I haven't had Golden Grahams cereal for probably ten years, but yesterday and today I've really wanted them. It's funny what eliminating certain foods from your diet will do to you; your body will all of a sudden decide that it needs to have Golden Grahams to make up for it. Or Jelly Beans. Or a doughnut. (I never even used to LIKE doughnuts all that well. Now I crave them. Must be the combo of processed sugars and carbs - never let myself have them, so a doughnut is like the Holy Grail to my body.)
In other news, I baked a whole chicken last night and loved it. I bought one of the Trader Joe's whole organic chickens, and I'm mildly panicked about all the chicken I'll need to eat in the next few days. (Not really, I froze about half of it.) I got sort of tired of red meat, and sort of tired of my grocery bill, so I decided to cook just one whole chicken for the week. A whole chicken is a ton of food for just one person... I quickly found this out last night. But I was pleased with how easy it was to bake. I just plopped it in the pan, covered it with foil and put it in the oven for two hours at 350 degrees and it was cooked perfectly, and very tender and juicy. I saved the carcass so I can make some stock for soups this weekend.
It's almost time for the farmers markets to open again in Boston; I can't hardly wait for some fresh (less expensive) produce to hit a parking lot near me. :-)
Monday, April 20, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
Calcium & Multivitamins
So I know that there's an understanding that if your body is really craving something, it may actually really need it. Obviously when I really crave things like Jelly Beans, I try to calm the sugar cravings with some frozen strawberries or an apple, but when I crave things like milk, I try to listen to those cravings.
In addition to the 1-2 glasses of milk I drink per day, I've also been taking a multi-vitamin. Milk cravings = gone.
Apparently I needed more calcium? I eat plenty of green leafy veggies, and I buy OJ fortified with calcium, but cravings exist for a reason. So more milk I will drink.
Side note - I would ideally like to drink raw organic milk. But the state of MA does not allow for the sale in stores. You can buy direct from family farms - but they are 200+ miles away. There are community groups that you can buy into and get gallons out of their fridges, because they send someone twice a week to buy directly from the farms. But I looked into it, and it would be around 100 dollars a month for a gallon of milk a week. Yeah, I don't have that kind of milk budget right now. Perhaps - one day! For now, I drink organic milk from Trader Joe's.
Just had a conversation with my newer roommate today about why I was eating a steak for breakfast. (My breakfast this morning was steak, a hard-boiled egg, a banana and a cup of milk. He was eating Lucky Charms.) He kept claiming over and over that you absolutely needed carbs for energy - and I kept telling him that I've never had more energy than I do now (on a mostly paleo diet).
Ahh, to baffle yet another person. :-)
In addition to the 1-2 glasses of milk I drink per day, I've also been taking a multi-vitamin. Milk cravings = gone.
Apparently I needed more calcium? I eat plenty of green leafy veggies, and I buy OJ fortified with calcium, but cravings exist for a reason. So more milk I will drink.
Side note - I would ideally like to drink raw organic milk. But the state of MA does not allow for the sale in stores. You can buy direct from family farms - but they are 200+ miles away. There are community groups that you can buy into and get gallons out of their fridges, because they send someone twice a week to buy directly from the farms. But I looked into it, and it would be around 100 dollars a month for a gallon of milk a week. Yeah, I don't have that kind of milk budget right now. Perhaps - one day! For now, I drink organic milk from Trader Joe's.
Just had a conversation with my newer roommate today about why I was eating a steak for breakfast. (My breakfast this morning was steak, a hard-boiled egg, a banana and a cup of milk. He was eating Lucky Charms.) He kept claiming over and over that you absolutely needed carbs for energy - and I kept telling him that I've never had more energy than I do now (on a mostly paleo diet).
Ahh, to baffle yet another person. :-)
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Update on the Paleo Experiment
I haven't updated this blog in a very long time. Between traveling to Ireland, wrapping up a job at a restaurant, focusing on interviews for an internship and schoolwork, life has been beyond hectic.
First off, Ireland. Talk about a land of potatoes and pub food - it's yummy comfort food, but after a few traditional dishes, I was more than happy to have a night of sushi and a night of Korean food. I had some Guinness and Kilkanney while I was there, and it was all fine and fabulous, but I also snacked on Lara Bars, beef jerky and fruits when available. Traveling and staying paleo is incredibly difficult (especially when scrounging in hostels while backpacking), but I managed fairly well and still had indulgent meals while traveling. There was one time, though, when I was just so excited to have a hamburger - I was really craving red meat.
But even though things have been hectic, that doesn't mean that I've given up on my paleo ways. Absolutely not! I've managed to create a sort of set eating schedule, and find ways to afford my meat-centered diet. I've made modifications to the paleo diet slowly over the last few months, and it's been working well for me.
For one, I've been eating Ezekiel bread - so named because the recipe is found in the Old Testament, in the book of Ezekiel. He lived on it in the desert for something like 2 years (my Old Testament knowledge is a bit fuzzy on some things). It's completely lower-GI and made with no artificial ingredients.
http://www.foodforlife.com/sprouted-grain-difference/ezekiel-4-9.html
My mom complains that it goes bad too fast, but I don't have that problem with it. I've been making sandwiches with it and taking them to school with me every day - I go through a loaf in about a week. I've also re-introduced peanut butter into my diet, and I buy the Trader Joe's all natural nothing-added chunky kind. Combined with either organic preserves or organic raw honey, it makes a great sandwich. I'll admit, at first, the bread took a bit of getting used to (different tastes, textures from other breads) but now I've come to like it. And it's really helped me with my budget - eating two meals a day centered around meat was just killing me at the grocery store.
So basically, when I leave home every day in the mornings, I pack a sandwich, a piece of fresh fruit (usually an apple), some dried fruit, sometimes a banana and a Lara Bar. Between 10 am and 5 pm, this is what I eat.
I've also started switching breakfast and dinner. What exactly does that mean? It means that I eat the bulk of my protein and calories by 8 AM in the morning. I've only been doing this for a few weeks, but I love it. Since I only eat a little fruit and a small bit of protein for dinner, by the time I wake up in the morning, I'm hungry. Since I eat protein and veggies for breakfast, instead of carbs and sugar, I haven't needed caffiene or apple cider at all recently to get a pick-me-up. My energy levels stay fairly consistent throughout the day.
So, just a small recap - here's an average day:
Breakfast: 8 oz steak, steamed green beans, organic milk.
Lunch/Snacks: PB&H Ezekiel bread sandwich, dried fruits, apple, banana, Lara Bar
Dinner: Orange, Mango, Kiwi and Strawberry Smoothie with Organic Egg White Powder
The problem is, sometimes for dinner you really are more hungry. I'll have another apple or a small piece of cheese to tide me over until morning, but I really try to go to bed on a mostly empty stomach. I find that I sleep better, and I have an easier time getting up in the morning, because I really want my breakfast!
Knock on wood, but re-introducing any of these foods into my diet hasn't brought back the horrible headaches or problems with my feet, etc. I even have the occasional glass of wine or cup of coffee if the afternoon has been particularly long and tiring. I've found some herbal teas that I like every now and then. In short, I'd say I'm about 70% strict paleo, 20% modified paleo, and 10% cheater-non-paleo (for those nights when I really, really want Thai food or a small box of Hot Tamales). It's working - I feel good, I'm maintaining a healthy weight, and that's the point, right?
First off, Ireland. Talk about a land of potatoes and pub food - it's yummy comfort food, but after a few traditional dishes, I was more than happy to have a night of sushi and a night of Korean food. I had some Guinness and Kilkanney while I was there, and it was all fine and fabulous, but I also snacked on Lara Bars, beef jerky and fruits when available. Traveling and staying paleo is incredibly difficult (especially when scrounging in hostels while backpacking), but I managed fairly well and still had indulgent meals while traveling. There was one time, though, when I was just so excited to have a hamburger - I was really craving red meat.
But even though things have been hectic, that doesn't mean that I've given up on my paleo ways. Absolutely not! I've managed to create a sort of set eating schedule, and find ways to afford my meat-centered diet. I've made modifications to the paleo diet slowly over the last few months, and it's been working well for me.
For one, I've been eating Ezekiel bread - so named because the recipe is found in the Old Testament, in the book of Ezekiel. He lived on it in the desert for something like 2 years (my Old Testament knowledge is a bit fuzzy on some things). It's completely lower-GI and made with no artificial ingredients.
http://www.foodforlife.com/sprouted-grain-difference/ezekiel-4-9.html
My mom complains that it goes bad too fast, but I don't have that problem with it. I've been making sandwiches with it and taking them to school with me every day - I go through a loaf in about a week. I've also re-introduced peanut butter into my diet, and I buy the Trader Joe's all natural nothing-added chunky kind. Combined with either organic preserves or organic raw honey, it makes a great sandwich. I'll admit, at first, the bread took a bit of getting used to (different tastes, textures from other breads) but now I've come to like it. And it's really helped me with my budget - eating two meals a day centered around meat was just killing me at the grocery store.
So basically, when I leave home every day in the mornings, I pack a sandwich, a piece of fresh fruit (usually an apple), some dried fruit, sometimes a banana and a Lara Bar. Between 10 am and 5 pm, this is what I eat.
I've also started switching breakfast and dinner. What exactly does that mean? It means that I eat the bulk of my protein and calories by 8 AM in the morning. I've only been doing this for a few weeks, but I love it. Since I only eat a little fruit and a small bit of protein for dinner, by the time I wake up in the morning, I'm hungry. Since I eat protein and veggies for breakfast, instead of carbs and sugar, I haven't needed caffiene or apple cider at all recently to get a pick-me-up. My energy levels stay fairly consistent throughout the day.
So, just a small recap - here's an average day:
Breakfast: 8 oz steak, steamed green beans, organic milk.
Lunch/Snacks: PB&H Ezekiel bread sandwich, dried fruits, apple, banana, Lara Bar
Dinner: Orange, Mango, Kiwi and Strawberry Smoothie with Organic Egg White Powder
The problem is, sometimes for dinner you really are more hungry. I'll have another apple or a small piece of cheese to tide me over until morning, but I really try to go to bed on a mostly empty stomach. I find that I sleep better, and I have an easier time getting up in the morning, because I really want my breakfast!
Knock on wood, but re-introducing any of these foods into my diet hasn't brought back the horrible headaches or problems with my feet, etc. I even have the occasional glass of wine or cup of coffee if the afternoon has been particularly long and tiring. I've found some herbal teas that I like every now and then. In short, I'd say I'm about 70% strict paleo, 20% modified paleo, and 10% cheater-non-paleo (for those nights when I really, really want Thai food or a small box of Hot Tamales). It's working - I feel good, I'm maintaining a healthy weight, and that's the point, right?
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