Ok I'll try to be as relevant as possible, but I'm posting from my phone. -bonking. Get more fat in your diet. More avocado, coconut, nuts, nut butters etc. this is not a low fat diet. You need the good fats. You want plant based fats first, animal second. Never man made fats. -alcohol. Fuck off you think I don't drink. Hell no. But there are options. Gluten free beer is one of them. I like whiskey tho. -grains. The negative effects of grains are pretty well documented but from a common sense standpoint...they're not food. They have to be made into food. They have to be bleached or enriched or whatever to be edible. Why not just eat real food? -weight loss... A hard paleo diet will lean you out pretty significantly. For some that isnt the goal. For those people I recommend they keep dairy. -calcium. Exercise and eat real food and your bones will be just fine. Yes even you ladies. Do some weight bearing exercises...get physical...and your bone density will increase.
Also...for those doing the whole30, this is not about detox. It's about changing your perception and relationship with food. Learning to look at food as fuel instead of a treat or indulgence. It's a chance to evaluate your emotional connection to what you're choosing to put into your body...and when.
I've been reading a fair bit about paleo, although doing a shit job of actually implementing it - I think it's got some merit. Despite the fact that a lot of stupid people buy into the paleo thing - the science behind it isn't really contraindicated by any of the other dietary science doing the rounds. It dovetails with pretty much all the leading thinking. I think there's a pretty fair argument that most western first world types eat too many simple carbs, poor quality protein from animals that are fed crap to make commercial farming cheaper, high GI crap, dairy, bad fats, preservatives and sweeteners and general crap. Replacing that with lean and organic protein sources (game or genuine free range meats), low GI clean carbs and better fats, moving away from artificial sweeteners, dairy, and generally reducing the shit that everyone agrees is bad for you is probably going to be good for you. Especially if you cut overall calories. The reasons for why might be debatable and arguing about the logic of the cave man thing makes for an interesting internet hate war - but that's basically the advice that every dietician has been giving for ages. The legumes thing is the only thing in paleo that I'm not really sold on. I see the case for avoiding soy products, and mass marketed tinned baked beans. But avoiding legumes in their entirety seems to ignore the fact that they can be a really positive contributor to your health. Getting probiotics from sauerkraut instead of supplements or yoghurts is probably the best new idea that I've found through paleo. The rest of it largely seems to be a rephrasing of the the best of the popular diet advice from the last 10 years, wrapped in a caveman theme. I think paleo has gotten more traction than the alternative variations on the same advice in part because the caveman thing is good marketing, and in part because food geeks and people who can actually cook have started getting on board with this idea and there's a lot of really good recipes and delicious looking meals being circulated in association with paleo blogs and books. I suspect that in moderation, red wine and straight spirits aren't really all that bad for you in terms of general health or a weight loss agenda. Certainly not when compared to excessive star bucks or diet soda. The bonking thing cracks me up. Bonking here is a euphemism for fucking. All the articles on avoiding bonking are hilarious as a result. For me, the hardest part about any of this shit is that i really, really fucking enjoy food. I've been trying for years to retrain myself to approach food as fuel. As a drug that I need to survive rather than as a fun thing to do. But I've really never gotten it. I want food to be as enjoyable as possible with as little effort on my part as possible. A cheeseburger and a coke is pretty enjoyable and fuck all effort compared to trying to do a paleo compatible work lunch.
*Barfing noises* I'm a food slut; I'll eat anything...except fucking sauerkraut. Jesus, the smell of it alone is enough to make me vomit. How people can like it is beyond me. Same here. However, I don't know the other term for "my liver ran out of glycogen stores and my metabolism crashed."
Dcc - thanks for the info on the bonking. And here I was thinking that I am getting tons of fats. I use heavy whipping cream in my coffee, I cook with coconut oil, I have a couple avocados a week. I do prefer leaner cuts of meat however. Coming from the fat is the enemy school of thought, the amount of fat grams I consume daily is crazy to me.
Have either of you considered trying Kombuca for your pro-biotic needs? It's basically a tea that's been fermented with yeast. I usually go with GT's Kombucha just because it's the easiest for me to get since it's available right at my local Whole Foods. I will say it has a bit of a sour note for those not used to un-sugared drinks, but once you give it a few tries or try a few different flavors and find what you like, it's not too bad. Also, in my limited experience, it seems to be one hell of a hangover cure, but that could just be purely coincidental.
Kombucha is an acquired taste, but excellent source. regarding paleo - remember that it's not a one size fits all world. For some people, it doesn't work for their goals. For others, it lines up nicely. There's nothing wrong with that either way.
I made a GIANT batch of stir-fry yesterday that has every good thing in it you can imagine. Mushrooms, cabbage, peppers, carrots, zucchini, snow peas, bean sprouts, kale, onions, garlic and SIRLOIN STEAK, cut to pieces. Well. I just ate lunch and somehow, when I was loading the Tupperware container this morning, I managed to avoid every single piece of steak in the entire container. Yay vegitarian lunch for me. Anyhoo, easy Chicken Curry Recipe (I pre-cook on Sundays for the entire week): - 3-4 pcs Bacon, cooked chrispy and chopped up - 2-3 chicken breasts (I actually used turkey scalopini, turned out well) - 1/2 lb of peeled, de-veined shrimp - Olive oil - 1 small onion - 3 cloves garlic - 1/4 cup shredded fresh ginger - 1 tbsp curry powder - 1 tsp tumeric - 1/2 tsp cumin - 1/2 tsp coriander - 1 can coconut milk - salt and pepper - 1 head of cauliflower, shredded - 2 large carrots, shredded - Shredded unsweatened coconut (garnish) - Raisins (garnish) In a wok or frying pan, heat oil (you can substitute coconut oil or, what I did, the fat from the bacon). Add onions, ginger and garlic; saute until onions are translucent. Add spices. Add can of coconut milk and bring to a rolling boil. In an oven-proof pan (casserole dish) spread diced chicken breasts and shrimp evenly along the bottom. Add shredded cauliflower on top, then add carrots. Pour coconut mixture over the entire thing. Top with diced bacon. Cook in a pre-heated oven at 375* for 45 minutes. Stir once, half-way through. Garnish with coconut and raisins.
One other thing I'd like to throw out there, especially for Indian dishes is ghee (clarified butter). When we switched to paleo we stopped using the vegetable oil a lot of the recipes recommended and put in ghee, that was a game changer taste wise.
I saw ghee at Whole Foods but didn't pick any up, may have to check that out. Would love for you to share one of your favorite Indian recipes Frank. I like my stir fries, but a little variety may be kind of nice. I am trying an eggplant curry tonight, will post the recipe if it is any good.
I like pretty pretty much everything I've eaten from the book Cooking with my Indian mother in law. I'm too lazy to post full recipes from there (especially since a lot of them require you to make your own spice combinations) but the prawn curry they have in there is one of the most perfectly flavored things I think I've ever had, it even works if you put chicken instead of shrimp in there. You just have to ignore/substitute certain things in the book. He recommends low saturated fat oils over butter and high saturated fat oils which is just sad. I've also substituted cauliflower in for rice and potatoes and it works surprisingly well. If anyone can let me know a good thing to replace the naan with or make use of the bean recipes, that'd be great. I realize you probably don't want to throw $20+ at a book you're not sure about, hopefully they have it at your library to try out, that's how I got a hold of it before buying.
For anyone who doesn't or can't find ghee easily, you can also very easily make your own clarified butter. All you need is some unsalted butter, a strainer and some cheesecloth or a filter of some sort. Here's a pretty simple article on how exactly to make your own clarified butter at home. Frank, regarding replacing the naan, how about a paleo pizza crust? I found this recipe that seems like it could be easily modified. 1-1/4 cups flaxseed meal 1 cup almond flour/meal 1 tsp sea salt 2 tsp natural baking powder 1 Tbs honey 1 tsp Italian mixed dried herbs 3 large eggs, beaten until smooth 3 Tbs coconut oil, melted ½ cup water 1. Heat oven to 425° F. 2. Combine flaxseed meal, almond meal, sea salt, baking powder and Italian herbs together until lump-free. 3. Beat together eggs, oil, honey and water until smooth. 4. Pour liquid mixture into dry mixture. Blend well until smooth. 5. Press into desired shape. 6. Place on a pre-greased or non-stick pizza pan or sit on a silicon baking mat. 7. Bake for 15 minutes in the center of the oven until cooked.
This thread is awesome. I still think I am a decent way away from going completely paleo, but I've started to implement certain elements and the difference is pretty amazing. I'm waiting on more of the energy benefits some people talk about, but I've felt alot better. The first and biggest thing I did was cut out bread. I mentally decided I would cut out bread as Lent was starting and people were making their concessions, and its been great. I only find myself missing bread when I get lazy at lunch and haven't brought something or don't want to figure out other options. But I haven't had any bread or pasta for 4 weeks or so, and only minimal rice or other grain sources in the meantime. I still eat alot of greek yogurt and drink milk, but have also cut out alot of cheese as well. At first it was concerning cause weight wise I resided in the 162-165 range and I went down to 155-156 pretty quick. But I really didn't lose any strength in my lifts and I have alot less water weight/bloating from day to day. It gives me a much more accurate approximation of where I am and I look forward to building up more the right way.
Well, go figure, today I took an hour long strength training class than hoped on the treadmill and ran 3 miles without difficulty. So, way I see it, either I am only good for short runs now before I run out of steam, the extra carbs (fruit mostly) that I have been eating over the past few days is helping, or I just am not cut out to be a morning exerciser (never was my best time, but probably worse since I guess my new foods aren't "sticking" with me quite as long). Probably a combo of all three, but I appreciate all the feedback.
It's a pain in the ass, but one thing I've been doing is keeping a food journal in a spreadsheet. That way when I look at performance I have a reference point for what my fuel was. So far it's been mostly useless other than the fact that I found a positive correlation between performance and fatty red meat, but I like it for comparison.
Haha, so what are you saying DCC, doesn't paleo tout organic and shun desserts. So, not only was my workout much better with my increased carbs and fruit, but I also gained 3.5 lbs overnight. Fantastic.
Mya, first off, I don't think 3.5lbs overnight is really 'weight'; it's probably water. And anyway, you have a choice to make. You can be like this: Spoiler (same woman as before, only with makeup on) Or this: Spoiler Joking aside, I've been doing a bunch of reading lately about yoga, mind/body connection, stress and addiction. If you guys want a great book to give a balanced view on yoga (the scientific angle of it) The Science of Yoga is pretty eye-opening. Not many books are willing to talk about the bad side of yoga; it's often touted as a miracle cure-all. The author is a two-time Pulitzer Prize winning author and himself a yogi since the 70s. I recommend it.
Oh, I know it is water weight, it is also enough to make you feel a bit bloated holding onto. So, I still don't get what you are saying here considering you follow the paleo diet, which Nigella Lawson very much does not (nor does the other obviously). Kind of like comparing apples to oranges in a thread about bananas.
True. I just thought the meme was funny and I'm making fun of that other woman for not being as pretty as Nigella. I'll stop derailing now.