explanation of how tips are divvied up; take home message- tip the person you want to tip directly with cash.

Guilty of not tipping in cast before, I am, but going forward, I will take this message to heart and, literally, pay it forward!

4 PM Fog Got You Down?

When 4 pm rolls around, far too many of us, after being in a seated position at a desk for hours on end, start to feel our eyes glaze over.  Concentration falls to an all time low and the simplest of tasks become too much to handle.

What gives?

Well, aside from the fact that most have not eaten properly throughout the day, which is the subject of an entirely separate post, let’s talk about the fact that sitting for hours on end, hunched over staring at a glaring computer screen is far from a natural way to spend the day.

Granted, not all offices are flexible in terms of allowing employees to either work at a standing desk or if they must sit, to do so on a ball, so the practicality of it is that sitting is simply part of many people’s day at work.

However, even in the most conservative of offices, we can employ some tactics to at least slightly offset the negative impact of sitting.

Strengthen your core 
Make sure your posture is picture perfect 
Have your chair and desk position professionally fit to you by an ergonomic specialist
Get up often to stretch your chest, your upper and lower back, hips and legs and open up any muscles that begin to tighten up due to being in a shortened position while sitting.  Subtle variations of stretches are possible even in formal attire without needing to lie on the floor!
Keep hydrated
Avoid staring at your screen for hours on end and look into a filter to reduce glare

Ultimately, it would be great if we could all ditch the chairs and be active all day long, but sometimes, we’ve got to make the best choice out of a few not so great options.  

Save That Stone Fruit!

“Stone fruits are almost out of season”, I overheard the produce manager comment to a customer the other day at Whole Foods, after she’d asked where to find the cherries we’ve been able to buy recently.

Disappointed, she shrugged her shoulders but understood the rationale.

I, too, wish the season were longer, as there’s nothing quite like a ripe, juicy peach, fresh off the tree, or some sliced cherries as a key component to a reduction I make for elk tenderloin.

Of course, if one wanted to, they could easily get these fruits all year round here in California, but I prefer not to eat plums from Argentina and peaches from Chile in December.  Just sayin’.

However, there’s a way to make the bounty last, at least for a little while; freeze it!

Washing, pitting, slicing and vaccuum sealing is the way to go to make that little taste of summer linger just a little longer.

Throw them into smoothies in their frozen state, or let them thaw just a little, then puree to create the base for sweeter type sauce, dip or puree.

Make sure not to allow any air to remain in the package before you freeze it; not doing so will ensure ice crystal formation on the delicate fruits themselves, which will defeat the idea of preserving them via freezing in the first place.

You’ll be glad you hung on to these delicious little stone fruits when you add some peach to an otherwise ‘apples-only’ Paleo dessert concoction or throw some nectarine into a cilantro, olive oil, garlic and jalapeno puree to serve with fish.

Summer is a state of mind!

Paleo Perfection?

What’s wrong with that?

Nothing, if you ask me.   I’ve been accused of being a perfectionist and  honestly, if making sure I do everything I can to avoid eating gluten, soy, dairy, and everything else that is not Paleo because if I don’t do so I’ll feel sick means it’s a fitting description, so be it.

I think it’s all about intention, and who the potential beneficiary is.

I see  no problem with approaching it this way for myself, and continuing to write about it from my perspective on my blog.   Certainly, readers can choose their own best fit; for some that means being kind of Paleo, for others, mostly Paleo and I have no judgement on what anyone else chooses to eat.

I just choose to remain clear about what True Paleo really is, and what it isn’t.

I thought it would be interesting to share some of the slip ups I made early on, after I posted yesterday about those which cause us to feel ill, but then create a new set of behaviors which, in essence, serve to keep us from eating any sneaky little culprits in the future.

Keep in mind, I was coming from a background of a blend of low fat/fat free plus vegan plus Zone plus ‘eat like an endurance athlete’.

Some of the mistakes I used to make include:

Throwing away the yolks and eating only egg whites.  Actually, I didn’t really throw them away but I didn’t eat them, my dogs did.   Heaven forbid eating something which is pure fat and cholesterol.  Little did I know…
Discarding the skin automatically from any and all proteins.  Salmon skin?  No way.  Chicken skin?  Not in a million years.  Oh, what I was missing!
Relying on raw nuts as a fat source, rather than the occasional garnish they’re meant to be, rather than focusing on Omega 3 rich fish oil as well as avocado and olive oil.   Talk about inflammatory!
Avoiding coconut oil because it was high in saturated fat.   And?  Man, did I miss out!

The point here is that we all have our journeys, our struggles and reasons to go Paleo.   Never in a million years would I parlay my own food choices forcefully on anyone or tell them off for eating something that’s not Paleo.  

I will, however, continue to write about True Paleo and refuse to budge when it comes to foods that don’t fit within the broad scope of Paleo, even if they used to, before they were refined, processed and whipped up into a batch of (pseudo) Paleo brownies.

 

Getting Back on Track

It happens to all of us.  When I first started following The Paleo Diet back in 2005, I definitely had a slip up or two.

After having cut gluten and found all my GI symptoms disappearing in a matter of days, I was nearly completely convinced.   It was right around Christmas time and I was heading home from LA to see my parents in New York for the holidays.  I’d been feeling so much better, yet only a month or two in, I felt the need to test things out, just to make sure.

And that test happened to be in the form of a slice of the famous New York food on the street- Ray’s Pizza.   Prior to moving to LA for college when I was 19, a slice of Ray’s was something I’d partake in as a ‘special treat’ at least a few times per year.  

Back then, I was all about low fat and fat free, and ‘being good on my diet’ and all of that antiquated mentality that many of us experienced.  It would be a rare occasion, and one certainly preempted by at least an extra hour on the stair master, but I sure did enjoy those treats now and then.

(I’m very happy those days are behind me now, since the balance of Paleo living has completely erased all those old diet thoughts I used to have, as I not only battled with daily stomach distress but also always wanted to be just a touch leaner and about ten pounds lighter.   I share this experience as I’m confident that many others can likely identify!)

Back to that slice, now… I ate it, enjoyed it and within thirty minutes was so sick and so disgusted I vowed never to come close to gluten or dairy again.

And I haven’t.

It’s not a matter of developing super human will power. It’s just a case of knowing that certain ‘foods’ (if we want to call them that) will make me feel quite ill, and I’d prefer to not intentionally feel ill.   Therefore, I choose foods that I know will make me feel energized throughout the day and keep me healthy.

That’s it.

So, if you’re new to Paleo and you have a slip up or two as you’re getting started, the worst thing you can do is throw the proverbial baby out with the bath water and keep eating down a path which is a fast track to nowhere.

Identify what you ate, why you ate it and how you felt, so you can make the connection between how you felt afterward.

The more you do it, the longer you stick with it, the easier it becomes.

I’ve been Paleo for nearly nine years and I promise there’s no craving for sweets, or dreaming of eating one of those darn pizza slices…ever.

Be patient with yourself and keep going Paleo.

It’s worth it in the long run!

A Labor Day Paleo Picnic

A nice way to finish off the three day holiday weekend with the family is to have a Labor Day Picnic.  Whether you’re in Cape Cod and can head out to the beach, or live in an area where a grassy meadow is the venue, it’s easy to create a completely Paleo picnic as the last meal before summer’s officially over.

No need to rely on sandwiches, processed snack packs or pasta salads from the deli- all of which are easy to get, and often inexpensive, but not Paleo and simply not healthy choices.

Below are just a handful of ideas to take along on your picnic that the whole family can enjoy:

• Grass fed red meats or free range poultry are easy protein options, either grilled on their own, or cubed and skewered with your vegetables such as onion, bell peppers and zucchini.

• Reinvent your leftovers, too; extra flank steak on top of a bed of Mache lettuce with avocado, strawberries and cashews makes nice, light option or take the leftover chicken, dice it, add some chopped celery, apple & red onion, raisins, curry powder, olive oil, and enjoy a Paleo chicken salad atop a bed of steamed broccoli

• Crudités and guacamole make a delicious replacement for chips and dip.

• Cole Slaw. There’s no reason why you can’t make a paleo version of this picnic staple. Skip the vinegar-laden mayo and replace it with a healthy combination of lemon juice and olive oil. Combine finely shredded green cabbage with chopped scallions, shredded carrot, one small diced apple, olive oil and/or flaxseed oil, lemon juice, your favorite fresh herbs and freshly ground pepper in a large, flat bowl, refrigerate and stir occasionally over the next 24 hours. Add some slivered, toasted almonds and garnish with whichever herbs you used in the salad. Serve cold, with your bison burgers in lettuce wraps, and a side of fresh, grilled pineapple.

• Grill peaches and pineapple ahead of time and cool. Those, along with frozen grapes, offer a naturally sweet finish to the meal.

Make sure to include some type of physical activity, too; a hike, a game of frisbee or just walking around the lake.  It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you do something!

Have a safe, relaxing holiday!

Butter’s In, But All Other Dairy’s Out? Wrong! NO DAIRY ON PALEO!

“Nell, can you clear something up for me?”, a blog reader emailed me a few days ago. “Obviously butter is dairy, and I thought dairy was not part of the Paleo diet, yet some of the other experts in the Paleo space use grass fed butter.  What’s the deal?”

Excellent question!  And one that is probably the most commonly confused issue with whether or not it is part of the Paleo diet.

Some say, “you can eat dairy as part of your Paleo diet if you tolerate it”.  

Not so much.   Just because you don’t feel bloated or have a breakout of pimples on your face, does not mean that your body is not becoming acidic from ingesting dairy or that you’re not asking your body to deal with casein, a protein found in all dairy products which acts much like gluten in terms of its contribution to leaky gut and as an anti nutrient.

Others say, “dairy is part of paleo living because cavemen would have consumed dairy if they’d come across a pregnant auroch or beast of some description and killed it; they’d likely have eaten the whole thing”.

Maybe so, maybe not. I can’t prove that one way or the other but the likelihood of it being a regular part of the caveman’s diet is not very high.

Still others say that specifically butter can be part of the Paleo diet because it differs from other milk products, specifically low fat or skim milk products in that its higher fat content could potentially lower the glycemic load.   They recommend using only grass fed butter which has then been clarified.

Anytime any question comes up on whether or not something is Paleo, I always go straight to the expert, my mentor, Dr. Loren Cordain, Phd.  

To me, his work is the go-to source for anything and everything that is (or is not) True Paleo.  And, he provides the science to back up his work, so there’s nothing left unanswered.

If there is any doubt about dairy not being Paleo, all one needs to do is review Chapter Four of his latest book, The Paleo Answer.   He reviews throughly all the reason why we humans should not be consuming dairy in any way, shape or form, regardless of it being from a grass fed source or not.

If you’re not interested in reading the whole chapter, check out the last line which reads, and I quote:

“Paleo Bottom Line:  Avoid Dairy Products”.

If someone wants to eat grass-fed butter, that’s their choice, just as it’s everyone’s choice to eat candy, or go to the fast food restaurant or eat hummus or have a soy latte (none of which are Paleo),  but that doesn’t mean that the particular food they’re eating is suddenly somehow Paleo.

Call it something else!

Mustard & Mayo- Aren’t They Paleo?

What’s the problem with using mustard and mayo from the grocery store?  Aren’t they gluten-free and not loaded with chemicals, like many other condiments might be?

While they’re may be less offensive than a loaf of bread with margarine, these two seemingly benign packaged products are actually not typically Paleo.

Following are ingredient panels form two generic variations of each:

Hellman’s Real Mayonnaise: SOYBEAN OIL, WATER, WHOLE EGGS AND EGG YOLKS, VINEGAR, SALT, SUGAR, LEMON JUICE, CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA (USED TO PROTECT QUALITY), NATURAL FLAVORS. GLUTEN-FREE.

Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard: Water, Vinegar, Mustard Seed, Salt, Wine White, Fruit Pectin, Citric Acid, Tartaric Acid, Sugar, Spice(s)

Yes, there are other brands that are more natural that don’t contain calcium disodium edta as a preservative or sugar, or soybean oil but there are still a few non-Paleo little culprits there.

Neither vinegar nor salt are part of The Paleo Diet, nor is fruit pectin or tartaric acid.

Think I’m being nit picky?

Maybe so, but here is my line of thinking:  Things are either Paleo or not.  Once we start blurring the line, even a little, and include grey-area foods as a regular part of our regime, it becomes much easier to allow other, more toxic foods, in larger quantities, to sneak in.

Is it a crime to drizzle a little balsamic on your salad now and then, or top off a grass fed bunless burger with a homemade mayo?  Of course not, but still, that doesn’t make these foods Paleo, any more than the rationale I hear from people time and time again that ‘if grass fed dairy doesn’t make you feel ill, then it’s Paleo’ (huh?  Completely inaccurate…)

So, no, these two condiments are not Paleo.

What to use in their proxy?

I’m a fan of just tasting food as it is.  Putting some kind of sauce on top of a piece of raw wild salmon or a dressing on a salad of arugula with rare, grass fed bison just seems like it would ruin it.

Get to know the true flavors of your True Paleo foods and before long you won’t be missing these ‘toppings’ that are all too common in the Standard American Diet and completely unnecessary on Paleo!

Raw Meat? Choose Wisely.

While I’m the first to tell anyone with the misconception that Paleo has to mean eating copious amounts of meat at each meal that this is inaccurate, I’m also one who quite enjoys a nice grass fed beef carpaccio or steak tartare now and then.

When we select fish that we intend to eat raw, it’s easy to choose based on whether or not it’s labeled as sashimi grade or not.   Hopefully, we’re buying from our local fish monger who is selling local fish, rather than fish marked as being suitable to eat raw which has been flown in to Los Angeles from Fiji…but that’s a topic for another post!

What if we want to prepare carpaccio or tartare at home?  How can we decipher whether or not the meat we’re buying is safe to eat raw or not, since we can’t exactly wander into any random grocery shop and eat their raw meat?

Just as when we eat sashimi, or a runny egg yolk, or actually, any food for that matter, there’s a chance of bacterial contamination, so let’s just get that out there.

However, we can certainly minimize our risk if we adhere to a few guidelines:

Opt for cuts you can identify, rather than ground beef.  The less handling, the better.
Go with 100% grass fed.
Buy from a local rancher you can trust; ideally one who you can speak with, face to face, at your local farmer’s market and ask every last question you have.
There is a school of thought that suggests freezing meat may kill some potentially dangerous bacteria; it’s certainly not going to hurt.
If you’re pregnant, or have a compromised immune system, or are a child, you may want to steer clear as certain populations may be particularly susceptible to falling ill more so than others.

Does one have to eat raw meat to be Paleo?

Absolutely not.

However, I’d personally say that to not enjoy the occasional serving of raw meat, whether it’s carpaccio or sashimi, one might be missing out.