Delicious dinner last night

Sea scallops, broccoli, carrots (seasoned with fresh dill and honey), a local organic peach, and coconut milk ice cream (non dairy).

Yum!

The Paleo Diet cures Depression?

I just read a story about a woman who "beat Depression" by changing her diet to a basic form of the Paleo Diet: no wheat, dairy, caffeine, or corn.

Here is a link to the article on MSN.com: How I Beat Depression and Weight Gain

I hadn't thought much about my mental health and how the Paleo Diet can help it b/c I don't have any major mental health problems, but I do know that this diet generally just makes me feel better. I would be interested to hear if someone I know with Depression went on the Paleo Diet and if it made a difference in their mental health.

I do know that an "extemporaneous" part of the Paleo Diet - exercise - really, really helps my mental health. When I am feeling stressed or anxious, if I just get a good, hard workout in I feel "cured." And really, that is part of the Paleo lifestyle so it can't be separated from what is known as the Paleo Diet.

One last thing: I have been learning that chocolate makes me feel bad. I've tried eating dark chocolate (without dairy) but I still don't feel great afterwards. I think this is one thing I need to work on eliminating from my diet. Wondering if there is something comparable I could replace it with that is Paleo-friendly?

Non-pump A1c at 7.1%

I took an "insulin pump holiday" this summer so the infusion sites on my stomach could heal up a bit. Also, I wanted to see how my A1c would compare on the pump vs. shots while I did the Paleo Diet.

My last A1c (while on an insulin pump and eating Paleo) was 6.2%.
My current A1c (while doing shots and eating Paleo) was 7.1%.

So the pump seems to be better for my blood sugars than shots. I will say that I have done more "cheating" this summer, however, than when I first had my A1c measured so it is not an entirely direct cause-and-effect relationship.

An A1c of 7.0% is really the standard benchmark: if you are below this, you have a much lower risk of complications. And a "normal" person typically has an A1c below 6.0%. Diabetics with A1cs below 6.0% say that they are part of the "5% Club," which is what I aspire to. So I am going back on the insulin pump in about 1 month, and going to see if I can get myself below 6%.

Coconut Bliss Paleo "ice cream"

Just discovered a great, mostly Paleo, summer treat! Coconut Bliss "ice cream." I bought the Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge flavor at Vitamin Cottage today and it is DELICIOUS! Even better than many (dairy) ice creams I've had! Here's a picture of happy me :)

Coconut Bliss is gluten, dairy, and refined-sugar free. It is made with coconut milk and agave nectar so I imagine it has a lower glycemic index than most ice creams made with sugar. And it tastes fantastic!

Local, organic, Paleo dinner

Sorry it's been a while! But here is a picture of our delicious dinner tonight, Paleo-friendly and almost all made from our CSA share: egg drop soup (eggs and green onions from CSA), peas, cherries, apricots, and apple cider!


We also had some chicken sausage but that was from the grocery store so I didn't include it in the photo above.

Organic Go Take A Hike Trail Mix

I just found this gem of a Paleo trail mix at Vitamin Cottage this week! Organic Go Take A Hike Trail Mix. It's got cashews, golden raisins, mulberries, pistachios, goji berries (good for yin...), and cacao nibs. And the Vitamin Cottage brand was only around $3 for a 10 oz. bag! It was delicious on the 6 mile hike I took on Memorial Day.

You are what you eat eats

You know the saying, "you are what you eat?" Well, apparently you can take this saying a step further. Because you're really what you eat eats.

Based on what I read in The Omnivore's Dilemma last night, it seems that what the plants and animals you eat have eaten is equally (if not more) important than what kind of plant or animal they are (i.e. is a grass-fed cow better for you than a corn-fed salmon? Maybe!). I'm so upset that it has taken me 27 years to find this out!

If you don't know what I'm talking about, here is a little synopsis...

1. Plants. If they're "eating" natural sunlight, the nutrients from natural soil, and drinking rain water, you get all of the natural nutrients that plants (fruits, veggies, seeds, nuts) were best suited to produce from nature. On the other hand, if plants are ingesting artificial light, pesticides, and human-purified water they don't develop natural nutrients and defenses like they were meant to. You're essentially eating the lowest common denominator here. In other words, which sounds better: sunlight, organic soil, and rain water -or- fluorescent light, pesticide-filled soil, and stripped down water?

2. Animals. Corn-fed salmon? Grain-fed cows? Not good. For them or for us. Salmon are designed to eat what is in the water. Cows are designed to eat grass. And when they eat what they're designed to eat, their bodies function better. A better functioning body means better, more nutritious, dinner for you and I.

So in case you can't tell, right now I am on a food quality kick. Want to make sure the Paleo Diet I'm getting is the best it can be!
-Andi

Blueberry and pear crumble

My mom visited this weekend and made this delicious blueberry and pear crumble!


Here's the recipe...

Ingredients:

• 5 pears
• 1 tbsp. mixed spice
• 4 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. honey
• 300g frozen blueberries
• 2 tbsp. arrowroot
• 1/2 c. almond meal
• 10 dates
• 1 tbsp. water
• 1/3 c. walnuts, chopped

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Peel pears, remove cores, and slice.
• Heat a medium sized pan to low-med heat, add pear slices, mixed spice, lemon juice and honey. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring regularly.
• Add arrowroot and stir until pears are coated. Add blueberries, stir continuously for 5 minutes, or until blueberries have defrosted and sauce has thickened.
• Place almond meal in a food processor, turn onto medium high heat, add dates and water and blend until well combined. Place into a bowl and add walnuts.
• Bake.

-Andi

Relapse & Effects of Paleo on Blood Sugars

It sounds like Mitch and I have both had some relapse these past couple weeks (I know this from talking to him on the phone).

It has been a couple of very busy and stressful weeks at work for me (we just changed our name!), so maybe that has something to do with it. I would say I have been eating about 70% Paleo these past 2 weeks, and here are some of the hurdles I have been running into with the diet:

1. After getting a really hard workout in (i.e. hockey practice or swimming) I am famished. In a moment of weakness [twice] I got a junior Arby's roast beef (I can't even remember the last time I had fast food!). No convenience food can be tough in times like these.

2. My gastroparesis flared up from insulin pump infusion site issues, sending my blood sugar soaring to 300+ a couple times. This is when it is tough to eat Paleo for me b/c it is all high fiber food that is hard to digest. So I have gone back to my Asian food staples (miso soup, sushi, a little lettuce with ginger dressing) a few times these past couple weeks. These are things that I know digest well for me. But they do tend to send my blood sugars a little higher... which brings me to this point...

While "normal" healthy people might not be able to tell any concrete signs if the Paleo diet is working for them or not, I am here to tell you that it does! I get to see the direct effects of eating Paleo and non-Paleo meals on blood sugar and here is what I've found:

***When I eat Paleo meals my blood sugar typically stays around 80-100 mg/dL before and after eating, and for most of the day (right on target).

***When I eat NON-Paleo meals my blood sugar tends to run around 170 mg/dL for most of the day (too high).

So, that should be pretty good motivation to eat Paleo, right? Well, most of the time. I am committed to doing this diet long term b/c I have seen what a great effect it has had on my health, but I am also only human so sometimes I slip and eat the tasty modern morsels put before me. The numbers help...

-Andi

Problem solved: local and organic for less $$

We did it!

My housemate and I joined Grant Family Farms CSA (www.grantfarms.com). Looking forward to 26 weeks of fresh, local, organic veggies, fruits, and eggs for only $18/week!

It's going to be a new challenge to make seasonal Paleo dishes as they are harvested, but I'm excited to give it a try!

We've also switched over to local honey this year. Did you know that it helps people with allergies - like both my housemates - because it contains local pollen? That's what I hear anyway.

Learning lots of the food growing side of things with this diet from the incredible book I've been reading called Omnivore's Dillema. Everyone should read this book!

-Andi

CSA: Grant Family Farms

I think I've found the CSA I'll be supporting this year: Grant Family Farms.

The farms are located in Wellington, CO - just north of Fort Collins - and they have pickup locations 1x/week near our house in Denver from June-December. The reason we went with a family farm CSA as opposed to one where people grow things in their backyard in the city is because we want to support those who are trying to make a living doing a great thing like this.

Here is a breakdown of how much it will cost us to support locally grown, certified organic food (for 26 weeks) trying to be "beyond organic" sustainable:

Veggies (single share): $18/week
Eggs (1 dozen/week): $4.50/week
Fruit (single share): $16.36/week
Mushrooms (1/2 lb. share): $7/week

They also raise meat: goose, chicken, duck, turkey, pork, lamb, and goat.

Very Paleo Diet friendly!!

FYI - I found this farm on www.localharvest.org. Check it out for farms in your area!

Looking forward to this new food adventure in 2010...

-Andi

Tasty treat

I just discovered a delicious treat! Dark chocolate, walnuts, and dried cranberries.

I now keep this concoction in my desk at work for when I need a little pick me up snack.

-Andi

Non-Paleo problems, eating local and organic

I ate a bunch more "Open Meals" (non-Paleo) than I would have liked to this week and totally noticed some very concrete changes in my health:

1. I broke out in acne on my face.
2. My blood sugars have been all over the place: a consistently higher fasting blood glucose, more highs and lows. On Saturday night I almost hit 400 (normal = 83-90 mg/dL) after eating 1.5 corn tamales at our local Mexican restaurant: non-Paleo ingredients in these included corn, cheese, salt, and sour cream.
3. I don't feel as healthy as usual.

I'm hopeful that I can get back on track this week.

I also just discovered a great website for finding local, organic food that is actually a lot less expensive than buying it at a local grocery store (or a place like Vitamin Cottage or Whole Foods): http://www.localharvest.org/

Reading The Omnivore's Dilemma has really re-sparked my desire to buy organic somehow, and I am hopeful that this is a viable solution. I'd really like to go Paleo and organic. The local CSA that one of my co-workers grows for only charges $249 for a 20-week share (that comes out to only $12.45/week for local, organically grown food!).

-Andi

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 :)