Showing posts with label Paleo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paleo. Show all posts
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Almost Paleo Pizza With Grain-Free Pizza Crust
Pizza: probably one of the most craved foods for people following a Paleo diet. Today, I satisfied my craving, but the pizza was not completely Paleo friendly. I choose to follow the 80/20 rule, although for me its more like 90/10. I don't believe in dogmatism and I'm certainly not a hard liner. Getting to the Paleo diet has been a process of self-experimentation to relieve my severe pain and other symptoms. Chris Kresser, L.Ac speaks about this exact point in a great article he wrote a couple of years ago about food fascism and the 80/20, and having had an eating disorder in the past, I try to make sure that I stay open and flexible with my food choices even when I am restricting various ingredients.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Coconut Cashew Bread: Paleo, Grain-Free, & Refined Sugar Free!
Today, I just had to make bread, Coconut Cashew Bread! I haven't had bread for a couple of months, since I've been grain free. I don't normally have bread cravings, but there were a few posts on my Facebook feed today that made my mouth water. I just couldn't resist! I had to bake bread.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Book Review & Giveaway: Practical Paleo
When I started blogging about my 21-Day Detox cleanse in July, I had no idea how much I would learn about diet and nutrition as part of the process of writing about my experiences. I've always been interested in cooking, but recently I have moved towards becoming more educated about the true nutritional value of the food I'm eating. I've been stocking up on cookbooks that are also educational and provide viewpoints on certain ways of eating. Since I have been moving towards becoming completely grain free, I have been very interested in blogs and books that center around the Paleolithic (Paleo) lifestyle. One blogger who I have been following is Diane Sanfilippo, of Balanced Bites and author of the highly informative Practical Paleo.
I don't often get excited about nutrition and cookbooks, but Practical Paleo is a pretty amazing book. It's not wonder it's been on the New York Times bestseller list for 3 weeks in a row. If you haven't gotten yourself a copy, you are missing out and here are 5 reasons why:
1. It has over 120 easy recipes all that are gluten-,grain-,legume-,dairy- & refined-sugar-free.
The recipes are well organized by meal type: breakfast, sides & salads, treats & sweets, also by protein type. Some delicious recipes include Apple Streusel Egg Muffins, Nori Salmon Handroll, Baked Beets with Fennel, and Nutty Bacon Bark (yes! bacon candy)
2. It has multiple 30-Day Meal Plans to help support recovery from a number of health issues such as autoimmune conditions, digestive health, blood-sugar regulation, thyroid health, cancer recovery, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, fat loss, athletic performance, and general health
Each meal plan has a specific shopping list as well as a list of useful supplements that you could be taking for your condition. Additionally, a symptom checklist allows you to determine which diet is best for you. Finally Practical Paleo provides specific lifestyle suggestions to help you achieve your goals, such as adding more superfoods and avoiding fasting when trying to regulate blood sugar.
3. It has beautiful colorful guides such as: Guide to Paleo Foods, Stocking a Paleo Pantry, and Guide to Food Quality
If you are every confused about what you should be eating, these colorful guides help you on your trip to the grocery store. The Guide to Paleo foods even highlights items that are considered to be nightshades and can aggravate arthritic conditionals such as gout and arthritis. The Guide to Stocking a Paleo Pantry helps you make sure that you have plenty of grab-and-go foods while you are trying to establish your health, reminding you to have canned sardines, coconut milk, and plenty of nuts on hand. Having a well stocked pantry also ensures that if you happen to lose power, like many on the East Coast, you still have plenty nutrient dense foods to enjoy. I have some recipe suggestions here. Finally, the Guide to Food Quality helps explain terms like pastured-raised, cage-free, natural, and naturally raised.
4. It has really pretty pictures. What's a cookbook without amazing photography? I often spend more time looking at the pictures in cookbook then I do actually cooking the recipes. Practical Paleo has it's share of food p0rn!
I don't often get excited about nutrition and cookbooks, but Practical Paleo is a pretty amazing book. It's not wonder it's been on the New York Times bestseller list for 3 weeks in a row. If you haven't gotten yourself a copy, you are missing out and here are 5 reasons why:
1. It has over 120 easy recipes all that are gluten-,grain-,legume-,dairy- & refined-sugar-free.
The recipes are well organized by meal type: breakfast, sides & salads, treats & sweets, also by protein type. Some delicious recipes include Apple Streusel Egg Muffins, Nori Salmon Handroll, Baked Beets with Fennel, and Nutty Bacon Bark (yes! bacon candy)
2. It has multiple 30-Day Meal Plans to help support recovery from a number of health issues such as autoimmune conditions, digestive health, blood-sugar regulation, thyroid health, cancer recovery, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, fat loss, athletic performance, and general health
Each meal plan has a specific shopping list as well as a list of useful supplements that you could be taking for your condition. Additionally, a symptom checklist allows you to determine which diet is best for you. Finally Practical Paleo provides specific lifestyle suggestions to help you achieve your goals, such as adding more superfoods and avoiding fasting when trying to regulate blood sugar.
3. It has beautiful colorful guides such as: Guide to Paleo Foods, Stocking a Paleo Pantry, and Guide to Food Quality
If you are every confused about what you should be eating, these colorful guides help you on your trip to the grocery store. The Guide to Paleo foods even highlights items that are considered to be nightshades and can aggravate arthritic conditionals such as gout and arthritis. The Guide to Stocking a Paleo Pantry helps you make sure that you have plenty of grab-and-go foods while you are trying to establish your health, reminding you to have canned sardines, coconut milk, and plenty of nuts on hand. Having a well stocked pantry also ensures that if you happen to lose power, like many on the East Coast, you still have plenty nutrient dense foods to enjoy. I have some recipe suggestions here. Finally, the Guide to Food Quality helps explain terms like pastured-raised, cage-free, natural, and naturally raised.
4. It has really pretty pictures. What's a cookbook without amazing photography? I often spend more time looking at the pictures in cookbook then I do actually cooking the recipes. Practical Paleo has it's share of food p0rn!
5. Finally, Practical Paleo doesn't just provide delicious easy recipes, Diane Sanfillipo explains why "everything we've been taught about good nutrition is wrong."
Practical Paleo dissects all of the recent US Dietary Guidelines such as increasing low-fat dairy intake while limiting full-fat, using oils instead of solid fats, and consuming grains. She explains in layman's terms why these recommendations are causing Americans to not only be overweight but to also be very unhealthy. Diane also provides a science lesson on how our bodies process carbs, proteins, and fats and why the Paleo diet works for not just weight loss but also improved health.
I was really impressed with this book. Not only is it well written and beautifully illustrated, but it provides important, relevant information. I can attest to how much of a difference a paleo-centered diet can make. In the months that I have been grain free, I have never felt better. Practical Paleo will now be my go-to book for easy, simple, and quick Paleo recipes. Practical Paleo is available on Amazon for $23.97! You can go get yourself a copy or you can win a copy in my Practical Paleo Giveaway!
To be entered in the contest, you must first be a subscriber to my blog. You can subscribe via email on the top right corner. Next follow Rafflecopter's easy instructions!
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Grain & Gluten Free Breakfast Ideas! The Best Waffles Ever & Swiss Chard Hash
Weekend morning breakfasts at our house are usually kind of generic, a version of eggs and toast. So when this weekend the hubby asked me to make him something special for breakfast, I came up with two grain-free (both), Paleo (Hash Only), GAPS (Hash Only) and SCD (Hash Only), friendly recipes that will surely satisfy. Saturday morning, I made a Swiss Chard Hash. Then, on Sunday, I was craving waffles, so I made my usual waffle recipe but substituted grain-free flours. The waffles turned out great! For toppings, I used Tula's CocoYO and my spiced plum compote.
Swiss Chard Hash
Ingredients
1 bunch Swiss Chard
1 tbsp Ghee
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp The Spice House Spanish Smoked Paprika
4 eggs
Process:
1. Heat ghee in a pan
2. Chop Swiss Chard finely
3. Once ghee has melted add Swiss Chard, salt and paprika
4. Saute Chard for 6-8 minutes
5. Add eggs in sunny-side up fashion, cover, cook for 5-7 minutes or until whites are fully cooked
6. Enjoy!
Grain-Free Vegan Waffles
Ingredients
1/2 cup chestnut flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup coconut oil (melted)
1 cup water
2 tbsp raw honey
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Process:
1. Mix all dry ingredients together and separately mix all wet ingredients together
2. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix on medium speed with a mixer
3. Scoop heaping 1/4 cup of batter onto oiled waffle maker
4. Depending on your waffle maker, cook for 8-10 minutes
5. Add your favorite waffle syrup or toppings
6. Enjoy!
If you are interested in learning more about going grain-free, Jill at Real Food Forager is teaching a class to help you. If you want to sign up for the class use the coupon code NOGRAINS and receive an additional $20off. The coupon expires September 25th. And don't forget about my Spices Contest!
Saturday, September 15, 2012
UCSF Studies on the Paleo Diet & Easy Grain-Free Quinoa Side Dish
In the last year, I feel like all of a sudden everyone is talking about some form of a grain-free diet. Whether it's Paleo, GAPS, SCD, Slow-Carb, nutritionists, acupuncturists, and health coaches are recommending going grain-free to help alleviate a variety of ailments from arthritis and autism to MS and psychological disorders. A UCSF study actually showed that when healthy volunteers followed a Paleolithic diet for 10 days (eating lean meat, fruits, vegetables and nuts and excluding grains, dairy and legumes) they reduced their blood pressure, improved their glucose tolerance and improved their lipid levels (cholesterol). Another study showed that the Paleo diet was better than the standard diabetes diet in improving heart attack risk in patients with type 2 diabetes.
The interesting thing about the Paleo diet is that it is a form the "real food" diet. While there are many companies trying to jump on the Paleo bandwagon, if you are eating the hunter-gatherer diet, you are eating whole foods that are not found in boxes. It is so interesting that a diet that has been proven to be more beneficial that what the American Dietetic Association recommends for type 2 diabetics hasn't become mainstream. One of the reasons that it's not mainstream may simply be a conflict of interest. The ADA influences the dietary guidelines set by the USDA. The ADA is a non-profit organization that is heavily financed by companies such as Kellogg's, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Hershey. So it's important to remember that the American Dietic Association is an industry friendly organization and not exactly the best source of dietary advice.
As part of my efforts to alleviate my lower back pain, I have been practicing a grain-free and dairy-free diet, which isn't Paleo because I choose to consume legumes. My pain has vanished. To me it feels miraculous. After spending 8 months seeing countless doctors and being poked and prodded, it's been amazing to see that the first medicine is food. If you are suffering from arthritis, gout, high blood pressure or if you are overweight, I recommend trying one of the diets mentioned above or all of them to find which one you can adopt as a lifestyle.
Like the UCSF study, you can try it for 10 days and work with your doctor to take blood before you begin and after 10 days. If you have a doctor that you do not feel is supportive, get a new one. I recommend One Medical Group. They have offices in the SF Bay Area, New York and Washington, D.C. From personal experience, I feel you will be able to find a doctor there willing to participate in your personal experiment.
In the meantime, I have a great satisfying Quinoa dish that you can enjoy. Quinoa is not a grain. It's actually seed that is closely related to beets and spinach. It contains the large amounts of the amino acid lysine, a necessary protein building block which is essential for calcium absorption, and hormone, enzyme and antibody production. It's high is calcium and is the considered to be a complete protein, meaning it contains all 9 essential amino acids.
I always keep Gogo Rice's Organic Cooked Quinoa in my pantry in case I forget to soak some. Since the Quinoa only needs to be heated, this side dish takes less than 5 minutes to prepare.
Quinoa Primavera Pilaf
Ingredients
1 package of Organic Cooked Quinoa
1 cup spinach
1 large carrot
1/2 parsley
1 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Celtic Salt
dash of pepper
dash smoked paprika
Process:
1. Empty quinoa into a pan and heat on low with a tbsp water so it doesn't burn
2. In a food processor or by hand, grate carrot
3. Chop spinach and parsley finely
4. Toss carrots, spinach, and parsley into pat and heat everything for 2 minutes (add more water if needed)
5. Empty into a bowl and add vinegar, salt, oil and spices
6. Mix and Enjoy!
If you are interested in learning more about going grain-free, Jill at Real Food Forager is teaching a class to help you. If you want to sign up for the class use the coupon code NOGRAINS and receive an additional $20off. The coupon expires September 25th. And don't forget about my Spices Contest!
The interesting thing about the Paleo diet is that it is a form the "real food" diet. While there are many companies trying to jump on the Paleo bandwagon, if you are eating the hunter-gatherer diet, you are eating whole foods that are not found in boxes. It is so interesting that a diet that has been proven to be more beneficial that what the American Dietetic Association recommends for type 2 diabetics hasn't become mainstream. One of the reasons that it's not mainstream may simply be a conflict of interest. The ADA influences the dietary guidelines set by the USDA. The ADA is a non-profit organization that is heavily financed by companies such as Kellogg's, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Hershey. So it's important to remember that the American Dietic Association is an industry friendly organization and not exactly the best source of dietary advice.
As part of my efforts to alleviate my lower back pain, I have been practicing a grain-free and dairy-free diet, which isn't Paleo because I choose to consume legumes. My pain has vanished. To me it feels miraculous. After spending 8 months seeing countless doctors and being poked and prodded, it's been amazing to see that the first medicine is food. If you are suffering from arthritis, gout, high blood pressure or if you are overweight, I recommend trying one of the diets mentioned above or all of them to find which one you can adopt as a lifestyle.
Like the UCSF study, you can try it for 10 days and work with your doctor to take blood before you begin and after 10 days. If you have a doctor that you do not feel is supportive, get a new one. I recommend One Medical Group. They have offices in the SF Bay Area, New York and Washington, D.C. From personal experience, I feel you will be able to find a doctor there willing to participate in your personal experiment.
In the meantime, I have a great satisfying Quinoa dish that you can enjoy. Quinoa is not a grain. It's actually seed that is closely related to beets and spinach. It contains the large amounts of the amino acid lysine, a necessary protein building block which is essential for calcium absorption, and hormone, enzyme and antibody production. It's high is calcium and is the considered to be a complete protein, meaning it contains all 9 essential amino acids.
I always keep Gogo Rice's Organic Cooked Quinoa in my pantry in case I forget to soak some. Since the Quinoa only needs to be heated, this side dish takes less than 5 minutes to prepare.
Quinoa Primavera Pilaf
Ingredients
1 package of Organic Cooked Quinoa
1 cup spinach
1 large carrot
1/2 parsley
1 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Celtic Salt
dash of pepper
dash smoked paprika
Process:
1. Empty quinoa into a pan and heat on low with a tbsp water so it doesn't burn
2. In a food processor or by hand, grate carrot
3. Chop spinach and parsley finely
4. Toss carrots, spinach, and parsley into pat and heat everything for 2 minutes (add more water if needed)
5. Empty into a bowl and add vinegar, salt, oil and spices
6. Mix and Enjoy!
If you are interested in learning more about going grain-free, Jill at Real Food Forager is teaching a class to help you. If you want to sign up for the class use the coupon code NOGRAINS and receive an additional $20off. The coupon expires September 25th. And don't forget about my Spices Contest!
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