faesdeynia: (Ripped Kitty!)
[personal profile] faesdeynia posting in [community profile] playeatsleep
Did anyone else pick this book up? I did, because I already had a basket full of schoolbooks and got free shipping. I read it over the last week or so. Most of the reviews I had read were from other Paleo writers, so of course they raved about it; I'm not going to ignore bias that exists! However, I like to think I read it with a more skeptical eye, and found it to be a pretty good read. I especially like the phrase "food-with-no-brakes" and the explanations of how gastric hormones affect mood and emotions. I find that touchy-feely aspect is absent in other discussions about the SAD diet versus Primal/Paleo. All in all, I liked it.

I especially like how the authors understand that eating organic/grass-fed is expensive; they don't dance around the fact that high-quality ingredients are pricey. One of the biggest arguments in the paleo-sphere is, "But you'll be saving so much money by not buying processed junk, and it will be a bit more expensive, but your health is worth it." I suppose if I came from a background rich in processed foods, I might see a shift in budget, but I was alarmingly poor before becoming interested in nutrition 5 years ago. I was already buying whole chicken and using the hell out of it. A $4 chicken goes much further than a $3 box of chicken nuggets. Most of my comparisons are looking at conventional whole foods versus organic/grass-fed whole foods.

The part about health is absolutely correct, but when I got to the farmer's market, the meat I can afford is $6/pound ground - forget grass-fed steak. When we have our own house, I'm buying a big deep freeze, since I live in TX and you can get a whole, 1/2, or 1/4 butchered grass-fed cow for $6/pound. That is worth it. I won't pay $16-$20/pound for steaks, ty. The authors do give examples of where you can skimp on organic/grass-fed (drain your cooked meat well and supplement with healthy fats, for example, and fruits/veggies with skin you don't eat are okay to buy conventional).

I decided to start a Whole30 on Monday, and so far it's going well. My last Whole30 lasted about, oh, 5 days before I succumbed to the lure of cheese and said, "Frak this." I think I did a better job purging my kitchen this time around (with all the offenders stored in a Rubbermaid bin, since I don't live alone in this house), however, I'm finding eating out to be nearly impossible.

When we went out for BBQ, I asked to see the rub ingredients. Sugar is #1. Also BBQ sauce is out (sugar and seed oils), as well as the majority of the sides. It's a safe bet that I'll be eating at home or a very tiny selection of restaurants (Jason's Deli, and maybe Chipolte/Freebirds/Tacodeli) for the next 27 days.

I had also forgotten that smoked things (bacon, salmon) typically have sugar in them as well as part of the curing process. Le sigh! My brain was going insane for sweet things, too; I don't buy sweet bacon, but cane sugar is an ingredient in my uncured hippie bacon. Making my own bacon is high on my list of desired culinary achievements, but not right this moment.

Last night I was fending for a dessert, and came up with raspberries in coconut milk with a handful of walnuts on top. The first few bites were disappointing, since my brain was hoping and praying for sweet. Not just fruit-sweet, but seriously sweet. After the first few bites, I think things adjusted somewhat, because my dessert went from being unexciting to the point of rebellion to a fairly tasty, if not OMG SWEET dish.

I also run into the problem where I haven't planned well enough for meals, and end up starving while cooking. Last night was a fluke, since I opened up my spaghetti squash to find it full of rotten, sprouted seeds. That required a redesign on dinner, and we ate quite late. But I'm also working on separating emotional hunger from true hunger, so a little true hunger isn't going to ruin my day.

Date: 2012-07-11 02:51 pm (UTC)
resolute: (Default)
From: [personal profile] resolute
Hiya!

I have read those books, and the Primal books, and the Paleo books, and some lunatic book about eating like a Viking.

All of the books say their programs must be followed absolutely for results. And, I know I am not going to do that. I glean useful bits from all of the books -- yes, even the Viking one -- and compile habits I can actually use in my life.

This has resulted in cooking almost everything I eat myself, it's resulted in using coconut oil in cooking and coconut milk in smoothies, it's resulted in baking my own bread, it's resulted in organic veggies from the co-op.

It's also resulted in feeling fan-fucking-tastic most of the time. IBS? Gone. Acid reflux? Gone. Persistent joint aches? Gone. Of course, I'm also working out four days a week, too. And taking vitamins and supplements.

I guess I'm saying, I don't know what parts of the changes in the last year are making me feel good. So I keep plugging away at all the parts, all the time.

NOT trying to be healthy, but to be healthier than I used to be. It seems to be working for me.

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