It's amazing how much sugar we (Americans) eat every day and how hard it is to cut out sugar from our diet. Our gym is doing another Paleo Challenge and I'm using it as an excuse to ease off my sugar cravings which got a bit out of whack through the holiday season. I have no issues eating gluten-free on a daily basis, it has been a lifestyle change that has become the norm and a good micro-brew is only deviation from that plan. Sugar - that's another matter. It's used in most ALL processed food so any packaged stuff, condiments and of course all desserts. I can say no to dessert, but what about flavored (sugar-enhanced) coffee creamer? Peanut Butter with honey? It's the little hints of sweetness that are hard to let go of and keep me coming back for that sugar "high", however small that may be. That's where the joke about being addicted to sugar or comparing sugar cravings to those of recreational drugs becomes much more serious. There are real, chemical reactions that take place in the brain when we eat sugar and real endorphines are released, which makes this a very REAL issue.
See article below for more info on how food companies are getting more tricky with use of "added" sugars:
Added Sugars
Only way to avoid sugar? Eat. Real. Food.
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Monday, January 17, 2011
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
(mostly) Paleo Pizza
We tried to make a "paleo" pizza for the 2nd time this week. It turned out even better this time and may become one of our favorites. We often like to get a pizza & a movie on a friday and chill at home and this pizza is good enough to keep us eating in. The crust is made out of almond flour and is a bit more dense and sweet than a normal crust. We covered it with a bit of bbq sauce and then a ton of chicken and bacon with a few peppers & Jalapeno's for flare... pretty tasty and much better for us than the grain & grease of a store-bought. Let me know if you are interested in the recipe...
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
What to Eat part 1
I've been trying to put together a comprehensive post detailing all that I know about nutrition to share with everyone and that has proved to be a difficult process. So rather than spout out all the info at once, I will start small with the basics and work up from there. Rather than answer each person's questions individual through email, I'd like to post them all on here for others to see. I'm also hoping that the questions will be the guide for future food posts. Here goes...
FOOD PLAN 101
1. What you eat is important - please pay attention to the quality of food you put into your mouth. Where it came from and how many processes it went through to end up in its current state IS important. This is one of the easiest parts to figure out; try to eat food that is fresh or closest to it's fresh/natural state. If it comes in a package, check out the ingredient list; if there are more than 3 things listed or if you can't pronounce any of them, you can probably do better. The simple summary of what to eat: meat & veggies, nuts & seeds, some fruit, little starch, NO sugar**.
2. How much you eat is important - especially so if you are eating lower quality foods. If you are eating all-natural/organic food, you can have more flexibility here. The important thing to learn is what a balanced meal looks like and how to translate that to your eyes when the serving spoon is in hand. EVERY meal should contain a portion of protein, carbohydrate and fat. A good visual tool is that the protein on your plate should be about the size of your palm (therefore the 16oz "cowboy cut" steak is not your best choice; so guys, be content in your manhood and order the 8oz) and the other 2/3 of your plate can be filled w/ colorful veggies. A more calculated method is to consider this: 9 grams of Carbs = 7 grams of protein = 1.5 grams of fat (if you want to know more about the science behind these energy values, I can detail a more geeked-out summary). The Zone diet describes the above values as 'blocks' and all you need to do is have an equal # of Carb/Protein/Fat blocks in every meal or snack. This method is easy to use, just look at the nutrition label and keep a total of how many blocks/grams you are putting in each meal. It is even suggested to weigh and meaure your food for a while, so you can get a true idea of a serving size. It's a bit more work, but it is very interesting to see what a healthy serving size looks like compared to what we are served at most every restaurant.
Those are the 2 most important things to consider. You can focus on the quality first and try to cut out processed food and sugars; or you can focus on quantity and try to eat balanced meals of whatever you have available. You could do both, but that might be a lot to tackle at the start. So figure out what is easier for you and go that route. Ask any questions you have and I'll try to get you a semi-educated answer.
Again, this is the start... Once you have a base of consistent nutrition, then you can consider other factors such as eating for endurance training (triathletes) or a weight loss goal. I am not about a "quick fix", this is about a healthy lifestyle.
**This is the list for the Paleo diet which I personally consider to be superior, but if you are unwilling (for now) to give up your Ezekiel bread or raw honey, we can still be friends and make this work.
FOOD PLAN 101
1. What you eat is important - please pay attention to the quality of food you put into your mouth. Where it came from and how many processes it went through to end up in its current state IS important. This is one of the easiest parts to figure out; try to eat food that is fresh or closest to it's fresh/natural state. If it comes in a package, check out the ingredient list; if there are more than 3 things listed or if you can't pronounce any of them, you can probably do better. The simple summary of what to eat: meat & veggies, nuts & seeds, some fruit, little starch, NO sugar**.
2. How much you eat is important - especially so if you are eating lower quality foods. If you are eating all-natural/organic food, you can have more flexibility here. The important thing to learn is what a balanced meal looks like and how to translate that to your eyes when the serving spoon is in hand. EVERY meal should contain a portion of protein, carbohydrate and fat. A good visual tool is that the protein on your plate should be about the size of your palm (therefore the 16oz "cowboy cut" steak is not your best choice; so guys, be content in your manhood and order the 8oz) and the other 2/3 of your plate can be filled w/ colorful veggies. A more calculated method is to consider this: 9 grams of Carbs = 7 grams of protein = 1.5 grams of fat (if you want to know more about the science behind these energy values, I can detail a more geeked-out summary). The Zone diet describes the above values as 'blocks' and all you need to do is have an equal # of Carb/Protein/Fat blocks in every meal or snack. This method is easy to use, just look at the nutrition label and keep a total of how many blocks/grams you are putting in each meal. It is even suggested to weigh and meaure your food for a while, so you can get a true idea of a serving size. It's a bit more work, but it is very interesting to see what a healthy serving size looks like compared to what we are served at most every restaurant.
Those are the 2 most important things to consider. You can focus on the quality first and try to cut out processed food and sugars; or you can focus on quantity and try to eat balanced meals of whatever you have available. You could do both, but that might be a lot to tackle at the start. So figure out what is easier for you and go that route. Ask any questions you have and I'll try to get you a semi-educated answer.
Again, this is the start... Once you have a base of consistent nutrition, then you can consider other factors such as eating for endurance training (triathletes) or a weight loss goal. I am not about a "quick fix", this is about a healthy lifestyle.
**This is the list for the Paleo diet which I personally consider to be superior, but if you are unwilling (for now) to give up your Ezekiel bread or raw honey, we can still be friends and make this work.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
We Made it!
Whit and I successfully made it through the 30-day Paleo Challenge... and it feels good to have stuck it out even when we really wanted to give up and devour some chips & queso or any of other "non-allowed" foods that we had to pass up along the way. Also, it feels good to have broken much of the physcological power that food had over us (that's probably more me than whit as I was more of the "emotional" eater). The toughest days were definitely the ones where I was worn down and frustrated and was looking for something to make me feel better. Although there were some times when I found a decent snack (banana + cashew butter = mmm...goodness), most often I tried to take a few moments to rest and let go of the junk and acknowledge that I needed God's help to be the person I wanted to be (that whole "cast your cares upon the Lord" thing really does work...).
Another obvious measure of success was the physical changes that occured. While neither of us lost much weight, we both lost some size, especially around the waist. I've always had a nice "storage-spot" on the sides of my waist (ie. love handles) and those are now pretty much gone. Whit noticed that all of her pants were fitting much looser by a few weeks in and this is with only the occiasional bike ride for exercise. I have scaled back my workouts a great deal the past month as I dealt w/ the fatigue issues, even taking a whole week off and doing nothing. So for both of us to have lost size with such little physical effort, proves the importance of diet all the more. I read today that physical conditioning & weight loss is as much as 80% diet and only 20% exercise and I'd say our experience with this would confirm that.
Our next step was to slowly try different "dirty" foods to see how they affect us; but overall, continue eating "clean" most all of the time. Our first test was dairy, in the form of some cheese. We both ate a decent amount of cheese before this and while I did not have any obvious GI issues, Whit has had more than a fair share. I had a slice of cheese on some tuna for lunch and within 15 minutes my stomach was making unpleasant sounds. For dinner, we included some grated cheddar in our stuffed burgers and again, we both felt a pretty immediate unpleasant reaction (Whit's was more severe and this is after not having any issues for weeks). We want to try cheese again this weekend to be sure, but it sure looks like it may not be the best thing for us to eat anymore. This is something we would not have been able to know without letting our bodies reset and then eating consistently enough to single out an individual food.
My next test will be a beer, which I'm really hoping goes down smooth because that is something that I would not be excited about giving up. Also up for trial this weekend: tortilla chips - previously one of our main food groups.
I now present the challenge to anyone that will listen: try it for yourself, do your own 30-day challenge! You are worth it and you can do it. It's less effort than going to the gym and trying to push yourself through a 60-minute sufferfest trying to make up for the donuts and crappachino you downed for breakfast. As Byers so wonderfully said:
up next.... what to eat and how much of it to eat...
Another obvious measure of success was the physical changes that occured. While neither of us lost much weight, we both lost some size, especially around the waist. I've always had a nice "storage-spot" on the sides of my waist (ie. love handles) and those are now pretty much gone. Whit noticed that all of her pants were fitting much looser by a few weeks in and this is with only the occiasional bike ride for exercise. I have scaled back my workouts a great deal the past month as I dealt w/ the fatigue issues, even taking a whole week off and doing nothing. So for both of us to have lost size with such little physical effort, proves the importance of diet all the more. I read today that physical conditioning & weight loss is as much as 80% diet and only 20% exercise and I'd say our experience with this would confirm that.
Our next step was to slowly try different "dirty" foods to see how they affect us; but overall, continue eating "clean" most all of the time. Our first test was dairy, in the form of some cheese. We both ate a decent amount of cheese before this and while I did not have any obvious GI issues, Whit has had more than a fair share. I had a slice of cheese on some tuna for lunch and within 15 minutes my stomach was making unpleasant sounds. For dinner, we included some grated cheddar in our stuffed burgers and again, we both felt a pretty immediate unpleasant reaction (Whit's was more severe and this is after not having any issues for weeks). We want to try cheese again this weekend to be sure, but it sure looks like it may not be the best thing for us to eat anymore. This is something we would not have been able to know without letting our bodies reset and then eating consistently enough to single out an individual food.
My next test will be a beer, which I'm really hoping goes down smooth because that is something that I would not be excited about giving up. Also up for trial this weekend: tortilla chips - previously one of our main food groups.
I now present the challenge to anyone that will listen: try it for yourself, do your own 30-day challenge! You are worth it and you can do it. It's less effort than going to the gym and trying to push yourself through a 60-minute sufferfest trying to make up for the donuts and crappachino you downed for breakfast. As Byers so wonderfully said:
"It’s not that effing hard. (Yes, I wanted to throw an f-bomb in there.) Don’t you dare tell me this is hard. Giving up heroin is hard. Drinking your coffee black is. Not. Hard. Substituting Sunday morning French toast in favor of a giant omelet and side of crispy bacon is not hard. Eating fresh, delicious fruits and vegetables every day is not hard"So, what are you waiting for?
up next.... what to eat and how much of it to eat...
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Paleo Halfway point
Well, whit and I have made it past the halfway point in our 30-day Paleo food challenge and considering what we've had to face thus far, I'm pretty sure we can make it the rest of the way. Not that it has been easy by any means, but we are both determined people and have not allowed ourselves to quit.
A few highlights:
Day 1 was probably the roughest; we were both moody and immediately sick of deli-meat. We had neglected to stock up on Paleo friendly food, so did not have any variety and only had a bag of almonds for snacks. that night we went to a cookout at a friends house and had to turn down Ice Cream cake (are you serious? the 1st day and I have to turn down that?!)
Day 2 was also tough as I still hadn't gone to the food store and was eating the few items we had on hand that were allowable. that night was another cookout for me, where I had to turn down microbrews and tortilla chips and eat another plain burger.
Making things even tougher for me was a lingering fatigue from my 1/2 Ironman. Since the race I haven't felt right and haven't been able to feel fully recovered. Each day I wake feeling exhausted and worn out, like I just got done racing. This pain would normally be soothed with: a good beer, Hotbox pizza and then maybe some chocolate chip cookies. I have always used comfort food to ease my frustrations, even this spring as I learned more about how evil sugar and gluten really are. This was one more reason I wanted to make it 30 days w/o all that crap - to break the physcological hold that food/sugar has on me. I guess I had hoped that I could evade any serious stress during the challenge, but I guess it's good that I am having to do this in less than ideal conditions b/c that will better prepare me to endure in the future.
By the end of the first week, we were both ready to quit and try this "another time" (a LONG time from now). Whit apparently doesn't like nuts and so every snack that I bought/made with nuts was un-appealing to her. We also learned there is a creative limit of foods that can be made w/ almond meal and unshredded coconut. On the good side, I found coconut milk to be an adequate (though not quite equally sweet and candy-like) addition to my morning coffee. Also, whole foods and trader joes became our favorite food stores and I stocked up on various nuts, seeds and jerky - the much needed snacks to get me through the day.
The 2nd week began well and we both regained determination even as we hosted a few African kids for a few days. They were passing through on a tour w/ the African Children's Choir and Whit was excited to have them stay with us. This also included preparing meals and lunches for them and while I suggested that we give them Paleo friendly food, whit strongly objected that "kids don't like that stuff" (note: they are from AFRICA, where a number of people are still considered hunter/gatherers... in the end we compromised, they got equal amounts of nuts to the processed snacks and no bread or cookies)
the week ended with more temptations - another cookout (yes we enjoy the combination of food and friends on a regular basis) that had homemade mac-n-cheese, Oreo balls AND chocolate cake staring me up and down (I spent most of the night outside). It was my idea to bring some food that we could actually eat to the party, so we brought a sweet potato dish and a tasty salsa Whit had made that day. Unfortunately, the sweet potato dish was awful (no sugar and too much ginger) and without chips, there wasn't much to eat the salsa with (we put it on our burgers). Thank you to all of our friends for putting up with us and my poor planning.
The next day I went to the Brickyard 400 (NASCAR) and had to leave super early and would be gone all day. I had planned to bring a big cooler w/ meat and veggies, but the guy that got us the tickets assured us that we would get food from one of his friends. So, I only took an apple and some seeds, which turned out to be a huge mistake. We did a ton of walking around and I had eaten all my food by 11 am and was starving. I paid $5 for a hamburger and only ate the meat even though my stomach was screaming at me for more. I ended up leaving early and racing home for some real food, but was proud of myself for once again not giving in to the temptation of crap food (beer, ice cream, pretzels, nachos, etc) that I saw all around me.
As we head into the last half of this, I can truly say that the sugar cravings have diminished and I can see myself living/eating this way on a permanent basis. I know I will have sugar, gluten and beer again at some point, but for now, I know that I can live w/o them and even be happy w/o them. Although I haven't felt the best with the fatigue issue, I have leaned out some as has whit and we both can see the difference this is making on our bodies. I do hope more people will try this as it is amazing how good you can feel and look just by eating well.
I will post some of the better recipe's we've found in case anyone is interested...
A few highlights:
Day 1 was probably the roughest; we were both moody and immediately sick of deli-meat. We had neglected to stock up on Paleo friendly food, so did not have any variety and only had a bag of almonds for snacks. that night we went to a cookout at a friends house and had to turn down Ice Cream cake (are you serious? the 1st day and I have to turn down that?!)
Day 2 was also tough as I still hadn't gone to the food store and was eating the few items we had on hand that were allowable. that night was another cookout for me, where I had to turn down microbrews and tortilla chips and eat another plain burger.
Making things even tougher for me was a lingering fatigue from my 1/2 Ironman. Since the race I haven't felt right and haven't been able to feel fully recovered. Each day I wake feeling exhausted and worn out, like I just got done racing. This pain would normally be soothed with: a good beer, Hotbox pizza and then maybe some chocolate chip cookies. I have always used comfort food to ease my frustrations, even this spring as I learned more about how evil sugar and gluten really are. This was one more reason I wanted to make it 30 days w/o all that crap - to break the physcological hold that food/sugar has on me. I guess I had hoped that I could evade any serious stress during the challenge, but I guess it's good that I am having to do this in less than ideal conditions b/c that will better prepare me to endure in the future.
By the end of the first week, we were both ready to quit and try this "another time" (a LONG time from now). Whit apparently doesn't like nuts and so every snack that I bought/made with nuts was un-appealing to her. We also learned there is a creative limit of foods that can be made w/ almond meal and unshredded coconut. On the good side, I found coconut milk to be an adequate (though not quite equally sweet and candy-like) addition to my morning coffee. Also, whole foods and trader joes became our favorite food stores and I stocked up on various nuts, seeds and jerky - the much needed snacks to get me through the day.
The 2nd week began well and we both regained determination even as we hosted a few African kids for a few days. They were passing through on a tour w/ the African Children's Choir and Whit was excited to have them stay with us. This also included preparing meals and lunches for them and while I suggested that we give them Paleo friendly food, whit strongly objected that "kids don't like that stuff" (note: they are from AFRICA, where a number of people are still considered hunter/gatherers... in the end we compromised, they got equal amounts of nuts to the processed snacks and no bread or cookies)
the week ended with more temptations - another cookout (yes we enjoy the combination of food and friends on a regular basis) that had homemade mac-n-cheese, Oreo balls AND chocolate cake staring me up and down (I spent most of the night outside). It was my idea to bring some food that we could actually eat to the party, so we brought a sweet potato dish and a tasty salsa Whit had made that day. Unfortunately, the sweet potato dish was awful (no sugar and too much ginger) and without chips, there wasn't much to eat the salsa with (we put it on our burgers). Thank you to all of our friends for putting up with us and my poor planning.
The next day I went to the Brickyard 400 (NASCAR) and had to leave super early and would be gone all day. I had planned to bring a big cooler w/ meat and veggies, but the guy that got us the tickets assured us that we would get food from one of his friends. So, I only took an apple and some seeds, which turned out to be a huge mistake. We did a ton of walking around and I had eaten all my food by 11 am and was starving. I paid $5 for a hamburger and only ate the meat even though my stomach was screaming at me for more. I ended up leaving early and racing home for some real food, but was proud of myself for once again not giving in to the temptation of crap food (beer, ice cream, pretzels, nachos, etc) that I saw all around me.
As we head into the last half of this, I can truly say that the sugar cravings have diminished and I can see myself living/eating this way on a permanent basis. I know I will have sugar, gluten and beer again at some point, but for now, I know that I can live w/o them and even be happy w/o them. Although I haven't felt the best with the fatigue issue, I have leaned out some as has whit and we both can see the difference this is making on our bodies. I do hope more people will try this as it is amazing how good you can feel and look just by eating well.
I will post some of the better recipe's we've found in case anyone is interested...
Monday, July 13, 2009
30-Day Food Challenge - who's in?
I like food. I was taught from a very young age to like food and that food was something to be enjoyed and shared with others. I grew up in the country where we actually grew some of our own fruits and veggies and had a mother willing to cook healthy meals each night rather than resort to the microwave or drive-thru. From that point on I would say that I ate as good or better than the average american, though that is quickly becoming a lower standard. I was blessed with a "fast" metabolism which was both a blessing and a curse: blessing b/c I could eat pretty much whatever I wanted and not gain weight, curse b/c once I realized this, I often felt free to binge on sugars/breads/pastas. That blessing started to diminish after I turned 30 and since then I've had to pay much closer to what I eat, especially carbs, as now I have to fight off a carb "coma" whenever I have too many insulin-raising carbs.
This has helped motivate me to start studying more about nutrition and what I should be eating for better health and performance. As I get deeper into CrossFit, I am finding more people who are ahead of me in their training and are sharing the things they'e learned. Interestingly, the majority of elite CF'ers eat a strict food Paleo plan and many of those take the extra step to monitor portions (ie. the Zone). I will gladly go into more detail with anyone that wants to know more, but for now feel free to use the web (http://www.paleodiet.com/) to read more about it.
Similar to CF, the goal is to make this a lifestyle, not just a temporary "diet" just as CF is not meant to be quick, 90-day get in shape quick plan. I want a better lifestyle of total health and fitness and am finally willing to make the necessary choices.
The final push came from a post by my favorite blogger, Melissa Byers. Read her open challege to join her in a 30 day strict Paleo food plan:
http://www.byersgetsdiesel.com/2009/07/change-your-life-in-thirty-days.html
Thankfully, Whit has agreed to take this on with me, which will be a big help - both to have her supporting me in making good choices and also not adding to the suffering by eating non-Paleo foods in front of me. So, our challenge begins today, when does yours?
This has helped motivate me to start studying more about nutrition and what I should be eating for better health and performance. As I get deeper into CrossFit, I am finding more people who are ahead of me in their training and are sharing the things they'e learned. Interestingly, the majority of elite CF'ers eat a strict food Paleo plan and many of those take the extra step to monitor portions (ie. the Zone). I will gladly go into more detail with anyone that wants to know more, but for now feel free to use the web (http://www.paleodiet.com/) to read more about it.
Similar to CF, the goal is to make this a lifestyle, not just a temporary "diet" just as CF is not meant to be quick, 90-day get in shape quick plan. I want a better lifestyle of total health and fitness and am finally willing to make the necessary choices.
The final push came from a post by my favorite blogger, Melissa Byers. Read her open challege to join her in a 30 day strict Paleo food plan:
http://www.byersgetsdiesel.com/2009/07/change-your-life-in-thirty-days.html
Thankfully, Whit has agreed to take this on with me, which will be a big help - both to have her supporting me in making good choices and also not adding to the suffering by eating non-Paleo foods in front of me. So, our challenge begins today, when does yours?
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