(no subject)

[axelrod]

1) If you're looking for an alternative to wheat flour, you might consider acorns. Pro: nice nutty flavor, fairly nutritious, if ground finely makes a delicious bread (there's a couple variations here), high in omega 6. Con: work intensive to make (you have to leech tanins out of most varieties) and difficult to source prepared acorn flour, not ideal if you need a diet lower in fat.

2) Has anyone made buckwheat bread? Buckwheat porridge? I really like buckwheat soba noodles, though everywhere I've found them so far they're pretty expensive. Any other suggestions for how to prepare buckwheat? 

3) The book on paleo diets I requested from the library still isn't available, so a basic question: how do people on the paleo diet get enough complex carbs, or is that not really a concern?

4) Cattails seem to be paleo-friendly. You can eat the root, spikes, corms, pollen (which apparently can be used like flour), and seeds. Apparently cattails get incredible yields. There's info here, but I haven't done any research besides (so far). Cattails grow wild in many regions - the concern there is whether there's anything toxic in the soil or water, so if there isn't lots of plant and animal life in the body of water it's growing in or near, you probably shouldn't eat it. Also, there are near-relatives which appear similar to cattails but which are poisonous. The article I link to above tells you what they are and how to identify them, as well as the various parts of teh plant that are edible at different times of year and some suggestions for preparation.

5) Related to #2, what kinds of bread are paleo-friendly? Specifically, I want to make sandwiches and toast.

Comments

[rydra_wong]

There are some paleo baking recipes here -- the first two are apparently sandwich-suitable:

http://www.paleofood.com/baked.htm
http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/paleo-bread/
http://jensgonepaleo.blogspot.com/2010/01/rosemary-fig-nutty-bread-paleo-friendly.html

Some of these are paleo:

http://wheatfreeandglutenfreebreadrecipe.blogspot.com/

Your best strategy is probably either to bake your own, or to look for gluten-free breads and see which ones are also grain-free.

You're not going to get something which comes out like white toast, but that's sort of the point. *g*

There seems to be some debate over whether buckwheat is technically paleo, but as with anything it depends how rigid you want to be.

how do people on the paleo diet get enough complex carbs, or is that not really a concern?

Getting enough complex carbs hasn't been a problem for me per se. Lots and lots of veg and fruit! (I am trying to make sure I get enough vegetables and don't just live off fruit ...). If you find you're not getting enough, then add more starchy roots and tubers like sweet potatoes, parsnips, etc. etc.

It can be worth playing around with carbohydrate levels anyway and seeing what works best for your body; my impression is that different people may have very different needs in this respect, depending on individual metabolisms and activity levels. Some people seem to be blissfully happy on low carbs, while others need more. I found that my general functioning improves quite drastically with high protein and moderate levels of low-glycemic carbs.

For me, where I've run into problems is with bouldering sessions (two hours of strenuous exercise which is almost purely anaerobic, burning glycogen rather than fat); if I don't get a shot of high-GI carbohydrates shortly afterwards, it tends to do nasty things to my blood sugar and thence mood.

So (since I'm only demi-paleo anyway) I take a leaf from Loren Cordain's Paleo Diet for Athletes book and eat some not-strictly-paleo high-GI carbs (rice or potatoes, usually) when I'm refueling after climbing.

But that's a highly specific situation, given the particular type of exercise I do and the fact that I've got mood issues (and even when heavily medicated, apparently right now low blood sugar can tip me into a downturn). Most people don't seem to run into any problems.

So, yeah. It's a very YMMV thing.

[axelrod]

Posting to this comm = "ask rydra_wong" a question ; )

Thanks for the links *adds to delicious* Baking my own bread is a goal anyway, so. Are gluten-free things gonna be paleo so long as they don't have, like, dairy or whatever in them? Or is it more complicated than that? I don't know much about what foods contain gluten.

You're not going to get something which comes out like white toast, but that's sort of the point.

Never liked white bread except for grilled cheese sandwichs. I like my bread dense and dark with some flavor, so that's fine.

I think I associate complex carbs solely with grains, but I guess that's not the case.

So far, I've ascertained that more protein is definitely what I need and that meat definitely needs to be in my diet (and if I'd been paying attention, I would have figured it out sooner but I was stuck on the "meat is Bad for you" thing.) And less dairy is a good thing. I was hoping to work out how grains effect me this week, but I think I need to switch some of my carb intake over to other sources more and I've got half a loaf of bread to go through (as well as stuff in my "pantry" that aren't paleo-friendly) and I hate throwing food out.

I've got unmedicated mood issues and related fatigue issues and a fast metabolism so yeah I might be more sensitive than others. I always carry a Clif bar around anyway.

As always, I appreciate how informative and knowledgable you are : )

[rydra_wong]

Posting to this comm = "ask rydra_wong" a question ; )

LET ME SHOW YOU MY LEARNINGS. MY LEARNINGS, LET ME SHOW YOU THEM. *g*

Are gluten-free things gonna be paleo so long as they don't have, like, dairy or whatever in them? Or is it more complicated than that?

It's more complicated than that, alas. Gluten is found in some grains, but not all, and paleo is supposed to be grain-free. So some gluten-free products will also be paleo, and it's often a good place to start looking when it comes to things like bread recipes, but some won't (if they're using gluten-free grains like corn, rice or oats as a substitute).

I think I associate complex carbs solely with grains, but I guess that's not the case.

Basically, "complex carbs" are starches, rather than sugars. As long as you're eating vegetables, you're getting some.

But increasingly, nutritionists seem to be ditching the simple vs. complex distinction anyway, because some starches actually get broken down by the body faster than some sugars, causing a spike in blood glucose (and then a drop). This is what's measured by the "glycemic index" or "glycemic load".

Generally, you want to aim for "low glycemic" foods, which get converted into glucose slowly and steadily and keep your blood sugar stable (except in highly specific situations like refuelling immediately after strenuous exercise).

Foods with a high glycemic load tend to be refined carbohydrates -- sugars or "white starches" (white flour, white pasta, white rice, white potatoes, etc.). So a paleo diet tends almost inevitably to be low-glycemic. Which everyone agrees is a good thing.

So far, I've ascertained that more protein is definitely what I need and that meat definitely needs to be in my diet

That's pretty much how I view paleo/primal: as a theory that gives you a basis for self-experimentation and finding out what works in practice for your individual metabolism and lifestyle.

I found that eating lots of protein and good fats has amazing effects on my energy levels; I used to get terrible energy crashes and slumps (and I still do, if I eat high-GI foods outside that post-exercise window). And I really don't do well without meat.

On the other hand, I seem to be fine with some dairy (generally Greek yoghurt) and occasional grains; cutting them out doesn't seem to make a noticeable difference for me. Whereas some people eliminate them and find it produces a drastic improvement in their health/well-being.