Paleo at Chipotle

Quick update: today I discovered that you can make a Paleo meal at Chipotle!

Simply order a "bowl" with chicken, salsa, guacamole, lettuce, substitute peppers and onions for the beans, and don't get rice, sour cream, or cheese.

It's pretty darn good!

Update

Hey sis! Glad to hear things are still going well! I've really enjoyed all your posts, and think it's great that you've been noticing so many positive changes. In all honesty, I've noticed a lot of the same positive trends. My skin has improved, I'm sleeping better, and my recovery times have been equal or better while on this diet.

With that said, I'm still adjusting to the diet. I'm still trying to find foods that I like, and that will sustain me throughout the day. Luckily, every week I get better at this. Every week I've eaten progressively better, and I'm definitely on my way to a healthier existence.

Here's my dinner from the other night. A nice 8oz steak, sweet potato fries, steamed broccoli, and a little sangria. Yummy :)

Example of a difficult to digest lunch

I've been meaning to post this for a while...


Here's a picture of the lunch I ate a couple weeks ago that looked good but was very difficult for me to digest!!!

Unfortunately, salads and crunchy nut butters are not friendly to my body - even with a glass of hot tea :(

But I would highly recommend this lunch to anyone whose stomach can handle it! (it's delicious and nutritious)

-Andi

Organic vs. non-organic?

Today I got an email from my health club, 24 Hour Fitness, with a great article about organic vs. conventionally grown food. Here's a link to Natural Wonders: The argument for organic foods.

This week I am house sitting with my friend Emily and there is a Vitamin Cottage nearby. So we are going grocery shopping today at VC and will see how our grocery bill compares when we buy all organic food.

One very interesting part of the above mentioned article I would like to highlight is "Avoid the Dirty Dozen." These 12 fruits and veggies have been identified and named "The Dirty Dozen" by consumer safety advocate Environmental Working Group, due to high levels of toxic chemicals when grown conventionally. Many experts recommend eating these foods only when they are organically grown:

• Apples
• Cherries
• Grapes, imported
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Pears
• Raspberries
• Strawberries
• Bell peppers
• Celery
• Potatoes
• Spinach

Since I can only eat canned peaches and pears, I need to find an organic canned variety of these fruits. Maybe VC will have something? They do have organic Santa Cruz applesauce which is hands down my favorite brand. It tastes the best and they don't add any sugar. And I've tried a lot of different brands of applesauce!

-Andi

Improved athleticity!

Have you ever felt like you've tried all you can (working out, practicing, etc.) to get better at sports but you just can't seem to?

I'm not talking about coordination here - I'm actually a very coordinated person - stamina, endurance and clarity of thought have always been my problems.

So let me tell you how the Paleo Diet has helped these things for me. My friends and I have been playing basketball a lot to take advantage of the beautiful summer weather here in Colorado. And I've noticed a distinct difference in how I feel when I play sports now as opposed to before I started the Paleo Diet (I've been on it for at least 1 month now). My body feels healthier, my mind is clearer, I'm not so bloated-like in my stomach area, and I have a lot more energy than I used to when playing our competitive basketball games. I never knew I could feel this good!!! I feel like I finally have a competitive edge and can play my best.

This is especially great timing because I am going to be trying out for a women's hockey team soon! It has been a lifelong dream of mine to play on a real hockey team and I am finally going to do it this summer. From the results I've seen thus far, I am confident that I can have a good tryout and give it my all if I stick to this diet!

-Andi

I Cooked A Turkey...

This weekend I cooked a WHOLE turkey!

I did this because "The Paleo Diet" book says that "skinless turkey breasts" have the highest protein content (94%) of any meats/seafood! AND it is only 5% fat.

It took 4 hours to cook the 10 lb. bird but it made a heck of a lot of meat! So I am happy to have a giant tupperware full of delicious lean protein on hand all week!

After seeing Mitch's last post and talking to him, I learned that he has decided to allow himself two legumes on this diet: peanuts (PB) and chick peas (hummus). So I got jealous and decided to pick up a little hummus for myself. I'm not sure how to tell if it is harming me or not. I don't have any visible signs but I know it is not a strict Paleo food. I might need to be on this diet a little longer (i.e. 6 months) and then see what happens if I re-introduce chick peas and/or peanuts.

I think I've managed to do a pretty good job sticking to the diet. But some foods I eat that others might consider "cheating" are:

• vegetable chips (has salt),
• dark chocolate (has sugar),
• almond milk (has a tiny bit of sugar: 8g/cup), and
• sweet potatoes (easy for me to digest, which is very important for my situation).

These foods keep me sane and I believe are OK for a modern Paleo in my situation to eat (not too detrimental). Let me know if you have compelling evidence to the contrary.

Other than that, things I like and eat on a regular basis are:

• salmon
• shrimp
• chicken
• turkey
• broccoli
• spinach
• carrots
• onions
• garlic
• asparagus
• peppers
• mushrooms
• canned peaches (in pear juice)
• canned pears (in pear juice)
• mangos
• avocados
• bananas
• lean beef
• zucchini
• almond butter
• blueberries
• applesauce
• eggs - hard boiled, deviled, omelets
• flaxseeds (roasted are my fave)
• nuts - walnuts, almonds, pistachios, cashews
• sunflower seeds
• melon (cantaloupe and watermelon)
• black tea (helps digestion and wakes you up a bit)
• decaf coffee
  

The one thing I honestly miss the most is miso soup. This soup got me through some tough digestive times, and it always tasted wholesome and nutritious to me - and is so easy to make!

-Andi

Week 2-3

Hey sis! That's great news! That's a significant drop in your A1C in such a short period of time, great job. With that said, I'm sure you can make even more progress on that. I'm no doctor, but if you stick to Paleo, and keep the cheating to a minimum, I have to believe you'll achieve that 4-6 range at your next checkup, so keep up the good work!

Anyways, the diet has been going pretty good for me as well. I've continued to feel really good, and have had no complications whatsoever. Energy levels have been high, and post-workout recovery has been above average.

Okay, now on to the meat and potatoes of this post... I wanted to share some of the really important things I've learned over the past two weeks. I'm actually quite amazed at how much learning, time, and effort this diet takes, however, I feel like I've finally begun to "get it." I've slowly crafted a basic weekly shopping list, put together some recipes I really like, and now have a decent camera to take pictures of some of my food :)

Also, my biggest stumbling block, breakfast, has been all but defeated. I've learned that apples and organic peanut butter, OR an ice and almond-milk fruit smoothie is really all my body needs to get through the first 2 hours of the day. This knowledge was vitally important for me because I was getting so sick of eggs, bacon, and the like, so this has really opened up some new breakfast avenues for me.

So, here's my basic weekly shopping list I put together, as I thought it might give you some ideas...

FRUITS

1. Frozen berries – 1 mixed bag

2. Apples – 1 bag

3. Fruit/vegetable puree (large bottle)

4. Lemon/lime/orange – 1 each

VEGETABLES

1. Organic spinach – 1 container

2. Sweet potatoes – 3 individual

3. Baby carrots – 1 bag organic

4. Cucumbers – 1 large organic

5. Tomatoes – 2 large organic

6. Onion – 1 white, 1 red

7. Green/yellow/red peppers – 1 each

HERBS

1. Sage

2. Basil

3. Oregano

4. Thyme

5. Flat leaf parsley

SNACKS/DIPS/SAUCES

1. Vegetable chips – 2 bags

2. Hummus with pine nuts (add my olive oil) – 2 containers

3. 1 container Prego type natural tomato sauce

4. Organic peanut butter

MEATS

1. 2-3 Natural chicken breasts

2. 1lb Laura’s lean beef

3. 1-2 Whitefish filets

4. 8-12oz Natural steak

OTHER

1. Almond milk – 1 large container (unsweetened)

2. Organic eggs – 1 dozen

Lastly, here's a little picture of my lunch today. Spinach salad with blueberries, strawberries, and pecans, yummy :)

Andi's A1c is down by 1.1%!

2:15pm today: appointment with my endocrinologist at the Barbara Davis Center. Got my A1c checked and it has dropped by a full percentage point - and I have only been doing Paleo for 2 weeks! About 4 weeks ago my A1c was 7.7, now it is down to 6.6! I think this is the lowest A1c reading I have ever had (usually I am around 7-8%) so this diet has meant HUGE progress.

I know there can be all sorts of false readings with A1cs but only 17% of my blood sugar readings were low - if it were over 25% there would be reason for doubt - so this seems to be legit!

An A1c below 6% puts you at very low risk of complications, which is my ultimate goal. 4-6% is a "normal" person's A1c, I am told. Hopefully 4 months from now (my next appt.) will see even further progress!

Lastly, I have been reading in Dr. Bernstein's book that he keeps his A1c at around 4.5% - an incredibly low number. His target blood glucose 24/7, around the clock, is 83 mg/dL. I was told today by my endocrinologist that these numbers are not safe due to the incredibly high risk of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) that you often have when running these kinds of numbers. Also, that the risk of complications increases exponentially once you hit 7% as opposed to keeping it in the 4-6% range. I have yet to make up my mind about which doctor's path I will follow... for now, it is Paleo!

In the meantime we've decreased the amount of insulin I take to accommodate this diet and prevent so many lows.

Definitely an encouraging day!

-Andi

Quick Update

Hey sis! Hope things are going well. I only have a second here, so I just wanted to put this in writing... Next week (Monday), I will be starting Paleo Stage 1. I'm starting to believe in the whole "cold turkey" thing, so next week (and hopefully the weeks following) I will be allowing myself only 1 open meal. I've decided that every time I cheat, it makes it easier to cheat the next time, therefore, in the interest of this blog (and my health), I'm going cold turkey next week. Wish me luck.

Also, I will be adding lots of pictures next week of the things I'm cooking. I finally got a hold of a decent camera :)

Less insulin! ...and weight

So here's my problem right now: I'm having trouble getting enough calories each day and my sugars are crazy low all the time.

I haven't stepped on a scale but I can tell by the way I look and how my clothes fit that I have lost some weight. I haven't changed much besides my diet (like Mitch). You have to eat so much REAL (Paleo) food to get the same amount of calories that you get from things like rice and bread, which are missing from my diet now!

I also hardly take any insulin before meals and dropped my evening basal rate last night because I couldn't get my blood sugar to go above 60 (even after eating 35 carbs! "eat 20 carbs and retest after 20 minutes" is standard for getting your blood sugar back to normal range...). Kelli kept me company on the kitchen floor at 11pm as I ate some honey and drank some juice. She's been super helpful lately whenever my sugar gets low.

I think the rest of my basal rates need some readjusting as well. I'm told that needing less insulin is a good thing, so hopefully these symptoms are indicators of progress!

My next endocrinology appointment is on Monday (4/12) so I am anxious to see what my doc thinks about all of this and if he can help.

I started "Diabetes Solution" by Bernstein a couple nights ago and am going to compare his solution to the Paleo Diet. I might need to find some middle ground between the two.

"Two cavities" was the verdict I received at the dentist yesterday. :( I am looking forward to seeing if this is my same verdict at my next visit when I have been on this diet for a while!

-Andi

Andi's Week 1 Review

Week 1 was tough for me too. It takes a TON of time and energy to adjust to something like this - something so 24/7 and so different than what everyone around me is eating!

I confess that I had at least 5 "open" meals this week, which was more than my goal of only 3. Lots of birthday food and Easter food... why is it that all of our celebratory foods are always so dang un-Paleo?

My favorite recipe this week? Gingery Chicken and Veggies. Here's a photo:

Gingery Chicken and Veggies
¼ c olive oil/canola oil mixture
½ red onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp powdered ginger
2 c cooked chicken breast meat, skinless and diced
½ c celery, chopped
1 c chicken broth (no salt)
1 c carrots, sliced thin
½ bell pepper, sliced
Heat oil mixture in heavy skillet and sauté garlic and onion. Add remaining ingredients and simmer until vegetables are tender. Serves 4.

--> I think this recipe might be really good with some mushrooms as well. And speaking of 'shrooms, I just found out that grilled portabella mushrooms are to-die-for delicious!

My favorite treat this week? Decaf espresso with Silk (brand) Almond Milk latte.

My goals for week 2:

• learn some new recipes
• try to only eat 3 or less open meals

I really feel great on this diet and my blood sugars have been so good as well!

-Andi

Week 1 Review

Hey sis, hope things are going alright! Things are going pretty well here. I'm not gonna lie though, this diet is a bit challenging. I've found breakfast to be an especially difficult meal for me to adjust to. Not being able to have any sort of bread or milk with breakfast is a HUGE change for me. Eggs unfortunately just aren't the same without toast...

However, with that said, I've felt pretty good all week, and have done a pretty good job of sticking to the diet. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I had no mistakes. However, Thursday and Friday I used 2 "open" meals for beer. We had a few cookouts due to the warm weather here, and I couldn't resist a few beers. However, I still managed to maintain my normal paleo food intake. I grilled some veggie/chicken kabobs and some free range lamb, yummy :)

As far as the "cold turkey" question goes, I have to belive that going cold turkey is probably the best. I think there are rare cases where going cold turkey isn't the best option. However, with that said, I just don't see myself ever getting past Stage 2 or Stage 1 Paleo. I just don't think it's feasible for me to ever go completely paleo, due to dinner parties with friends, nights out on the town (I'd have to check all the ingredients of the food I was eating), and things of that nature. Therefore, I'm going to be starting this week at Stage 2/3, and migrating next week to Stage 1/2, and hopefully stay there for a long while.

A couple side notes: I've found that eating any sort of grain makes my stomach just a little upset now. This never used to happen, but I think it's a sign that my body is already making a little bit of a transition. Lastly, I lost 4lbs this week! I didn't do any extra exercise beyond what I normally do, and yet my weight went down 4lbs, so that's a plus :)

Good luck sis!

Andi's Day 5

Pretty proud of my lunch today! (looks good, doesn't it?)


I also tried broiling a grapefruit today in my work's toaster oven. I haven't eaten one of those in over a year - it was delicious!