Archive for Carbs

Cereal Stumbling Blocks, and Recipes

Wow!  My little post on Thomas English Muffins struck several nerves – good!  It’s pretty eye opening when you realize that food you’ve put in your body for (decades?) years, and are now feeding your kids, is toxic sludge that’s setting you up for disease.  And weight gain.  And depression.

Let’s look at a few more products that are pretty embedded as healthy breakfast options, and examine their ingredients.

Total-Blueberry-Pomegranate-750General Mills Total Blueberry Pomegranate 100% Nutrition Cereal

Oh good grief. 100% Nutrition? Are you kidding?  By the way, 3/4 cup of this stuff is 100 calories, and 0 fat – it’s a Dieter’s Dream! Plus look: it’s healthy!  There’s Blueberry and Pomegranate, which we all know from Dr. Oz are really good for us, and it’s America’s #1 Source of Whole Grain.

Just kidding, there’s no actual fruit, they just concoct a smell and taste effect fromwheat chemicals, and there’s no actual “Whole Grain”.  Here’s what a whole grain of wheat looks like:

See the first 7 ingredients listed?  Ingredients are listed in the order of their predominance; this means that the first 7 ingredients in this cereal are SIMPLE SUGARS.  There’s no complex carbs here that might take a while to break down and slowly seep from your small intestine to your blood stream.  There’s a bunch of Simple Sugars that your body (or your child’s) will have no problem quickly breaking down to glucose (bc it’s so highly processed), shooting through the intestine wall, into your blood steam, creating high blood sugar, the resultant insulin reaction, and then inflammation, glycation, brain fog, and finally, low blood sugar fatigue and hunger.

All the chemicals, many of which are linked to cancer and behavior problems, will go to your liver, as that’s one of it’s jobs: break down chemicals and dispose of them.  Your liver has around 500 jobs.  It’s actually the BIGGEST PIECE OF OUR DAILY METABOLISM, around 50/60% of our total daily calorie burn.  What do you think happens to your liver, or your child’s, when it’s hampered from it’s duties because it’s trying to breakdown and dispose of Red dye 40, Blue dye 2, “and other color”?

Notice there’s also Sucralose.  Ugh.  Remember that from the Thomas English Muffins?  It kills beneficial gut bacteria, it causes migraines and headaches, it raises blood sugar, it’s highly linked to cancer.

All those vitamins and minerals on the list:  They’re Added in, let’s be very clear that they’re in NO WAY a natural part of this cereal.  Anything of nutritional value was destroyed in processing the wheat, the barley, the sugars, the rice, and the corn.  Destroyed.  Those synthetic vitamins and minerals you see listed were manufactured in China (that’s where most cheap vitamins and minerals come from now) and added to the cereal.  Trust me, those are rarely EVER the body’s preferred forms of those vitamins and minerals. Ever.

Now I’m going to expose a Dieter’s Dirty Little Secret.  Cereal like this isn’t just for kids; adults eat it too, often times for dinner, or after dinner snacks.  HELLO STOMACH BLOAT:)  Wheat/carb products like this are incredibly addictive.  Remember the link to Dr. Davis’s site, Wheatbellyblog, he does a great job of breaking down the science of gliadian proteins, their opiate effects, and the resultant appetite stimulate they cause.

What are some good alternatives to Cereal?  There’s plenty, and I’ll list them below, but a few more words about Cereal and how it’s a very common “stumbling block” food.

I get questions all the time asking me how to lose weight.  Many of the people who ask this are highly, highly addicted to both whole grains and simple sugars, and when it comes down to it, they have a really hard time thinking of giving them up.  So don’t focus on that.  Don’t focus on what you can’t have and how sad it makes you feel.  Focus instead on the nutrients in your food, what exactly those nutrients OR ANTI NUTRIENTS are doing in your body, and ASK YOURSELF THIS:  If I eat this, how will I feel in ONE hour:  Not even thinking about food?  Stuffed?  Depressed? Hating myself? Bloated? On to the next project? Level? In a Tailspin?  HINT:  An hour after you eat, you shouldn’t even be thinking about your meal; that would mean you ate healthy food that satiated you, and your digestion worked perfectly.  You can MOVE ON.

If that’s not your reality, try to not be so mindless about eating, which is hard if you’ve got an addiction.  Addictions highjack your brain neurons, make them throb and pulse and send signals that compel you to dig in.  If you’re addicted, make a promise to yourself that at least you won’t keep cereal, crackers, pretzels, chips, bagged cookies, and other hand-to-mouth munchie/easy/brainless foods in your house.  Start there.  What about the kids and their need for snacks?  THEY DON’T NEED THIS POISON, AND THEY DON’T NEED TO FIRMLY ESTABLISH MINDLESS MUNCHING IN THE LITTLE BRAINS. Why set them up for a life time of struggle? They’ll not only live if you get that stuff out of your house, they’ll actually thrive.  So will you.  You can do this!  Pledge today that you’re on your way to being a Real Whole Foodie.  Now for the Breakfast Ideas:

1. meat and cheese roll ups

2. eggs scrambled in butter/coconut oil, veggies added or not

3. nitrate free sausages and bacon

4. assorted smoothies:

Wheat Withdrawl Zinger, Dr. Davis;  Elana’s Pantry Smoothie list

5. paleo pancakes ( make a big batch and freeze the leftovers for another morning)

6. apricot power bars  ( love Elana’s Pantry!!!)

7. egg cups  ( super fast to reheat; great for “on the road”)

 

Looks Heathy But Isn’t; Two Good Bread Recipes

I get to do a “Looks Healthy But Isn’t”! So excited! Got a great email asking my opinion on breads; as in, if I HAD to feed one to my kids, wouldn’t whole wheat at least be best?  (I don’t think she’s read my blog – but I hope she starts!)  I’ve got to answer here, because I know this will interest other people, especially busy people who turn to processed food for convenience, and people who are completely convinced that bread is a biblically mandated food item.  It’s not.  If you’re feeding your kids most of the breads on the market, you’re honestly feeding them a crappy, chemical, sugar concoction that contains indigestible proteins that will affect their behavior negatively, their gut negatively, their weight, their hormones, their skin, and I could go on and on and on.

Here’s an ingredient list of Thomas Whole Wheat English Muffins:

english muffins

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whole wheat bread has this weird halo above it, as if we’ll all be thin and healthy if we eat it.  Look at these ingredients.  Do you honestly think there won’t be repercussions from that stuff? Here’s a few ingredient breakdowns:  azodicarbonamide:   Azodicarbonamide is manufactured by the reaction of dihydrazine sulfate and urea under high temperature and pressure. The product of this reaction is then oxidized using sodium chlorate and centrifuged to yield a slurry containing azodicarbonamide. The slurry is washed to remove impurities and dried to obtain the azodicarbonamide powder. This is then micronized to a fine powder before packaging. This product is banned in Europe and Australia because:  it’s killed dogs in experiments, many links to asthma and skin problems, and is found to be a mutagen to bacteria,    Sucralose:  kills beneficial gut bacteria, highly linked with migraines and headaches, causes cramping and intestinal discomfort, raises blood and has many links to cancer. Carmel Coloring:  caramel coloring is created by heating ammonia and is considered a carcinogen when created this way. Calcium Propinate linked to irritability, restlessness, inattention, and sleep disturbance in children. The Ecologist Online claims that it is linked to allergic reactions in bakery workers.

That’s gross.  These are NORMAL ingredients in Normal (processed) foods.  If you eat these, or feed these to your children, you’re creating a disease state in the body.  I really believe that.  Our body uses the food we eat to make ALL OF OUR CELLS.  We are what we eat. The average disease takes about 20 years to manifest. This stuff is poison.

What about the effects of blood sugar with an english muffin? It would be different for everyone, depending on the shape of their pancreas and liver, and how readily their muscle cells uptake glucose, but even if everything’s working well, this is a big hit. Dieters love english muffins because they’re low cal/low fat. ( 120 calories, 1 gram of fat).  Big deal.  There’s 23 grams of sugar in them.  The label says “sugar – 2 g.”,  that’s ADDED sugar.  LOOK AT THE TOTAL CARB COUNT BECAUSE THAT’S ALL THAT COUNTS.  ALL CARBS BREAK DOWN TO EITHER GLUCOSE OR FRUCTOSE.  ALL OF THEM.  That’s the job of our digestive system: break all carbs down to single molecule sugars, and there’s only two, glucose or fructose.  They both wreck havoc on our body.   Ignore everything you’ve ever heard about Whole Wheat being good for you.  The glycemic index of Whole Wheat is actually WORSE than white flour! Honest!  This means that the speed with which it can go from mouth, to stomach, to small intestine to blood stream ( causing a big blood sugar rise), is super quick.  That’s NEVER good.  Hormonal disaster.  Avoid it.

Next, let’s talk about the ANTI-NUTRIENTS in wheat, and I’m going to quote from the Wheat Belly blog (you should check it out!) :

“–Gliadin–While some gliadin is degraded to small peptides that act as opiates on the human brain, a substantial proportion of gliadin remains undigested. The intact, undigested form is the form that initiates the zonulin mechanism that increases intestinal permeability, the first step in generating the diseases of autoimmunity.
–Wheat germ agglutinin (WGA)–The complex, 4-part protein present in wheat, rye, barley, and rice is completely indigestible. WGA that enters the mouth comes out the back end–except for the small quantity that penetrates intestinal barriers, causing direct intestinal toxicity and entering the bloodstream to activate antibodies, mimic insulin, and block leptin (the hormone of satiety).
–Trypsin inhibitors–Trypsin inhibitors block–no surprise–trypsin, a protein required for protein digestion. This further reduces the digestibility of grain proteins, a fact that organizations, such as the World Health Organization, grapples with when starving nations are fed grains but then struggle with malnutrition despite the calories.

There is a digestible component of wheat and the seeds of other grasses: the amylopectin A carbohydrate, highly susceptible to digestion by the amylase enzyme of saliva and stomach. This explains why two slices of whole wheat bread raise blood sugar higher than six teaspoons of table sugar. ”

Really, between the chemical ingredients and the simple sugars and the toxic proteins and the opiate/addictive properties of wheat, why would you feed this to your kids or eat it yourself?  And before you write me off as an extremist, ask yourself, what is making cancer rates rise every year, what’s making heart disease rates rise every year, what’s making autism rates rise every year, what’s making asthma rise every year, what’s making weight, auto-immune disease, diabetes, lyme, neurological disorders, rise every year?  It’s the NORMAL every day foods that pervade our lives.  Read the ingredient list again, please, wrap your mind around the fact that our government is in bed with big business and neither cares one bit about our health and well-being.  This is all about money.  Thomas English Muffins racks up 500 MILLION ANNUALLY in sales.   That’s a lot of money!  Please don’t think they’re the only bad bread;  these are very common ingredients in a whole bunch of different processed foods.  These chemicals and this level of simple carb is NORMAL.

Back to the question, what breads do I feed my kids?  Grain free breads, I’ve become pretty good at them (that’s what practice does – makes you good at things).  Here’s two recipes that are big hits at our house:

Coconut Flour Biscuits
Ingredients
3/4 cup Coconut Flour
1 stick Butter, softened but not melted
4 eggs
1/2 -1 tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
Put all ingredients into medium sized bowl and mix well with immersion blender or hand mixer until well incorporated
Using your hands, carefully form into nine small balls and mash each one down with a spoon to make it about ½ inch thick.
Bake for 12-15 minutes until just starting to brown.

We also make this: Coconut Flour Bread

Ingredients
¼ cup flax meal
½ cup filtered water
¾ cup coconut flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
4 eggs
½ cup coconut oil ( I always use butter – I like the taste better in baked goods)
1 Tablespoon raw honey
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
In a small bowl, combine the flax meal and water. Set aside for 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease a loaf pan with coconut oil.
In a food processor, combine the coconut flour, baking soda and salt. Add the eggs, coconut oil, honey, flax mixture and vinegar.
Transfer the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, until a knife inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean. Cool in the pan for about an hour before slicing.

Success Story!! and What I’m Eating: Real Whole Food Ideas

I’ve got a Happy Success Story for you today, meal ideas, and Sad Stats on our Kids.  The sad stuff first, so we can get that out of the way:

All chronic diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and weight issues are on the rise, with no end insight (according to CDC predictions).  That means our children, who right now might be thin and active, will eventually become even heavier and more unhealthy than we are.  Studies show they’ll live shorter lives too.  Did you know that Fast Food companies are spending 5 Million dollars A DAY to advertise to our kids?  That the food and beverage industry spends more than 2 BILLION a year marketing TO OUR CHILDREN?  That the average American kid sees more than 4,000 food commercials a year?  That the average American kid doesn’t eat any vegetables outside of ketchup and french fries?

Some advertising is blatant, and some is very subtle, like when professional athletes promote crappy food to our kids, a la Subway’s SuperBowl commercial last night:  Michael Phelps, Apollo Ohno, and more Olympians promoting the new Frito’s Chicken Enchilada Melt. OMGosh.  Frito’s smushed in a sandwich! Subway’s done a good job of insinuating that they’re a fairly healthy choice (eat fresh, Jared, blah blah blah).  It’s not. It’s a giant bunch of chemicals put together to look like Real Food.  It’s not even close.  Please, please, look at the ingredient lists I just highlighted.

I often get asked questions like: what is Real Whole Food, and what else is there besides pasta/bread/cereal for kids.  I’m going to post some picture ideas this week of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, including dinner this past Saturday in a hotel (again), that we shared with our daughter Macy.

Keep reading, because after the pictures is the “good” news – another Success Story!

breakfast This is Shelby’s breakfast most mornings lately ( she’s my last one still at home, 11th grade).  Turkey bacon, one egg plus egg yolk ( I always have extra yolks because I make a lot of macaroons).

 

To the right is a typical lunch for her:  turkey/cheese roll-up in the aluminum foil, 2 clemmies, a big bag of nuts/dark shelby lunchchocolate/seeds/dried cranberries, and a macaroon.

sardinesBack to the left here is one of my lunches, a tin of sardines, parsley, salt/pepper, and sea kelp flakes ( iodine!), a macaroon, 2 carrots, and some pumpkin seeds.

Nothing tricky.  And last, over to the right, is our latest hotel dinner:  tomatoes, broth, brussels, carrots, cauliflower, onion, and fish – Oh my gosh was it good. dinner:hotel

Now for the Success Story, and when you read it, look at it from the angle that food makes or breaks us.  It matters what we put in our mouth. Feeling tired, feeling depressed, feeling bloated and bad, it’s not normal.  Food and lifestyle changes can fix these issues!

For the past 15 years, I would have considered myself a healthy eater. I’ve always been very ‘food’ conscious…and weight conscious. However I also have felt there was something missing in my ‘healthy’ diet. It left me never feeling quiet full and satisfied. As I got older, I was often drained and run down. I also have always experienced huge fluctuations in my blood sugar level-which often left me in a not so chipper mood! In May 2013, Debbie put forth a challenge of eating better, cleaner and less processed. I had to completely change the way I thought about fats and grains. I had to stop the mentality that I needed carbs (bread, grains, rice, etc.) for running and working out. What seemed difficult (even impossible) at first, has now become a way of life. A way of life I do not see myself ever changing. Within 2 weeks of the challenge I felt like a different person. I had so much more energy and a new zest for life. The addition of healthy fats has made brain function much more efficient. I was so excited about this new way of eating, I wanted to learn more about what was making me feel so nourished and ‘normal’. I took several classes from Debbie on digestion and read everything I could about eating grain and processed free food. It is truly amazing to see the difference in my life. Everyone in my family has noticed this change (and are joining in to the life of cleaner eating). I now eat primarily whole foods and have a new love of cooking. I’m excited to cook b/c I know what I prepare is going to make my family and myself feel good and nourished. I can easily run and exercise after a carbohydrate free breakfast. I NEVER crave bread, chips or crackers. It just doesn’t taste good to me anymore. My body now craves the food that makes me feel good…whole real foods!

 

Diet Products, Cleanses and Poop, and A Recipe

debbie (22)This past week I’ve had emails on Diet Soda, Weight Watchers points and meals, oatmeal, and a question about an Acai Berry Cleanse.

Here’s some facts to ponder:

(1) Most of the calories we burn in a 24 hour day have NOTHING to do with exercise.  Our liver uses the most energy (calories), with our heart and brain following up.  Our muscles use far less calories than these organs.  If your blood stream is loaded with sugar (blood sugar readings above 100 on a glucometer), your muscle cells MUST use that excess sugar BEFORE any fat cells get tapped for energy. That’s our Biology.  Oatmeal has about 27 grams of carbs/sugar per cup, that’s almost 7 teaspoons of glucose in your blood.  “Normal/Optimal” blood sugar is about 2 teaspoons in the blood. Start your day with a big bowl of carbs, and even during a workout, your muscle cells use up that glucose before they burn fat for fuel.

(2)  If your liver is clogged by years of chemicals, like the ones found in diet sodas and diet frozen meals or any processed food on a shelf, it’s not running well; your shot at your liver using a whole bunch of calories and functioning like it’s supposed to is impeded. Want a clean, high functioning liver?  Quit flooding it with toxins and chemicals that weaken it and slow it down.  Did you know there are over 10,000 chemicals in our food supply and most of them AREN’T tested?  And several that are have only been given a GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status, this means that even though there were several Red Flags in the testing, the FDA approved it anyway.

(3) Diet foods, diet drinks, and processed foods are created in labs; the Food Scientists make them delicious and stimulating.  Ever notice how hard it is to quit eating processed foods?  They’ve been designed to stimulate areas of your brain that make you want more.  Honestly.  That’s diet and non-diet processed foods.  When your pleasure centers in your brain are constantly being triggered by sugars and chemicals, those neural nets get used to that pleasure, they demand it.  That’s why so often powerful, overwhelming desires for food practically assault you:  certain times, certain places, certain people, print ads, television ads, they can all flip a switch that makes you have to have it now.

Here’s a link to one of my favorite sites, Fooducate.  They’ve done an excellent piece on Weight Watchers and the ingredients in their Chicken Ranchero Mini Wraps.  After reading it, you’ll see why I call this kind of crap “Poison”.

Remember, the Diet Industry is a BUSINESS out to MAKE MONEY.

(4) If you really can stick to your low calorie regimen, your Thyroid, which is in charge of the Cell Turnover of EVERY SINGLE CELL IN YOUR BODY, will determine that there’s some type of food shortage or famine, and will SLOW DOWN TURNOVER/METABOLISM IMMEDIATELY.   Here’s the really bad part:  for some people, it’ll only take doing “low-cal” once, for others, it’ll take more, but eventually, that Thyroid stays “down-regulated”.  This is why the same diet that worked before doesn’t work anymore, and it’s why the majority of dieters gain MORE WEIGHT THAN THEY LOST.

(5) I love the Cleanse questions, I’ve had them for years.  Here’s the fact:  there is no Cleanse on earth that will pull fatty acids out of your fat cells. Period.  The subtle message in Cleanse advertising, showing a beautiful flat stomach, is trying to convince you that if you buy this product, you’ll poop out pounds of fat and then you’ll look like the picture.  Don’t be tricked by this!  Your poop is mostly water, bacteria from your large intestine, discarded cells and waste products, and indigestible fibers.  If your gut is working correctly, the fats/ proteins/sugars/calories and nutrients were extracted in the small intestine, BEFORE they get to the large intestine.  Cleanses that promise diarrhea in exchange for weight loss are stupid, so don’t be fooled.  Want to “Cleanse”?  Quit putting toxins in your liver, kidney, brain, and bowels, honestly.

Let me leave you with a recipe I’ve found that’s fast, easy, and delicious; it’s for  Chocolate Dipped Chocolate Meringue Cookies.  (click on for link)

Ingredients

For the meringue:
    • 4 large pastured egg whites
    • 1/4 tsp cream of tarter
    • 1/2 cup powdered sweetener (or 5 Tbsp honey for Paleo)
    • 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
    • 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
For the chocolate coating:

Instructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
    2. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tarter on medium speed.
    3. Add the sweetener and cocoa powder. Increase the speed to high until the egg whites form very stiff peaks. Add the vanilla and mix to incorporate.
    4. With a large star shaped pastry tip, pipe a 2″ disc on to the parchment paper and pipe another layer on top to form a small peak. Repeat with the remaining meringue batter. (Makes about 26 cookies)
    5. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes and turn off the oven and let sit for 3 hours or until the meringues have dried out.
                      For the chocolate coating:
  1. Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler.
  2. Dip the meringue cookie into the chocolate (either just the bottom or half of the cookie) and set on parchment paper. Refrigerate until the chocolate has set.

Paleo Pizza Crust Recipe; and a Weight Loss Success Story

pizza

So my husband’s become obsessed with the show “Pizza Cuz” on the Cooking Channel, and it’s made him all antsy to have pizza. He was so entranced that he was flipping back and forth between the play-offs and the show; then he started pacing back and forth like a lion and then he threatened to go buy a Boboli crust and make his own!  I talked him off the ledge and set about finding a suitable replacement.

I did! I found a crust that’s Paleo/Gluten Free/Grain Free, and it actually works!  It’s easy too, unlike the more labor intensive (but delicious) Cauliflower crusts.  I got the recipe off of ZenBelly, who calls it “NY Style Pizza Crust”;  honestly, that’s stretching it, but it was still really, really good.  It’s actually a yeast dough, and it baked up airy and crispy at the same time.  Make sure you read her notes, because it’s not at all like making regular dough – it’s about 10X easier:  no kneeding, no rolling it out, and the dough is very wet instead of dry.  MOMS!!  This is a great alternative for your kids!!  I doubled the recipe with no problem.

My picky youngest daughter liked it, and my husband loved it.  This is his pizza here, loaded with toppings (sauce, lamb, olives, swiss, mozzarella, and herbs) and it held up perfectly to all that weight.

For the time being, crisis averted.  Amazing how jumpy brain neurons can get when they want something, isn’t it.

Here’s the link to ZenBelly NY Style Paleo Pizza Crust.

Next, I have another Success Story/Testimony I want to share.  I hope Jayme inspires you to take the actions to make huge, positive, changes in your life!

Debbie Abbott changed my life. At 43 years old, with 4 kids, two of which I had after 40, I was happy with my life but not happy with my body. I had never really learned how to eat or how to cook. Almost everything I ate came out of a box or can. So sad and so true. 

I started working out regularly after my 3rd child was born. I loved it. But I never really changed my eating habits. As a matter of fact I would tell myself, “you worked out, you can eat. Just eat in moderation”. But the weight was still adding up and at 43 years old I found myself at the heaviest I have ever been. I was taking prescription strength antacids everyday for almost 5 years. I had IBS most days and felt tired and bloated every day after about 3 pm. I thought this was normal. For me it was, and I hated it.

It was time for a lifestyle change. I knew it, I just had no idea how or where to start. So one day I was on Facebook and a friend shared a link to Debbie’s site www.rocksolidnutritionandwellness.com, I clicked it and never looked back!

It made sense, something finally made sense!  So I kept reading. I kept thinking, “I can do this, I can do this”. She gave me just enough science to make it stick. Not so much that you turn off the computer or skip to the meal plan part of the book. Which I was guilty of more times then not. 

Her blog was awesome and it made me finally think to myself that I CAN make a life change and it will work.  Debbie’s favorite way to end a blog is “Eat Real Food…Good Fats, Clean Proteins, and TONS of vegetables, some fruit, some nuts and seeds, and dairy if you can tolerate it.” In my brain this translated to things that come out of the ground, things with a mother, oh and CHEESE! I love cheese! 

I will admit the hardest part is only eating 3 meals a day. I was a big grazer. But, when you add the good fat to each meal you just aren’t hungry between meals. Some days I fall off of the wagon with this but I see the most progress with my weight loss when I wait at least 4 hours between meals on a regular basis. However, all the other benefits of clean eating are always consistent and to me that is HUGE.

I started this journey July 13, 2013. I am down 25 pounds, and completely off of the antacids. No bloating, and no more IBS. I sleep better then ever and my skin is awesome (for a 44 year old with 4 kids)!  I have more energy then ever and I don’t experience the huge mood swings that I used to. My husband, who has been following Debbie too, is down 27 pounds and looks amazing!

 Food doesn’t have to be hard. Planning ahead helps, but I don’t get fancy with meals most nights. I follow Debbie’s suggestions and always make sure we have something in the fridge to grab. I use my crock pot a lot! It works for me. Toss it in and forget about it until it’s time to eat dinner. Plus, most nights we don’t get to sit as a family and eat. But everyone can grab a bowl and serve themselves out of the crock pot.

 IT WORKS people and it is not that hard. It’s not and you can do it. Debbie makes it simple and easy. She takes the guess work out of it. She does all the research and I just follow along. I am a true believer and I am so lucky to have found her. 

Lose Weight Without Dieting, and No Recipe Paleo Meals

I’ve had more emails in the past week than in the past couple of months;  I’ve struck a nerve asserting that you can be slim without dieting.  Some women are asking if it’s actually possible, since we’ve all been brainwashed with Diet Propaganda since birth; and some women are lamenting their Food Addiction. ( They believe it, they just can’t stop eating.)

Two different issues, but the resolution is the same:  Real Whole Foods.  Make your meals comprised of Good Fats, Clean Proteins, and TONS of vegetables, some fruit, some nuts and seeds, and dairy if you can tolerate it. These foods contain the nutrients that make up every single cell in our body.  Glucose/Carbs/Starches/Sugars – they make nothing.  Our body uses a tiny MOLECULE of glucose inside the cells for fuel.  Our cells can also use fat and ketones for fuel.  That’s how people who live in areas with little to no vegetation thrive.  God designed our body to only be able to store a tiny bit of Glucose/Sugar/Carbohydrate, and convert any extra to Fat.

Changing gears here, until the mid 1900s, American’s didn’t have a weight problem. Health problems were horrible diseases like Typhoid or Cholera.   Check out this chart which relates changes in our food supply to how Heart Disease and Cancer went from almost unheard of in 1900,  to being the top two causes of death by 1950.  In 2013 we have a better chance of SURVIVING heart disease and cancer, but a GREATER than ever chance of developing it; despite Modern Medicine and all it’s advice.

What’s the link between our exploding weight and our horrible health?  Food.  By 1950 hydrogenated oils like Crisco and Margarine were household staples; in the 70s/80s, high fructose corn syrup became the predominant sweetener used in packaged/processed foods, in the 80s and 90s, chemically enhanced, fake foods and diet foods became a new norm.  Sugar went from 18 pounds per person in 1800, to 90 pounds per person in 1900, to almost 200 pounds per person in 2010.  Americans have drastically decreased their consumption of fatty meats and saturated fats, and vegetables and fruits.

The Results?  70% overweight, more than 30% obese.  Heart Disease, continually increasing, Diabetes – EXPLODING, Cancer – continually increasing, Depression/Anxiety/Migraines/Alzheimer’s – EXPLODING…. I could go on and on.

The take-away:  Dieting hasn’t worked; it’s actually had the opposite effect! Statistically, almost 100% of EVERYONE who loses weight on a “diet” gains it back. Most people gain MORE than they lost.  Reducing calories lowers Thyroid hormone, and increases Cortisol.  Eat a Low Fat/No Fat Diet, which means carby diet foods, and your Insulin increases. Losing weight becomes more and more difficult with each consecutive diet.  The hormonal effect of dieting is disastrous.  

What’s the latest in this line of research?  The effect dieting has on our Neurotransmitters, like dopamine and serotonin.  It completely depletes them or whacks out their levels.  If our Neurotransmitters aren’t level or normal, we can’t be normal.  This is where food addiction comes into play, along with depression and anxiety.  Want to learn more?  Read the Diet Cure by Julia Ross, it’s fantastic.  Want to work on this?  Get in touch with me.

Think you can’t lose weight by eating meals of Real Whole Foods that contain lots of fat and actually leave you feeling full?  You’re wrong.  The real fact is you can’t lose weight PERMANENTLY on a diet.  Just TRY a Real Whole Foods approach, try and see what happens for a month.  Really, what do you have to lose?

I’m going to close with some No Recipe Paleo Meals that I’ve cooked in the past few days.  (Power Cooking to a Walking Dead Binge!!)

This is Roasted Potatoes:  Put about 1/3 cup of butter (I used KerryGold) in a large baking dish (with sides) and let it totally melt in your oven (450) for a few minutes.  Scrub and chop a 5 pound bag of Russet potatoes.  Put the potatoes in your baking dish and mix/stir around so all the potatoes are covered in butter.  Sprinkle a LOT of salt and pepper, and Italian seasoning on top.  Bake for about 45-55 minutes, stirring/flipping at least twice.  Let these cool and then freeze flat in big ziplocs; you can just “break off pieces” and reheat in the oven or a pan with more butter.

roasted potatoes

 

Here’s Roasted Cabbage, Cauliflower, and Sausage:  I made a huge pot of broth (24 hour simmer of chicken bones in water and 1tbsp white vinegar) earlier this week.   I used 10 cups here, some Malt Vinegar, cabbage, cauliflower, onion, garlic, leeks, sausage, italian seasoning, salt and pepper.  This also freezes well.

broth:cabbage

And last, Mark and I went away this weekend;  here’s what I cooked in our cabin:  brussels and onions in butter, water, salt and pepper,  mixed with ground lamb, and a side of fried plantains.  The next picture is the leftovers mixed with a few eggs for breakfast.

dinner at high view

breakfast leftovers

 

 

Counting Calories? Raw Eggs? Milk for Everyone? Reader Questions-

me cookingMorning! I’ve received several good questions this week, which I’m going to answer here (questions are “condensed” for brevity).

(1) WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH ME EATING SO MANY RAW EGGS; AREN’T RAW EGGS DANGEROUS?

I eat raw eggs 4 or 5 times a week, usually 2 at a time.  All my eggs are from farmers, not commercial egg producers/grocery stores (except my local, small grocery store, the IGA, which sells Farmer Eggs).  I’d NEVER eat a raw egg from a commercial grocery store.  At this point, I don’t even want a cooked egg from a grocery store.  The egg’s nutrient profiles are a reflection of what they’re fed (grains for commercial chickens; plants and bugs for farm raised).  Also, I’d like to NOT support commercial chicken farming.  Have you seen how they’re raised?  There’s plenty of sneaky youtube videos, and here’s a synopsis to read.

There’s so many food myths that have been busted for me in the past few years, and this Raw Egg thing is one of them.  I use Raw Eggs for my self and my family several times a week for 4 or 5 years now, and no one’s become sick.  Our Real Whole Food diet’s made us all healthier.   Again though, I’d NEVER eat a raw commercial eggs.  Interested in learning more?  Read Dr. Mercola’s post on Raw Eggs, he includes plenty of sciency facts.  BTW: I pay $3.50/doz.

Ohh, I got a few emails in response to my milk post, suggesting I’m recommending milk for everyone.  Not at all!  I’ve said several times that Raw Dairy is a good food – if you can tolerate it.  A lot of people can’t.  My youngest daughter Shelby tested positive for Lactose Intolerance, although she can tolerate raw much better than pasteurized because Raw Milk has Lactase.    Here’s something interesting: there’s two reasons people are “sensitive” to milk.  (IMPORTANT:  Lactose Intolerance DOES NOT equal an Allergy; allergies can be life threatening.  Intolerance/sensitivities gives you bad stomach aches.)  Interesting research on milk intolerance is suggesting that it maybe a secondary reaction to Gluten Intolerance, via Molecular Mimicry.  Here’s the thinking:  No one has the enzymes to digest Glutens (grain proteins).  They go thru the small intestine wall, into the blood stream, NOT COMPLETELY broken down, causing “Leaky Gut”.  These big proteins aren’t supposed to be in the blood stream, so our immune system mounts an attack.  Casein proteins from dairy look VERY MUCH LIKE GLUTEN PROTEINS.  Eventually, our immune system MISTAKENLY attacks the casein proteins also.  What to do? Heal and seal your gut, quit eating glutens, and often the dairy sensitivities go away. Think that sounds crazy? No crazier than when our immune system attack our joints, our thyroid, our liver, our pancreas, or any other part it wants to in Auto Immune Disease.  Those are mistakes also; our immune system shouldn’t attack us, but it happens.  Want to learn more, read this piece by PhD scientist Sarah Ballentyne, aka The Paleo Mom.  She’s all about whacked out immune systems as she deals with it herself.
Last Question, how many calories do I eat a day?  Oh My Gosh I haven’t counted calories in a few years and WHAT A RELIEF!!!  I’m guessing, due to huge amounts of fat, that I eat close to 2500/3000 a day.  Way up from my compulsive decades of consuming Low Fat /No Fat foods, (until my inevitable binges), where I stressed, starved, and worried every single day about my weight.  I eat Real Whole Foods 3X a day, and I rarely EVER snack ( I eat too much fat and protein to get hungry ).  If I have dessert ( Paleo!) I have it WITH a meal.  My weight?  Unbelievably steady.  Stomach issues?  Zero.  Let me say it like this:  As I’ve COMPLETELY eliminated dieting/diet foods/diet thoughts, I’ve consistently had the best weight and the best health of my life.

I’m feeding my body the nutrients it wants, and I’ve deleted the negative cascade of hormonal results that happen with dieting (high cortisol, high insulin, low thyroid).

What’d I eat yesterday?

Paul Newman Organic Vanilla Coffee with 1/3 cup Raw Cream

B – raw whole fat keifer (1 cup) 2 raw eggs, frozen spinach and cherries, coconut flakes, cinnamon, ginger, Manuka honey (google it)

L – several slices of DELICIOUS deer sausage with jalapenos and cheddar, an orange, and a macaroon, handful of mixed nuts

D – baked fish, roasted white potatoes in butter and herbs, a mix of broth/tomatoes/cabbage/cauliflower/onion/garlic soup.

And last question: can I be more specific with my recipes, i.e amounts of ingredients:  Sorry, I don’t cook that way.  I only use recipe books for their pictures and ideas.  That mix I made for dinner last night or any night?  I had those things in the fridge, so I threw them together.  Three nights in a row earlier this week, I made brussels and coconutbrussel sprouts with various ingredients: broth/butter/bacon/sausage/onions/carrots/sweet potato/cheese.  I load on herbs and spices and heat depending on who’s home and what I’m feeling.  Cooking’s Not Brain Surgery. ( Baking however is, you MUST follow recipes when baking.)   Just put together foods and flavors you like.  Real Whole Foods ALWAYS taste good, so it’s hard to go wrong.

Keep sending your questions – I love them!  Make time to read the links:  when you make your health a priority by learning how your body works, it’s easier to make effortless changes to your eating.  It’s not a struggle to say NO to cake, cookies, crackers, or fast food when you think they’re poison.

Will Milk make you Fat or Skinny?

chocolate milkI’ve been meaning to do a post on milk for a while, and I got a great email this morning that compels me to do it immediately:

Debbie,

Am I insane to find this article absolutely absurd?!?!?! I don’t know what to believe anymore. I just don’t want to be fat. Apparently this is too much to ask for. Feeling very discouraged after reading this.

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/10/30/benefits-chocolate-milk-after-your-workout/

You might have seen this article, or other articles referring to it, touting the fact that when they compared athletes who drank either chocolate milk, Gatorade, or water after a cycling workout, the ones who drank chocolate milk had better recovery.  Makes sense.  Milk has casein (long lasting) protein and whey (fast acting) proteins, fats for cell membrane repair, vitamins and minerals, and the sugar in the chocolate can be used for glycogen “refueling”.  Gatorade’s pure junk ( have you read those ingredients? ), and while water is great, and it’s all I drink after a workout (with some Apple Cider Vinegar added), it doesn’t have any fat, protein, vitamins, or minerals.  (ps, I workout a lot, and I’m fine without “recovery meals/drinks”)

Here’s the facts:  after a workout, your cell doors are more “open” to glucose/blood sugar.  Fact:  that’s only if you actually USED the glycogen/blood glucose that was stored in a muscle cell.  If you didn’t use it, it doesn’t need any more.  There’s a VERY FINITE amount of glycogen/glucose/sugar/blood glucose we can store.  VERY FINITE.  If you’ve eaten a big bowl of oatmeal, a banana, and a glass of orange juice for breakfast, you have about 81 grams of carbs/sugar/glucose in your blood.  (sugar/carbs, they all get broken down to C6H12O6 / glucose, whether they’re from grains, vegetables, beans, fruits, whatever, they all get broken down in the gut to glucose. That’s the guts job, break food down to it’s smallest component.)

Four grams of carbs = One teaspoon of sugar/blood glucose. ( I’m using these words over and over to drill in that a carb is a sugar is a carb is a glucose……) .  That breakfast yielded about 20 teaspoons of sugar.  20.  20 teaspoons of sugar.  Your blood ONLY wants about 2 teaspoons, your liver Only wants about 2 teaspoons. Blood sugar gets used to build NOTHING.  Everything else needs to be dispensed with.   If you just worked out, or just woke up, you have some empty muscle cells that can use the sugar/glucose.  Maybe your liver stores are a little empty too.  ALL THE REST OF THE EXCESS GLUCOSE GETS MADE INTO TRIGLYCERIDES AND STORED IN YOUR FAT TISSUE.

So what do I think about milk??  I think raw, unpasteurized, grass fed milk is a Super Food.  Organic milk from grass fed dairy is great; organic milk from grain fed cows is good.  Whole Milk is the ONLY milk you should be drinking, studies show that people who drink whole milk are thinner, and you can only absorb the fat soluble vitamins WITH FAT.  Google it.

Here’s my issue with the “chocolate milk”; undoubtedly, the kind used in these studies was junk.  Here’s the ingredient list for Hershey’s chocolate syrup:

HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP; CORN SYRUP; WATER; COCOA; SUGAR; CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: POTASSIUM SORBATE (PRESERVATIVE); SALT; MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES; XANTHAN GUM; POLYSORBATE 60; VANILLIN, ARTIFICIAL FLA VOR

There’s NO WAY anyone could think these chemicals and sugars could be good for ANYTHING.  Food’s either poison or medicine.  This is poison.  If you want chocolate, buy a good cocoa, and add a little stevia or honey.  There’s enough carbs in the milk (lactose) to refuel your muscle cells.

About the milk making the athletes perform better?  Absolutely!  What’s your activity level?  If it’s low, you don’t need many carbs.  If it’s high, you get to consume more.  Make them GOOD CARBS:  vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds.   Still confused?  Test your blood sugar with a glucometer.  If your numbers are over 100, STORAGE IS HAPPENING; unless you’re working out, then some of your muscle cells can use the blood sugar for fuel.  ***** If blood sugar is high, fat doesn’t get used nearly as much for fuel,( hence, the reason for weight loss on a low carb diet – the low blood sugars increase fat burning).  And the whole “you need carbs for energy – like bread and pasta” OMGOSH NO.  Do you know how many athletes now shun bread and pasta and thrive?  It’s becoming more normal IMG_2751than ever, thank goodness.  Check out professional triathlete Ben Greenfield if you’re interested.  Here’s a pic of my 49 year old hubby, who drinks a half gallon a day of raw milk.  ( it does his body good!)  I consume at least a quarter to a third of cup of raw cream every day.

Back to the milk question.  Everyone’s body is different.  These studies showed improved athletic improvement. Other studies show that whole milk drinkers are thinner than skim milk drinkers.  Bottom Line:  NO ONE GOES WRONG WITH REAL WHOLE FOOD.

 

 

Want to Lose Weight and Get Healthy? Eliminate Grains.

breadsDoes anything cause more anxiety in the food world than Carbohydrates?   Ask people to give up or cut back on bread, pasta, crackers, and chips, and you’ll often see fear in their eyes.  I’ve had 100 moms say to me, “what else do you feed your kids?”.  Grain based foods are cheap, plentiful, easily prepared and quickly served.  What’s faster than cereal for breakfast or pasta for dinner?  Has anything been pushed on us harder than grain based foods?  Have we ever seen a commercial of a group of guys bonding over steaks while watching football?  Or a harried mother shooing her kids to the school bus while passing them a turkey sausage?  ( I think the meat industry needs to hire me!) We’ve been subjected to a barrage of hypnotic grain pushing advertising for our entire lives, and it’s worked.

You all, grains are killing us. Please, please, keep reading.  If you need to lose weight, get rid of headaches, anxiety, ADD, or depression, if you need to reverse Diabetes or Heart Disease,  if you suffer from bad periods, bad skin, Man Boobs, low testosterone, sore and swollen joints, you can improve/fix all these conditions by eliminating grains – completely – from your life.

Here’s a quick rundown on what happens when we eat grains (from Oatmeal to Barley, to Wheat, to Spelt, Whichever and All) :  in your gut the grains are broken down to Glucose/Sugar, which leaches through your intestine wall right into the blood stream.  Now we’ll call it Blood Sugar. ( SPOILER:  whole wheat flour breaks down even quicker than white flour!! ) Your body needs to keep your Blood Sugar between 80 and 100.  Everything over 100 MUST BE DELT WITH IMMEDIATELY.  The pancreas releases the hormone Insulin, which grabs the excess BS and tries to remove it from the blood stream.  There are only 3 options: (1) some of the muscle cells will need a molecule of glucose (2) the emergency liver store might need some (3) ALL THE REST GET REMADE INTO TRIGLYCERIDES.  Then the liver makes LDL to transport those triglycerides thru your bloodstream and into the fat tissue in your abdominal area.

Other problems with grains and high blood sugar?  (1) Glycation, which is when the sticky blood sugar inappropriately attaches to, and damages, the cells on the back of your eyes, extremity nerve endings, liver cells, kidney cells, or forms into brain plaques. (2) Gluten proteins in grains.   Humans don’t have the enzymes to break down Glutens; the damage these proteins wreck is EXTENSIVE.  (3)  The hormone Insulin:  damaging and caustic. It goes through the arteries like a ball of barbed wire. Plus, the pancreas takes a hit when it has to pump out excessive amounts, like it would if you eat carbs all day long.

If you’ve been struggling with Weight or Health, and you’ve tried everything but eliminating grains, what do you have to lose by going grain free for a month? Really, what do you have to lose? Try it. One month. It’s the start of a whole New Year.  You could be totally different in 12 months if you want.

Want some inspiration, and further education?  Listen to these podcasts from a Cardiologist and a Neurologist:

Dr William Davis, aka, The Wheat Belly Doc, on LivinLaVidaLowCarb

Dr. Davis Cholesterol Clarity

Dr. Perlmutter from Grain Brain

Your health, your weight, your moods, your energy levels, they’re in your hands.  You are not deficient in a drug.  You didn’t break because your body can’t make enough Metformin, Lipator, or Advil.  All drugs come with side-effects. All of them.  Your body is made mostly of Water, then Protein and Fat, then vitamins and minerals. Feed your body what it needs to remake and repair itself.  Carbs make nothing in your body; they’re just an energy source, and even a top athlete doesn’t need much to run well.  We can get all the carbs we need in Real Whole Foods, like vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and dairy if you tolerate it.  Add your proteins and good fats, and you’re on the right track to health and healthy weight.  You can do this! Make this your year!

A Success Story on Weight Loss and Health

lunch on beachProbably because of the New Year, I’ve had several letters asking about weight loss.  Everything from my opinion on Fitbits, to an electronic fork that tells you to slow down, to red pepper/honey/lemon cleanses.  You all, these are just Marketing Scams that compel you to buy gadgets, magazines, books, foods, and drugs, under the false promise that these will cause you to lose weight.  They won’t.   The Paleo Diet won’t even cause you to lose weight if you’re just using the “low carbishness” of it as a temporary weight loss tool. Diet’s never work because every Diet has an Equal and Opposing Binge.  The Paleo Diet isn’t about low carb weight loss.  It’s about Understanding How Your Body Actually Works and then Feeding it Properly:  Real Whole Food. It’s also about stress, movement, and sleep.  Live Healthy, Eat Healthy, and Weight Loss is a Side Effect.

Here’s a caveat though:  for most people, it’s not going to be a quick side effect.  Real, actual fat loss takes time.  Changing your habits and thoughts about food takes even more time.  But what if you don’t start today?  What if on January 4, 2015, you’re the exact same as you are right now?

Here’s an email from someone who has put in the work and effort for a whole year, and seen really, really impressive results:
“Debbie,

I was reading through your recent posts and just had to respond so maybe you can let the lady who emailed you about eating “healthy grains” and “the plate” and not losing weight… that you are right! I was like her, thinking that was the healthy way, eating whole grains and whole wheat pastas and low or no fat…

After starting to eat differently and following your recommended plan for almost a year now I am finding that was not the healthy diet I thought it was. I attended several of your nutrition workshops and read your posts and the other references and books you have recommended along the way and I am feeling great. I feel better and I have lost weight over time and I am not gaining it back. I have a new way of looking at food from your workshops. I learned so much that I had never thought about or considered. It starts with real whole foods just as you say and I now think about what I put in my mouth and how it effects my digestion and other organs and hormones, etc. The workshops help you understand why it is so important to eat well. Eating poorly may not have an immediate impact but I have learned that it is cumulative, the negative results will show up in due time. I have also learned from you that it is not too late to make the changes! You are always positive and encouraging and take the time to make sure we all understand some of the more scientific things you teach in the classes. As my husband just said the other day, not only do I tell him which foods he eats that are bad for him but I have also shared knowledge with him about why they are bad and what it is doing to his body (from what I learned from you)! It makes a difference when you know those things and the “bad” foods become undesirable, less appealing. I am not perfect but I have not eaten pasta or crackers or (hardly) any bread, rice, etc. in a very long time. I am a work in progress and I still have things to work on, I still have too many (chocolate) treats but I am slowly getting there. I now understand why sugar is so bad for our bodies. I purchased a glucometer and want to know my glucose levels during the day now that I know how much damage it can do. I understand more about cholesterol and fats.

I went for my annual checkup recently and when the doctor came in he said “wow you have lost weight” and joked about me wasting away to nothing (which is not at all true) and other positive things. It was very noticeable to him having not seen me in a year. He wanted to know what I was doing different and I told him. I notice over time I do not crave the crackers or chips anymore. I like the changes and will keep getting better at it! So thank you! I try to pass the information on to anyone who will listen to me. I know there are many of my family and friends who do not buy in yet but they see the differences in me and this makes them more inclined to find out what I am talking about. I recommend folks attend your workshops and I will continue to attend as it never hurts for me to hear things over and the more I understand the more I can share with others. Thank you for doing what you do, for taking the time to post the information and encourage us. I know it has made a huge difference for me. ”

Take my advice, start your change TODAY.  Not tomorrow because it’s Sunday and the weekend’s over, not February 1 because you missed January 1; Today.  Losing weight, reducing or eliminating inflammation/depression/anxiety/ADD/, getting rid coronary heart disease, Type 2 Diabetes, migraines,  etc, these are from lifestyle changes that are completely in your power to make.  Use your power, email me if you need help.  Other people make changes, you can too. Don’t let another year go by where you end up disappointed and struggling.  Life’s too short for that.