Booger Goes Caveman

What's going on with the new business?

2009-10-17T09:32:00.002-04:00

Very little blogging lately. Lots going on. But my intention with starting this thing was to chronicle my journey with the Paleo Diet, logging my daily meals, snacks and workouts. Turns out, "daily" was ambitious. Anyway, lots on my mind right now. Lots of questions from friends/family. Figure this is as good a place as any to answer them.

What's the update with the kid fitness thing?
Okay, so most of you know, I am a certified CrossFit Level I and CrossFit Kids trainer. I've started a new business called CrazyFit (www.crazy-fit.com), and have teamed up with an awesome CrossFit gym in St. Pete (www.stpetecrossfit.com) to start a CrossFit Kids program at their facility. It was supposed to kick off with the start of the new school year, around the first of September. Well, turns out the insurance carrier who covers the gym would not add an additional policy specifically naming the CrossFit Kids program. And that is what is required by CrossFit Kids headquarters in order for us to "affiliate" (or legally run a program by that name). So, I've been working with the CF St. Pete gym owner to find a new provider to insure us for CFKids. After many failed attempts (it's impossible to get anybody to insure ANYTHING in Florida), we finally found one who would do it. Problem is, we've been going round and round with these two ladies who are working on our case for over a month now just to get a flippin' quote!!! I'm so over them, and am trying really hard not to be ugly in our e-mail conversations. Considering a phone call to the director of their department on Monday morning. Without insurance, we cannot affiliate. Without affiliating, we cannot start the kids classes. I still have my fingers crossed for starting sometime in November. We'll see. I truly believe that this is a God-blessed new direction for my life. Please pray that if it really is in his plans that this new business takes off, that the doors will keep opening.

Where did "Booger Goes Caveman" come from?
LOL. I know. Gross, huh? Well, at our gym, we all have nicknames that we use on our blog to record daily workouts, times, performance, etc. Not sure how the tradition started; it was before I joined the group. But really fun to kind of have this character to portray when you're in the gym and with your gym friends. (And we're together A LOT. It's one of my favorite things about the CrossFit community. Do you get together once a month for dinner and wine with all the ladies that work out at Gold's Gym or Lifestyles? No? Oh. We do. Do you enter races together as a team and all wear matching shirts to run through the sand and palmettos at sunset on a Friday night? No? Oh. We do. Do you go kayaking together in groups of 20 or more? No? Oh. We do. How about team scavenger hunts? Halloween parties? Anniversary parties to mark all the years you've been working out together? No? None of that? Oh. We do. LOL. Sorry. Don't mean to rub it in. But the good news is - it's not an exclusive club. Anybody can join!! In fact, we love it when new people come into the fold!! LOVE IT.) But I digress ... the nicknames. So, at our last anniversary party, we started taking nominations for the new people who didn't have nicknames yet. Two rules - someone else has to think of it; and you have to hate it. My good friend Sam decides Booger would be a great name for someone who works with kids. My face said it all - it passed both rule # 1 and rule # 2. But, truth be told, the kids think it's pretty funny, and it's kind of grown on me too now.

Caveman is a reference to the Paleo Diet that I follow. I'd say I'm roughly 75% on, 25% off. It was more like 90/10 when I first started, but now that I'm 6 mo. pregnant, I notice I allow myself more indiscretions than I used to. But I'm not proud of that. I want to fuel this baby with as much good stuff as possible. And I want to be a good example to the people who are following what I eat. So, really I've got to be more diligent. But in a nutshell, the Paleo Diet refers to the Paleolithic time period when humans were still uncivilized cavemen. They hunted their meat and foraged for edible plants (vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds). The studies of their remains, drawings and tools indicate hardly any disease at all. Not even tooth decay. And it's not like they had toothbrushes. Likewise, studies of existing hunter/gatherer populations today (roughly 100 around the globe) show similar findings - 80 year olds as active and strong as their teenage descendants. No cancer. No diabetes. No heart disease. Also - no fiber bars, no treadmills, no vitamin supplements, no dumbbells. So, what's their secret? Loren Cordain, who authored The Paleo Diet, and his team of researchers believe it's a diet free of dairy, gluten and sugar. After everything I've read on all sides of the issue (and I'm still reading), I can't seem to argue with them. There will be lots more on this issue on my site when it's finished at www.crazy-fit.com.

Did I hear you're recording an album?
haha, yes. Sounds stupid, doesn't it? Like Scarlett Johansen or Lindsey Lohan. Actually, worse really, because they're already famous. However, I have been singing, acting and dancing since I was little (mostly singing) and though it's not something I believe God has in store for me as a primary career, it's something that makes me feel completely alive and that I hope to always do in some capacity. I don't dream of becoming some famous recording artist with concert dates and tour schedules. I just dream of singing. In the shower, in my car ... um, at work. :) It's true. I must annoy the crap out of my poor cubemates. I know I annoy my husband. Anything you say, I can think of a song with those words and before I know it, it just comes out!! So, as I'm launching this CrazyFit business, I have all these big ideas for how I can inspire and motivate kids, teens, and families to learn more about what their bodies need and how to make good choices every day that will make them healthier, help them live longer, protect them from illness, become more confident in everyday life ... even, love and believe in themselves more. I'm thinking of illustrated children's books, how-to books for parents, family cookbooks and meal plans, cute workout apparel that lets my kids express how strong and confident they are ... and yes, an album, with a pop/urban feel that's relevant and modern, but with lyrics that make you want to work hard and be proud of who you are. I want to say to the kids I work with everything I hope to teach my own child. And maybe if I wrap it around some cool music, they won't mind listening. I've already seen God's hand working in this project. There is an incredibly gifted singer/songwriter/producer who sits on my team at Tech Data (in stuffy old Corporate America) that I've worked with to record the first track already. What are the odds of that?! We work at the same company, and out of THOSE 2,000 people, we sit on the same team. It's an incredible blessing that we even met. And now we're working together to create a project we both believe in 100%. We wanted it out by Christmas, but it's expensive to go into the studio and record, so I'm having to space out the tracks. We're writing a total of 6 songs. The first one is almost through recording, but we'll probably have to put the other 5 tracks on hold until after the baby. When we pick back up in the spring, we hope to have it recorded, packaged, and ready for online sale within a month.

So, that's the update. It's all very exciting, I could almost cry when I think about it. But that excitement can also be excruciating. Like sitting on the steps at midnight waiting for Santa to come ... only, it's July. Long way to go.

Tuscan Chicken "stir-fry"

2009-09-28T20:40:00.005-04:00

Sorry again ... man, I've been inconsistent lately. If I miss just ONE day of blogging, I'm off the wagon. But then I get re-energized every time somebody says, "Hey! You haven't updated the blog in a few days! What gives?" I forget people actually read this. :-)

Oh - and one reader in particular (I won't call you out) goes, "I read your blog every day but I would never do all that. I don't cook." WELL!! ...... Okay, two things.

(1) I'm no gourmet. I don't use recipes. I don't use a lot of ingredients. I just get an idea for something that sounds good and I cut up some stuff, throw it in a pan or on the grill, and we eat it. No magic. Anybody can do what I do. And the more you tinker in the kitchen, the more ideas you get and the more confident you feel. (And the quicker and more efficient you get too). I will tell you - the right toys make all the difference. I have a huge cutting board I love, a SUPER-sharp knife from Williams-Sonoma, and two very nice nonstick Calphalon pans. I've collected these things over time. Would be expensive to buy them all at once. But I tell you what ... like a cute outfit makes you workout harder ... nice kitchen stuff makes it way more fun to cook. And you DO get what you pay for.

(2) Cooking is really important to taking control of your life and your health. I'm sorry. I don't care if you're a grown man who never made so much as scrambled eggs for himself ... if you're a poor college student ... if you're a crazy-busy mom ... it doesn't matter. You owe it to yourself (and to your family if you're a spouse or parent - either gender) to take control over what goes in your body. The only way to do that is to prepare your meals yourself. Every box and package you can avoid from the store is one less preservative, chemical, and additive that goes in your system.

So, on to the log for today - Monday, Sept. 28:

Meal #1: 2 pcs nitrate-free bacon; 2 omega-3 eggs, over hard; 1/2 a pear; water

Meal #2: Celery with Sunbutter; water

Meal #3: Mixed greens, spinach, romaine lettuces w/ 1 can of tuna, 1/2 a tomato, cucumber, and organic vinaigrette dressing; water

*I bought bagged spring mix, baby spinach and romaine lettuces at the store this weekend, then chopped up each kind (on my big cutting board with my big knife) and mixed them all in a big tupperware to keep in the fridge for easy, on-the-go salads.

Meal #4: Meat from 2 small quail drizzled with olive oil; 1 small apple

*My family goes on a big quail shoot in Alabama every Christmas, so I have a freezer full of wild game (no antibiotics, no weird diet, no questionable processing methods) brought home by my fearless hunter hubby. :-) I know not everybody has this luxury (or would want it), but the point is - find the most natural, humanely treated, organically raised meat you can for the healthiest dose of protein without the crap.

Meal #5: Tuscan Chicken "stir-fry" - chicken breast w/ Mrs. Dash tomato basil seasoning; broccoli/carrots, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic and capers

*So easy. I was in the mood for Italian, so I made something up. Seared a chicken breast in some olive oil and salt-free Mrs. Dash, then cut it into strips, and added back to the pan. Steamed a bag of broccoli/carrots in the microwave for a couple minutes, then added the veggies to the pan too with some sun-dried tomatoes, capers I had leftover from last week, and a little garlic (I buy it pre-chopped, in a jar). Seriously, took about 10 minutes. And sooooo yummy. Does this look gourmet to you?? You can do it!!! :-) And who needs the pasta? I don't even miss it. This was delicious.

Yummy cabbage!

2009-09-16T22:18:00.011-04:00

Who knew I liked cabbage? Experimented tonight, and it was really good!!

Wednesday log

Meal #1: Scrambled egg whites w/ 2 pcs nitrate -free bacon crumbled in and sun-dried tomatoes; coffee w/ pumpkin spice creamer

Workout: 30 min. walk w/ Parker (threw in a couple minutes of jogging just to keep the muscle memory alive)

Meal #2: 1 oz. natural almonds; 1 kiwi fruit

I love kiwi. :)

Meal #3: Leftover buffalo chili from last night

Meal #4: 1/2 a very large turkey breast on the grill; sauteed cabbage w/ red onion and bacon

Threw together a quick marinade this morning and left the turkey in the fridge all day. Very easy and very good! Juice of 1 orange, then cut up the rind and left it in there; lime juice; garlic; oregano; apple cider vinegar; olive oil

Oh! And guess what all I passed up today? Marble Slab ice cream (my fave) and birthday cupcakes for a friend. Yay me!

Diet as prescription? How about diet as PREVENTION!

2009-09-16T20:41:00.021-04:00

Ever had a friend or family member with a health issue (anything from tummy issues to arthritis to ADD) and a doctor suggests changing their diet? Typically eliminating either grains, dairy, processed food, or all three. Boy, I sure have. In her books, Jenny McCarthy details how her own experiments with her son Evan's diet dramatically alleviated his autistic behaviors. Of course, he still has autism. And of course, she combined these dietetic changes with behavioral therapy. But she'll be the first to say she's convinced that eliminating grains and dairy from his diet produced a completely different child. I have PLENTY of stories like that from people in my own life.

So, doctors are really smart people, right? I'm related to a couple. Friends with many more. They're really smart, typically very caring people. They want us to be healthy and live long healthy lives. So, for me, this begs a question. If in many situations doctors think it's a good idea to eliminate grains, dairy and/or processed food to alleviate symptoms of disease, then why do so many of them preach a diet of 6 - 11 daily servings of grains, 2 - 3 daily servings of dairy, and no ban on processed food as long as it is low-fat?

Unfortunately, I think I have the answer. The April 2009 issue of The American Journal of Cinical Nutrition found that "the amount of nutrition education in medical schools remains inadequate." Doctors know a lot more about pharmaceuticals than they do about nutrition. That's not a judgment. I don't know anything about auto mechanics. No biggie. I didn't go to school for it. So if not doctors, then who should we be listening to about what to eat in order to, ahem, live long and prosper? Dieticians? They went to A LOT of school to learn about nutrition. Okay, schools accredited by whom? -- by the American Dietetic Association. The ADA. The preeminent institution for nutrition research and recommendation. Question: Who funds their research? The official Web site for the ADA is www.eatright.org. If you go to their Food & Nutrition Information section, you will find fact sheets on all things deemed "healthy." Open any one of these fact sheets and scroll down to the bottom right corner to see who "sponsored" (paid them for) that document. Barley: A Healthy Heart Solution provided by ... The National Barley Foods Council. Diglyceride-Rich Oils (such as soybean, corn and peanut oils) provided by ... Enova Brand Oil. The Benefits of Chewing Gum provided by ... Wrigley Science Institute (sound familiar? As in Wrigley's spearmint gum?). Notice a trend?

The ADA is not evil. On the contrary, I think they truly exist to make our nation healthier. The problem here is not motive. The problem is integrity. I don't have a solution for them. Because I don't know where else they would get the money to fund their research and public relations but taking money from FOR-PROFIT organizations completely dilutes their message. Affiliating with special interest groups of any kind makes everything you say suspect.

I don't know for sure that Paleo is the exact right prescription for our bodies. But I am damn sure the Food Pyramid isn't it. I will keep digging and keep you posted on my opinions. I know you're on the edge of your seat. :-)

Tuesday log

Meal #1: Coffee with pumpkin spice creamer; scrambled omega-3 eggs with 1/2 an avocado, organic tomato salsa; 1 fresh mango

Coffee creamer is my non-negotiable Paleo indiscretion. And I don't care.

Workout: Walked Parker 30 minutes

I haven't been including this as my workout, but I walk the dog for a half-hour every morning, and that totally counts!!

Meal #2: 1 oz. natural almonds (unsalted); 1 small box raisins

Meal #3: Leftover tuscan soup (veg broth, tomatoes, sausage, spinach, cauliflower)

Meal #4: Tomato, cucumber, avocado salad w/ olive oil, lime

juice, a little salt and pepper; rotisserie chicken breast

Again, it gives me a little heartburn to buy grocery store rotisserie chickens because I know they come from wretched conditions, but it's just so much more convenient and cost-effective than buying and cooking organic poultry each week. I am ashamed!!

Meal #5: Chili w/ free-range buffalo meat, green bell pepper, red onion, canned diced tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, crushed red pepper

I also tried to make "cauli-rice" to go with this ... cauliflower in the food processor then microwaved and fluffed like rice. It looks good on the Internet. In real life, it's very stinky. I ate it with my chili for dinner but threw away the leftovers.

Why am I crying?

2009-09-14T23:07:00.004-04:00

First things first ... my bad y'all, on last week's silence. Lost momentum with Labor Day weekend and one missed blog turned into 10! Oy.

Now, I had a pretty perfect Paleo day today. All planned meals and a CrossFit Mom workout to end the evening. So why am I crying?!?! Let me start by saying I love that the baby is growing. And when he does, so must I. Pregnancy is a beautiful thing and I really do wear it with pride. But let me just vent for a second ...

My boobs are huge. Not in the enviable Victoria's Secret way either. More like a page out of National Geographic. Is this really necessary? Also, in the right light (or when sitting Indian style), I'm beginning to notice cellulite on my legs. I know for a fact this is due to too much cheating on Paleo and too many missed workouts. The lumpy appearance of excess body fat is raring its ugly head. This is not okay with me. I must revisit my dedication to "the plan." So, this disappointment in myself coupled with the fact that I physically could not complete my workout tonight = crying in the shower. My hands simply ripped on the pull-up bar. This has happened before. And I do not cry every time. I guess I just felt very defeated, and no one to blame but myself.

I have a lot of really great cheerleaders out there who say, "Now is the time you can eat whatever you want." "Now is the one time you don't have to worry about your body - enjoy it." If you've said these things to me, know that I love you and truly appreciate the support. However, I think this is an unintentional form of sabotage. Pregnancy doesn't give you a license to completely change your lifestyle. If anything, I think I have even MORE of a responsibility to take care of my body. Someone else's little body is growing and developing in there!! He's feeding off or suffering from everything I do. I don't mean to be dramatic about it, but that really is a great deal of responsibility and I don't take it lightly.

So for the sake of the little one, and for the sake of the medical staff who will spend a day in February looking very closely at my thighs, I am renewing my vows to Paleo and CrossFit. 5x a week or bust!! :)

Meal # 1: 2 omega-3 scrambled eggs with added egg whites and green onions; bowl of fresh berries
Meal # 2: Apple with Sunbutter
Meal # 3: Romaine and spinach salad with boiled chicken breast, sauteed red/yellow peppers, olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Meal # 4: Homemade trail mix with almonds, walnuts, blueberries and mixed dried fruit (looked for variety with lowest sugar - 23g per 1/4 cup)
Meal # 5: Tuscan soup made with low-sodium vegetable broth, canned diced tomatoes, hot Italian pork sausage, fresh spinach leaves, chopped cauliflower
I added a little salt while it was all simmering together, but really the sausage provided plenty of heat and flavor all by itself. Next time will use kale vs. spinach for better texture.
Workout: 3 rounds of 15 pull-ups (medium assistance band), 15 lunges each leg, 15 knees-to-elbows on pull-up bar ... prescribed workout was 4 rounds. I did 8 of the pull-ups, all of the lunges and none of the K2E in the 4th round.
Meal # 6: Carrots and celery with organic blue cheese dressing

I spent too long venting about my foul mood today ... but I have a soapbox to hop on tomorrow about diet and the correlation to disease. Nite nite!

Finally, a pretty perfect Paleo day

2009-09-04T21:01:00.007-04:00

Meal # 1: 1 omega-3 enriched egg, scrambled with some added egg whites, spinach, onion, sun-dried tomatoes, and 1 pc. nitrate-free bacon crumbled on top

Meal # 2: Apple with Sunbutter

Meal # 3: Panera Greek salad with chicken, olives, tomatoes, red onion. No feta.

Meal # 4: Leftover tilapia fillet and broccoli/carrots

Meal # 5: Mexican hash with homemade guacamole and organic store-bought salsa
Hash = Organic ground beef sauteed in olive oil with garlic, onion, shredded zucchini, shredded carrots, cumin, chili powder, paprika, crushed red pepper, and ... you guessed it, my favorite ... fresh cilantro! Guac was 1 whole avocado, mashed, with more fresh cilantro, lime juice and a bit of salt and pepper. No added salt to meat dish, though. Got this recipe off a Paleo blog and it was really, really good!!

Workout: Warmup = 20 min. walk w/ Parker; Workout = AMRAP in 15 min. of 4 pull ups (medium assistance band), 4 dips (on rings, with feet on floor), 8 push-ups (on knees), 12 kettlebell swings (6 each arm; only have a 15 lb KB at home) ... Got 6 rounds of 4-4-8-12 + 3 pull-ups.

Boy, for my athletic ladies out there, be prepared to lose a significant amount of strength when you get pregnant. I don't know if it's the extra weight (13 lbs so far), the extra blood volume, or what - but I am not the same athlete I was four months ago. It's a little frustrating to feel so weak, but Eric is great about reminding me that my body's only job right now is to make a baby. Any of the workouts I do now are primarily to preserve my muscle memory for when I get back after it post-partum, to keep joints lubricated, heart strong, etc. Not out to make any gains right now.

As for the diet, I wanted to address some FAQ's I've been getting lately on Paleo, but I'm too tired now. Will shoot for this weekend. Nite nite!!

Videos speak 1,000 words

2009-09-03T22:58:00.012-04:00

Did you read my post from Saturday where I sent Eric out for coffee but said don't get food, I'll make it here? I was so proud. Well, today was a different day. He was running late; I was staying home. I went out for coffee, and I succumbed to the drive-thru.

HOWEVER, these kinds of "convenience decisions," as you know, are not typical, and I still feel very strongly about the Paleo way of life, as well as the CrossFit way of exercising. I get a lot of GRIEF (you know who you are), a few arguments, but mostly questions about why I do what I do. These two videos sum up perfectly what I believe concerning diet and exercise and how we were meant to live. Enjoy and feel free to disagree! That is the beauty of this glorious free nation! :-)

Why Paleo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCFZoqmKf5M
Why CrossFit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGXep32_qiI

Meal # 1: McDonald's mocha latte (no whipped cream ... hey, save on sugar where you can); Egg McMuffin [insert sad face]

Meal # 2: Leftover salad with veggies and 3 oz. can of tuna, olive oil and vinegar
So glad I made that big salad with all those chopped veggies the other night. I have gotten so much use out of that. And I only chopped once! Also, I rinse the tuna really well to try to wash off as much of the sodium as possible.

Meal # 3: Tilapia with blackening seasoning and lemon juice; broccoli and shredded carrots in olive oil - little bit of salt and pepper
Going much easier on the salt than before. Trying to transition to not adding any at all to food I prepare.

Pregnancy cravings are REAL!

2009-09-03T11:16:00.000-04:00

For Wednesday, Sept. 2 ...

I would first like to apologize to all the pregnant women out there who have talked about or blogged about their cravings because though you may not have known it, I was judging you. I was thinking, yeah right. Cravings, shmavings. You have complete control over what you put in your mouth, pregnant or not. We've just been convinced by pop culture that pregnancy cravings are these intense fixations on food that physically pull your car into the drive-through of a Jack in the Box against your will. Well, let me tell you, that's not too far from the truth. There's only been one other time in my pregnancy that I've had anything close to what I would consider a craving. I was driving home from work and I just had to have Chic-fil-A lemonade. Not lemonade from a can or bottle in a convenience store. CHIC-FIL-A, SODA FOUNTAIN lemonade. I've probably only had it one other time in my life and that was like in high school or something. So, I don't know where that came from. Random. Well, the second craving happened tonight. Read on ...

Meal # 1: 1 scrambled omega-3 enriched egg with added egg whites, spinach, onion, organic salsa; 2 pcs. nitrate-free bacon; blueberries/strawberries; water

Meal # 2: Carrots, celery and full-fat, organic Ranch dressing
You know the drill - no protein, not enough good fat = not perfect. But filled me up for about an hour or so.

Meal # 3: Leftover salad from the other night - mixed greens, spinach, yellow pepper, broccoli, tomatoes, cucumber, walnuts, etc., olive oil and vinegar. Added some boiled chicken for protein.
The walnuts were too bitter. I ended up picking around them. They were good in my salad from Ciccio's last weekend. Wonder why. Maybe the restaurants use salted nuts??

Meal # 4: Leftover boiled chicken and homemade slaw from earlier in the week
Slaw is a few days old by now. Probably not the best idea I've ever had. I didn't get sick or anything, but it had just been marinating too long and was really strong tasting.

Meal # 5: Two pasta dish Lean Cuisines and a cinnamon roll
hahahahahaha. This makes me laugh. The aforementioned craving. Pasta. And cinnamon rolls. WTF? But I couldn't help it. I was fixated. Literally nothing else sounded good. I dropped Eric off downtown to have a drink with some friends, and I looked like hell, so I wasn't going into like a Carrabba's or something like that to sit around at the bar while they made my food. So, I whipped right in to the nearest Publix, picked out a tomato sauce pasta Lean Cuisine and an alfredo sauce pasta Lean Cuisine (with the intention of mixing them together - which I did), and a cinnamon roll from the bakery. I looked like a crazy person!!!

"Glutton" for punishment

2009-09-01T11:23:00.000-04:00

Key word is GLUTTON! After yesterday's post-ice cream stomach issues, wait til you see what my dumb ass went and did today ...

Meal # 1: Scrambled eggs; 2 slices fresh pinapple; 1 small bunch of grapes; 1 big strawberry; water
Breakfast meeting for a networking organization I'm looking to join. No pastries, muffins or biscuits and gravy. Good choices.

Meal # 2: Celery sticks with Sunbutter; water

Meal # 3: Mixed lettuces with chicken, 1/2 an avocado, shredded carrot, red grapes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar; water
Protein, Good fat, low-glycemic carbs ... perfect lunch

Meal # 4: Marble Slab vanilla ice cream with hot fudge, caramel sauce and Heath bar pieces
Can you believe it?!?! After I JUST had ice cream yesterday ... AND experienced stomach pain because of it!! I went back for more. What is wrong with me? It was free, of course, as most crap at work is because of all the vendor events. Normally, I stick to only what I brought to eat. But Marble Slab? I caved. Still had some tummy issues afterward. You'd think I'd learn my lesson. :-(

Meal # 5: Steak and shrimp on the grill (with a little A1 and cocktail sauce); big salad w/ mixed greens, spinach, yellow pepper, broccoli, tomato, cucumber, walnuts and organic bottled vinaigrette
I know cavemen did not have condiments and I really try to use them sparingly because they are all primarily made of sugar and salt. But I just love the kick of Bold & Spicy A1 and horseradish cocktail sauce. And typically I dress salads with olive oil and vinegar but if I do use a bottled dressing, I make sure it's organic, has very few ingredients, and no high-fructose corn syrup.

Workout: Warmup = 3 rounds of 300m row, 15 good mornings, 15 air squats, 15 shoulder presses with PVC pipe; workout = AMRAP in 12 min. of thrusters, hang power cleans, and sumo deadlift high-pulls. Rx weight for girls was 65. Preggo's are supposed to be around half that. I just used an empty 45-lb bar and tried to pace myself. Got 4 rounds in 12 min. Good workout. I miss lifting.

Am I lactose intolerant and didn't know it?!

2009-09-01T10:53:00.000-04:00

This is for Monday, Aug. 31 ...

So, the Paleo folks tell you to try the new lifestyle (no cheats) for 30 days. At the end of those 30 days, pick one thing to reintroduce (like dairy or grains) and see how your body responds. I've never gone 30 days fully Paleo because I was actually already pregnant when I started this journey so my first three months were plagued with queasiness and altered tastes. I'm pretty Paleo, though. Anywho, I have cut out all grains, dairy and legumes when I am on plan, but for my occassional open meals, I have had dishes with cheese or grains several times, with no repurcussions. So, imagine my surprise when a dairy-fest snack today totally had me doubled over in pain!!

Meal # 1: Two omega-3 enriched eggs, over hard; 2 pcs. nitrate-free bacon; strawberries; water

Meal # 2: Plum; 1 oz. unsalted almonds; water

Meal # 3: Two barbeque chicken breasts; two servings roasted vegetables; water
Company anniversary celebration. No rice, no potato salad, no baked beans. Yay, me.

Meal # 4: Two scoops ice cream with chocolate syrup and heath bar; 2 chocolate chip cookies
Company celebration continues. I could NOT pass up the ice cream sundae bar. However, exactly 30 min. later, I went running to the bathroom with severe stomach cramping!! Sorry for the TMI, but I was actually pleasantly surprised that my body must be so adapted to the new order of things that it actually physically rejected my lactose-laden indiscretion!!

Meal # 5: Carrot sticks with Ranch dressing
I use full-fat organic Ranch because it has far fewer ingredients and preservatives. When companies take out fat, they must compensate with something, usually sugar. Cavemen obviously didn't have condiments but my palate is not disciplined enough to enjoy veggies completely raw yet.

Meal # 6: Paleo chili ... organic ground beef (80%); green pepper; red onion; 1 jalepeno pepper; 2 big cans organic diced tomatoes; chili powder; garlic; cumin; some salt
No beans, no crackers, no cheese on top. Still totally delicious. Didn't miss any of it.

Workout: None. :( Not starting the week off on a good foot! And I only got a 40% last week! Gonna have to kick it into high gear the rest of this week.

Is Sunday the start of the week or the end of the week?

2009-08-31T14:26:00.000-04:00

For me, the weekend signifies the end of the week ... which means Sunday is the LAST day of the week. Monday starts everything fresh. The only reason it matters in relation to diet and exercise is that I don't like the idea of any "indiscretions" making me feel like I've started a new week off on a bad foot. I mitigate damage where I can, but I also enjoy my friends and family where I can and try not to be too neurotic. I'll give you my Sunday log first, and then a tally at the end for how I did this week as a whole.

Meal # 1: Two scrambled omega-3 enriched eggs with organic tomato salsa; 1/2 apple with Sunbutter; water to drink

Meal # 2: Red Mesa chips and salsa; chicken quesadillas with corn salsa
Took Eric's mom to brunch. Sure, I could have ordered a salad and stayed Paleo, but I absolutely LOVE Mexican food - especially the Mesa and I was getting what I wanted.

Meal # 3: Two leftover buffalo chicken fingers with Ranch from last night's dinner
I was headed to the grocery store and needed an afternoon snack. Fridge was pretty bare.

Meal # 4: Salmon fillet pan-seared in olive oil; homemade slaw with cabbage, spinach, tomatoes, onions, a little canola mayo, apple cider vinegar, lime juice and a pince of salt.
Delish!!

Workout: Nope. By the time I got home from the grocery store and chopped up all my fruits and veggies for the upcoming week's meals, it was time to eat dinner. After dinner, went to pick up my mom from the airport. Home by 9:30. Winding down for bed.

So, here is my grand tally of Paleo meals for the week ... There were 35 separate occasions that I put food of some sort into my mouth. 28 of those were Paleo. That gives me an 80% hit ratio for the week. I'll take it!!

As for the workouts, I didn't fare quite so well. I only did two out of the five I had planned = 40%. Boo!!

If my lifestyle was a college class and diet/exercise held equal weight, I would have a 'B' in Diet and an 'F' in Exercise with a resulting grade of 60% for the week. Barely a "D", depending on which scale you go by. Will absolutely be committing to moving my body a lot more next week.

The road to onion rings is paved with good intentions

2009-08-31T13:52:00.000-04:00

Saturday started off so well ... watch how quickly the wheels fall off the bus.

Meal #1: McDonald's mocha latte (no whipped cream); 3 scrambled omega-3 eggs with organic salsa; red grapes
Our coffee maker broke, so we have to go out for coffee til we replace it. The temptation was to just get FOOD from McDonald's since we were already going to be there but I told Eric I would just whip up something quick while he ran out. Pretty proud of that one. :)

Meal # 2: Salad at Ciccio's with chicken, red grapes, walnuts, shredded zucchini, squash and carrots. Olive oil and vinegar instead of the dressing it came with.
A perfect lunch ... protein (chicken), fat (walnuts and olive oil), and low-glycemic carbs (veggies)

Meal # 3: 1/2 an apple with Sunbutter
We were car shopping all day. I knew it would be a while before dinner so we stopped at home to grab a quick snack, trying to keep blood sugar levels as stable as possible.

Meal # 4: Onion rings (with sauce); broccoli cheese casserole; two buffalo chicken fingers with Ranch dressing; water to drink
Remember I mentioned wheels would be falling off. Well, here you go. This was about 8:30 p.m. at Cheddar's. Again, car shopping all day. Totally drained. Starving. Yet also - celebrating - because I got a new Jeep Commander!! So excited. I would have been disappointed in us for being such stereotypical American consumers ... gorging ourselves with fried food in celebration of some silly milestone. But the onion rings were just so damn good!! I'd be lying if I said it wasn't worth it. :)

Workout: Yeah, right. Did I mention car shopping??

Three open meals goes quickly!!

2009-08-28T12:14:00.000-04:00

Log for Friday ... If you've been reading along, then you know I was shooting for only three "open meals" this week. Going into Friday, I've already had two, so it's not looking good for the weekend. :( Let's not count our chickens though.

Meal # 1: 2 omega-3 enriched eggs, over hard; 1 pc. nitrate-free bacon; 1/2 an orange; 1 tbs. sunbutter
Only had 4 pcs. of bacon left in the fridge. Gave 3 to the hubby. Figured there was enough protein in the eggs; should be fine without that second piece. :)

Meal # 2: 1 oz. unsalted almonds; other 1/2 orange; 3 pcs. bacon
Brought the orange with me. Knew I had almonds at my desk for a little fat. Figured I could buy some sort of protein at the cafeteria at work.

Meal # 3: Mixed greens and spinach salad with chicken breast, banana peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, sunflower seeds, olive oil and vinegar
A pretty perfect lunch, I'd say ...

Meal # 4: Panera pastry
I know!!! I wasted my third open meal on a pastry!! It's so senseless. I was out of snacks at work and there were a ton leftover pastries from one of our vendor events next to my desk, STARING AT ME. I told them to leave me alone and I got up with my dollar to get trail mix out of the vending machine. But they were out!!! What do I do? Starve? Eat something equally junky and sugar-loaded out of the machine? Or just go for the (free) pasry. I somehow convinced myself it was the best option at the time.

Meal # 5: Sushi
We went to a wine tasting for a friend. I proudly eschewed the cheese and crackers. But by the time the party was dying down around 8:30, I was ready to eat my own arm off. And the birthday girl wanted sushi. How can you say no? :-) (No worries, cyber-friends, I did not subject my baby to any raw fish. All cooked rolls.)

Workout: Sadly, none

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail!!

2009-08-27T12:09:00.001-04:00

Man, when I don't do my Sunday meal planning and shopping/chopping adventure, it REALLY screws me up for the rest of the week. You have to plan to be Paleo. If you don't, you are left with very few choices. Luckily, I was able to stay on plan, but there were several times where I just didn't eat enough. Not good for your blood sugar at all. The goal is for insulin levels to remain constant.

Meal # 1: Scrambled egg whites with spinach and organic tomato salsa; (1) small pork chop; (1) tbs. sunbutter
Eggs were delicious; pork was okay. Sunbutter was eaten by itself, and was just to add some fat to the meal. Really helps because I didn't get hungry again for about three hours.

Meal # 2: Nectarine; 1 oz. unsalted almonds
Good fat, good carb, no protein. Not a perfect meal. And I was hungry less than an hour later.

Meal # 3: Pork chop; leftover tomato/cucumber salad from Tue. night dinner
Probably wasn't enough olive oil on the salad to be a full serving of fat for this meal. Should be about 30% of my calories. Missed again. Still paleo, just not great planning.

Meal # 4: 1 oz. unsalted almonds
Totally not enough calories. Very little protein and no carb. BAD PLANNING!! It was all I had at my desk.

Meal # 5: Apple with Sunbutter
Had this as soon as I walked in the door from work. Knew I wouldn't make it do dinner without something. And I was squeezing in a workout too.

Meal # 6: Voodoo Mahi Mahi (very spicy); chicken marsala; salad with tomatoes, cucumbers and vinaigrette dressing; mixed vegetables; water
Another team dinner. Paleo choices ... other than the sauces they used on the meat, which I'm sure had some combination of sugar, butter, flour, soy products, preservatives, etc. But the amounts are so small, I'm not going to get bent out of shape about the occasional non-Paleo condiment.

Workout: Row 3,000 meters

Side note: I'm really tired of getting up every 10 seconds to pee. Just FYI.

Sticking to your guns ... well, sort of

2009-08-27T10:40:00.000-04:00

This says Thursday but that's just because I'm posting late. It's really a log for Wed.

So, if you read Monday's blog, you know I am shooting for Paleo meals throughout each day, with the exception of three "open meals." The first was Monday night at a team dinner. The second, I knew, would be Wed. night. We'd made plans with friends to do fajitas (buy one-get one at Cody's). :-) So, knowing that, it was much easier to stick to the plan during the day, even though there were LOTS OF TEMPTATIONS! (Event at work = yummy, pretty catered food)

Meal # 1: Scrambled eggs, 2 pieces bacon, pineapple and strawberries; water to drink
No breakfast potatoes, biscuits, french toast or coffee!! Yay me. I guess I could have had the coffee, but not the creamer or the sugar, so why bother. Baby doesn't need it and honestly, I don't even want it anymore as much as I used to.

Meal # 2: Apple; water
Stole it off the breakfast bar from the event, knowing I would need something later and I left the house in such a rush, I didn't pack any snacks. It was better than nothing, but with no protein or fat to go with it, I was hungry again in about 30 min.

Meal # 3: Salad with goat cheese, cranberries, pine nuts and vinaigrette; spicy jerk chicken breast; broccoli and red pepper saute; water
Goat cheese isn't paleo and I'm not supposed to have it while pregnant anyway, so I tried to pick around the chunks as much as possible. Didn't have any rice with the chicken or cheesecake for dessert!! And what I did have was delicious.

Meal # 4: 1 oz. unsalted almonds; water
Again, no snacks. Just nuts at my desk. Better than nothing. But no real protein or carb source for energy - so, not ideal on their own. I was just trying to hold out for fajitas. :)

Meal # 5: White bread roll with honey butter; salad with cheese, tomatoes, croutons and creamy dressing; two white flour tortillas with grilled chicken, sauteed onions, sour cream and lots of pico de gallo; water
Soooooo not Paleo. But very yummy. And I still have one "open meal" left for the week. REALLY gonna try to not go over!!

Workout: None. [Sad face] Left the house early for the event at work. Went straight from the office to the restaurant for dinner. Straight from dinner to band practice at the church. Home a little before 10 pm. That's only one workout on record by Wed. Not good. Gonna have to make up for it on Sat. and Sun. in order to get a total of five in for the week.

Paleo-Zone and a severe loss of strength

2009-08-25T14:39:00.000-04:00

The food I pack for myself and my husband on any given day is really a combo of Paleo and the Zone Diets. (Well, sort of. I mean no offense to the die-hard Zoners who religiously measure blocks of food and weigh their portions. I may get there eventually.) I believe in the Paleo principles (eating food we were designed to eat - meat, fruits/veggies, nuts/seeds ... and shunning food products created by man and machine). I also agree with Dr. Barry Sears' Zone concept about the importance of balancing meals across the macronutrients of protein, carbohydrate and fat. One of the largest contributors to today's obesity epidemic, in my opinion, is a diet WAY too high in sugar and far too low in fat.

Protein sources below: Eggs, pork chop, pork loin slices, chicken, shrimp
Carb sources below: Spinach, salad greens, tomatoes, broccoli, red onion, zucchini, red pepper, mushrooms, pineapple, nectarine, OJ (an unfavorable carb, but a carb nonetheless)
Fat sources below: Nuts, olive oil, avocado

Meal # 1: Two omega-3 enriched eggs (in cooking spray); small pork chop; sauteed spinach; swig of OJ
I know spinach for breakfast sounds disgusting, but it's just an easy way to get a serving of veggies in at breakfast. I put a little on a fork with egg and a bite of pork chop and you can't even taste it. A little salt and pepper helps too. Also- OJ is really just sugar water and I don't recommend it, but I made some the other night when I really wanted something sweet and the leftovers were eyeing me from the fridge. It was literally a SWIG, though. I should dump the rest out when I get home.

Meal # 2: Shredded chicken; unsalted mixed nuts; (1) nectarine
The best thing I do for meal prep is buy a rotisserie chicken each Sunday and dissect it for the rest of the week's meals and snacks. Sooo grab-and-go. Nut mix had a lot of peanuts in it. I ate a few but tossed the rest. (Remember peanuts are not nuts; they're legumes. Click here to read my post on why legumes are not Paleo). Nectarines are awesome right now and fruit is so packed with essential vitamins and minerals, it's just high in sugar so I try to only have two servings a day. All other produce is veggies.

Meal # 3: Mixed greens and baby spinach w/ rotisserie chicken, tomatoes, broccoli, red onion, olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Vinegar's not technically Paleo because of it's acidic effect on the body, but I'm a little more liberal with the condiments. Try to keep my strictness for the grains, dairy and legumes.

Meal # 4: Pork loin; fresh pineapple slices; avocado/tomato salad with olive oil
Grilled two pork loins Sunday night for use in lunches and snacks during the week. Makes it easy when you're assembling meals in the mornings to have your protein already cooked and ready to go. Fresh pineapple vs. canned - more vitamins, no added sugar. Remember Paleo shuns processing.

Meal # 5: Grilled chicken breast; skewer of grilled shrimp; roasted veggies; cucumber/tomato salad
To roast veggies, I just chopped up zucchini, red bell pepper, portabello mushrooms and red onion, tossed them with olive oil and popped in the oven at 400 for like 20 - 25 min. Just watch 'em and take 'em out when you like how they look. :) Tomato/cucumber salad is just chunks of those 2 ingredients plus a healthy drizzle of olive oil, a splash of red wine vinegar, some salt and pepper and fresh cilantro. (I buy this every week and end up putting it in everything. I LOOOOOOVE cilantro. Love it.) Salad normally has avocado in it too, but I was out. Not enough fat in this meal. I will be hungry later. :(

Meal # 5B: I was right; about an hour after dinner, I was still really hungry. So, I polished off another skewer of shrimp with a little tartar sauce. Some added fat would have really made a difference.

Workout: "Baby Cindy" -- AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) in 12 min. of 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 15 squats. (The regular CrossFit "Cindy" is AMRAP in 20 min. They take it down a notch for the preggo's.) I do my pull-ups on the medium assistance band because I haven't quite mastered the kip yet. And my strength is so decreased now anyway that it's going to have to wait til post-pregnancy. Push-ups I normally do on my toes, at least the first few rounds. This time I had to drop to my knees after TWO! WTH?? Very demoralizing. And even on my knees, I was breaking them up into sets of 5's and then 2's! I was warned my performance would go down dramatically, but it sucks to find out they were right. Anywho - my goal was 8 rounds in 12 min. I got 7 rounds + 5 pull-ups and 3 push-ups. I was 7 push-ups and 15 squats shy of the goal. Oh well. Now is not the time to be pushing the intensity. But I do need to be pushing the CONSISTENCY. Back at it tomorrow.

All in all, I'd say it was a pretty successful day in the life of a Preggo on Paleo ....

Back from the dead!!

2009-08-24T17:59:00.001-04:00

I am back from my two-month hiatus!! Soooooo sorry for abandoning the blog. See, what had happened was ... I went on family vaca for a couple days (no computer, and BlackBerry blogging takes WAY too long) ... then I got back and found out I was KNOCKED UP! Yep - 6 weeks to be exact. :) No wonder I was having a hard time with Paleo!! The normalest of smells, textures and tastes would totally gross me out. Now I understand why! Anywho ... I waited til 12 weeks preggo to tell the world, so that's why I still wasn't updating the blog. Then, even after the world knew, I was having far too many indiscretions to make a "Paleo-ish" blog worth anyone's while. (Man, that kid loved Chic-fil-A!) But too bad for him/her. We are comfortably rooted in the second trimester now and there is a new sheriff in town! No more morning nausea. No more smell sensitivities. So, here we are: 16 weeks pregnant and BACK ON TRACK. Wahoooooo!!!

Meal # 1: Scrambled egg whites with spinach, organic tomato salsa, and a little salt and pepper; 2 pieces nitrate-free bacon; water to drink

Meal # 2: Celery stalks with sunbutter
(My new best friend! Made from sunflower seeds and tastes way better than almond butter. Plus, at $5 a jar, it's less than half the cost!)

Meal # 3: Almonds and dried apricots
(Way less sugar than most other dried fruits, like cranberries, raisins, etc.)

Meal #4: Baby greens and spinach w/ chicken salad, olive oil and red wine vinegar.
Chicken salad was made with grapes, mandarin oranges, celery, a tiny bit of canola mayo (store-bought, so shoot me ... but way better omega-3 to -6 ratio than regular mayo), and a splash of Italian dressing (also store-bought, but low sugar, low sodium, and organic, so very few ingredients)

Meal # 5: Out to dinner at Ocean Prime in Tampa ... and this is where the wheels fell off the bus.

French onion soup -- I was STARVING and needed food ASAP. Could have gotten a salad, I suppose, but to make them paleo, I would have asked for no-this, no-that, and I figured what the hell, I'll just get the soup.
Salmon -- Not bad; only ate half of it ... pretty full from the soup
Sides = Black truffle macaroni and cheese; Cream corn; Jalepeno potatoes au gratin -- This is where things really went downhill. Table of 5 women, all ooh-ing and aah-ing over the comfort-food style chef creations. We ordered three sides for the table, so you only ended up eating a few bites of these evil dishes, but still ...
Carrot cake -- Ate four bites. Not the end of the world, but also not the best start to the week.

But hey! The food was excellent and I had an awesome time. We will call that Open Meal #1 for the week. Shooting for a total of 3 "open meals" in a 7-day window. I'll keep you posted ...

Day 8 - Struggling with Taste

2009-06-15T12:37:00.000-04:00

Monday, June 15, 2009
This is probably a good place to catalog my workouts as well as food log.

6 am: CrossFit Workout of the Day (WOD) = "Jumping Fran"

5 RFT (rounds for time):

21 Thrusters @ 50# (women)

21 Double-unders (sub regular jump rope at 2:1 ratio)

Total time - 21:51

I should probably be eating something before I work out in the morning because your blood sugar dips so low overnight. But at 5:30 a.m., it's hard to fathom putting food in your stomach.

8 am: Egg scramble with 1 whole egg, egg whites, spinach, mushrooms, ground turkey; 1 kiwi fruit, blueberries

11 am: Ziploc bag of baby carrots - I really like cooked carrots, but I get tired of raw ones after about 3 or 4, if I don't have something to dip them in. I'll have to make some guacamole tonight. I ate the whole bag that I brought, but it never satisfied me. I was just as hungry when I finished as I was when I started. Probably because I wasn't digging the taste, so my brain wasn't getting the "I'm full" signals.

12:45 pm: Salad with ground turkey, diced red and yellow peppers, diced cucumber, olive oil and crushed red pepper. The peppers are sweet, which is good. It's just the salt I'm really missing. I'm trying to train my taste buds to not need things quite so salty. There's plenty of naturally occurring sodium in eggs, meat, etc.

3 pm: 1 orange

5 pm: 1/2 a cantaloupe with walnuts - I have never been a big cantaloupe fan. I've been trying to eat more of it, though, because of its low glycemic load. This snack was so not what I wanted today, though - I was literally choking it down. Cantaloupe must be mixed with sweeter fruit from now on - like berries or kiwi.

8 pm: Sirploin tips sauteed in canola oil with onions, simmered in tomato sauce made from pureed tomatoes, lemon juice, garlic powder and pepper; broccoli sauteed in olive oil with garlic

8:30 pm: 1 sliced banana with almond butter and honey - Dinner was okay tonight, but I felt like everything I ate today was severely lacking in taste!! Ended the day feeling unsatisfied, deprived even. Convinced myself I "deserved" this little dessert.

But, planned ahead for tomorrow. Made a big batch of guac for my carrots tomorrow, and have two spice-rubbed pork loins cooking in the oven.

I'm feeling a tiny bit dejected because I feel like I am pretty darn conscientious about my workouts and nutrition. Yet, I am still carrying 10 - 15 lbs (depending on the day) that I've never been able to shed. Not hitting the cardio hard enough is my diagnosis. Just only so many hours in the day!

Days 5, 6, 7 - Paleo is HARD on the weekend!

2009-06-14T21:13:00.000-04:00

Day 5 - Friday
It's Sunday night right now, as I type this ... so I'm not entirely sure what I had for breakfast on Friay. But I do know it was paleo. Think scrambled egg whites and some kind of fruit.

Lunch - birthday lunch for a coworker = sushi. Open Meal #3 for the week. I hope nobody out there actually eats sushi thinking it's good for them. I suppose it depends on the type. But with the white rice, fried shrimp/grouper, creamy sauces and cream cheese that are so prevalent in many of the rolls, it is a calorie fest!! And that edamame? SALTY LEGUMES. Double whammy. It's all totally delicious. Just not worthy of a pat on the back. Definitely a "cheat" meal.

Oh, and then around 3:00, we had a small piece of cake to continue the celebration. I mean, why stop at lunch? Let the cheating continue.

I rationalized my indiscretions because I knew later that evening I would be running 3.3 miles through soft beach sand, hills, and obstacles at the Picnic Island Adventure Race. I did okay. Shaved a minute off my time from the last one we did in May. But I should have shaved more. The course was faster this time. The City of Tampa shut down the water portion of the race due to an unacceptable bacteria level. Last time, we ended the race with a sludge through waist-deep ocean water. This time, we were either on soft sand or solid ground. Should have made up more than a minute. I felt slow and cranky. Maybe because it was a Friday night after a long week at work. Or maybe because I was going into a race on a belly full of empty carbohydrates. Oh well. We'll do it again in July and I'll be better prepared.

Dinner - Courtside Grill (TO GO; we were quite a sight): salad with peppers, onion, tomatoes, craisins, gorgonzola cheese, walnut-crusted tuna steak, balsamic vinaigrette and blueberry preserves. (Except for the cheese and the prepared dressings, this would have been on-plan. We'll call this one "Paleo-ish")

Day 6 - Saturday
Breakfast: Coffee with hazelnut creamer; omelette with spinach, mushrooms and tomatoes
Lunch: Leftover bowl of chicken vegetable soup (last serving from the batch I made earlier in the week)
Snack: One piece wheat bread with almond butter and blueberry preserves (Not at all Paleo, but wanted something quick, and at least I sub'd almond butter for peanut butter)
Dinner: Cantina! Yum. Chips and guacamole; one chicken soft taco on small corn tortilla; one fish soft taco on small corn tortilla; 2 hibiscus margaritas (Definitely Open Meal #4 ... the count is creeping up)

Day 7 - Sunday
Breakfast: Panera coffee with half & half and Splenda; fried egg sandwich on ciabatta roll with Vermont cheddar cheese; 2 bites of Eric's strawberry cream-cheese danish (Open Meal #5)
Lunch: Evos buffalo chicken wrap; air fries; Diet Coke (Um ... Open Meal #6)
Dinner: Ciccio's Basic Bowl - brown rice, lettuce, broccoli, chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, balsamic vinagrette (This is another one of those "Paleo-ish" meals ... just the brown rice and bottled dressing disqualified it. And P.S. - I am having some serious tummy issues right now. Maybe the rice just wasn't worth it.)

BUT! I did go to the grocery store tonight and have all my meals and snacks planned for the upcoming week. Very much looking forward to getting back on track!! I really do like eating this way. Weekends are just busy and we eat out WAY too much. But check out the beautiful bounty that is Paleo! Almost makes me want to cry, it's so pretty. :) Here's to a healthy week!

Day 4 - I Thought Peanut Butter Was Good For Me?!

2009-06-11T08:01:00.000-04:00

Day 4 - Thursday

6:30 am: Coffee with 1 tbs. hazelnut creamer (Hey, if caffeine and 1 tbs. of pasteurized creamer a couple times a week is going to give me cancer, then so be it. You gotta live a little!)

8 am: 2 egg whites, scrambled, with 1 tsp. walnut oil, black pepper and salt-free Mrs. Dash tomato basil seasoning (so good); 1/2 a cantaloupe, blueberries and chopped walnuts

11 am: 1 small apple with 2 tbs. almond butter*

12:45 pm: Leftover chicken vegetable soup

4:15 pm: Another bowl of leftover chicken vegetable soup

6 pm: OPEN MEAL: Team happy hour at the Venue - fried coconut shrimp (with sauce); several pieces of sushi (with white rice); spinach/feta pastry; crab-stuffed mushrooms; 3 glasses red wine (TERRIBLE! - but fun. And only my second "Open Meal" of the week.)

*Notes: (1) So, why almond butter instead of peanut butter? This is a controversial one. But here we go. Let's start by first establishing that peanuts are not nuts at all. They are legumes, along with beans, peas, and soybeans. Legumes are edible seeds enclosed in pods. The peanut "shell" is its pod. The "peanut" is actually the plant's seed. Peanut butter is widely used by bodybuilders as a diet staple because of its healthy dose of protein. It's also widely recommended by doctors and dieticians to vegetarians as a good source of protein in absence of lean meats. Another of the peanut's highly lauded benefits is its low saturated fat content. Nearly 80% of its fat content is cholesterol-lowering monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. All good so far. The problem is two-fold: (a) No omega-3's in those polyunsaturated fats, so it's all omega-6's you're getting. The standard American diet is already extremely weighted toward omega-6's, at the expense of omega-3's (the heart-healthy kind). Frequent consumption of peanuts or peanut butter puts your fat ratio even more out of whack, the consequences of which are any number of inflamation diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, and even heart attack and stroke. (b) Legumes contain nasty little anti-nutrients called lectins. These are large proteins resistant to stomach acid and digestive enzymes. Since they do not break down, they bind to the gut wall, damaging the lining, and degrading permeability, which means they get into your bloodstream. Once they're in the bloodstream, they can get transported anywhere in the body and bind to cell membranes in arteries, organs and glands. This binding is thought to begin antibody reactions that lead to autoimmune disorders and degenerative diseases. In fact, when scientists study atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries that can eventually lead to heart attacks and strokes) in lab animals, they routinely feed them peanut oil to stimulate the formation of the disease.

Day 3 - The Importance of Meal Planning

2009-06-10T20:59:00.000-04:00

Day 3 - Wednesday

7:30 am: 2-egg omelette with diced tomato and scallion, in canola oil; 1 whole grapefruit

11 am: 1 peach (Meant for this to go with lunch, but was starving and needed something. Would not normally eat something with such a high glycemic index without a protein or a fat, but didn't have anything else at work!)

12:30 pm: Tilapia fillet with leftover steamed carrots and cauliflower

4 pm: Handful of dry-roasted almonds (Again, needed a snack and didn't have anything with me at work. Ate some of my cubemate's almonds. Way too much sodium.) :(

8 pm: Chicken vegetable soup made with water, garlic, onions, carrots, zucchini, tomatoes, bay leaves and pepper (Did add a PINCH of salt to my serving in the bowl because it was a little bland); Ambrosia salad, made from fresh pineapple chunks, chopped walnuts, craisins and lemon juice; 1/2 glass white wine

Notes: Did not prepare enough food for today. Pretty hungry between breakfast and lunch. Probably didn't have enough protein/fat in my first meal. Wish I'd had an avocado for the omelette. When I go to the store this weekend, I need to remember to plan for snacks in addition to regular meals. And we need to do better about cooking double portions of meat in the evenings for use the following day.

Day 2 - Analyzing the Egg; the Evils of Salt

2009-06-10T14:46:00.000-04:00

Day 2 - Tuesday
8 am: Half a cantaloupe with blackberries and walnuts
11 am: 4 chicken tenders sauteed in canola oil with paprika, lime juice and pepper; 1 small apple

4 pm: Leftover grilled chicken breast with red onion and red/yellow peppers sauteed in canola oil

8 pm: Tilapia seasoned with lemon and lime juice, and cayenne and black pepper, then sauteed in canola oil with garlic, diced tomato, yellow peppers and scallions; steamed cauliflower and baby carrots with paprika and dill

Notes: (1) It's tricky to find a good mix of protein, fat and carbohydrate in the breakfast meal when you're limited to 6 eggs a week. That's the Paleo prescription. They quote several recent studies that showed eating one egg a day has no discernable effect on blood cholesterol level, and does not increase the risk of heart disease. So, for me - I'll do two eggs at a time, 3 times a week. The book recommends omega-3 enriched eggs for a better omega-6 to -3 balance, but I just bought a carton at Rollin Oats to the tune of $6.15. Not gonna keep that up, I assure you. The Paleo folks also assert that the high heat of a skillet or griddle increases the level of oxidized cholesterol, which can damage the cells lining your arteries and increase risk of heart disease. They recommend poaching, hard-boiling or baking. Okay ... I don't mind hard-boiling every once in a while. But I do not have time for poaching. Gonna stick with the omelettes and just keep the heat low.

(2) Notice I'm not using any salt when I cook. Chicken either featured the natural grill flavor or was sauteed with paprika, pepper and lime juice. What's the big deal about salt? Oh heavens. It's a long, tragic story. Salt = sodium + chloride. Chloride yields a what's called a "net acid load" to the kidneys when it is digested. Why is this bad? Okay - here's what's going on when you eat food -- any food. Once digested, everything reports to the kidneys as either an acid or an alkaline base. You do need both. They just need to be in balance. (Acid-producing foods include dairy, grains, meat/fish, legumes, and SALT. Alkaline-producing foods are fruits and vegetables, with fats generally being neutral.) The more acidic foods we eat, the more fruits/veggies we need to balance it out. Most Americans don't get anywhere close to the right balance. And when we don't, the body is forced to tap its own alkaline resource to stay in balance -- and that is calcium. When we eat salt, calcium is leached from our bones to neutralize the acidic chloride that winds up in the kidneys, and is then lost through urine. Over time, this contributes to bone loss and osteoporosis.

Other health problems tied to salt include aggravated asthma, high blood pressure, kidney stones, stroke and stomach cancer. But that doesn't mean we're doomed to choke down dull, flavorless food. There are plenty of spice mixes available these days without salt (Mrs. Dash makes a big line), plus you get big flavor punches by cooking with things like citrus juices, wine, garlic and onions. Experiment and enjoy!

Day 1 - Choosing the Right Oils

2009-06-10T11:20:00.000-04:00

Day 1 - Monday
8 am: 2-egg omelette with diced tomato and 1 tbs. leftover homemade guacamole, made in canola oil
12:30 pm: Mixed green salad with chicken breast, tomato, cucumber, carrots, green peppers, slivered almonds, olive oil
8 pm: OPEN MEAL - mushroom penne pasta from Rollin' Oats cafe; 2 glasses red wine

Notes: (1) I didn't go to the grocery store on Sunday like I'd planned, so I was ill-prepared for dinner on Day One!! I figured since we'd be grabbing something "out" anyway, I might as well get something I'll enjoy! :) Shooting for only 2 "open meals" per week.

(2) Why canola oil for the omelette? In my dietary fat intake, I'm looking for an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of 3-to-1, or preferably 2-to-1. Omega 3 and Omega 6 are two types of polyunsaturated fat. Omega 3's improve blood chemistry and reduce risk of many chronic diseases. Omega 6's are also unsaturated fat but these are the kinds found in vegetable oils, baked and snack foods. Not good for you when you get too much at the expense of omega 3's. Again, ideal balance is no more than 3-to1 (omega-6 to omega-3). For this reason, flaxseed oil is the best at a ratio of 0.24. However, I recently learned that junk is expensive!!! $15 for a medium-sized bottle. Not at all practical for families on a budget. Next is canola oil, with a ratio of 2.0. This oil is widely available at grocery stores for about the same price as olive or vegetable oils. In my mind, this makes it by far the ideal choice. Olive oil actually has a ratio of 13.1 ... pretty high. This is because its saturated fat content is 13.5% vs. 7.1% saturated in canola oil. It does have better flavor though. So, if you are going to use olive oil, it's best to blend it with canola. I put it on my salad because that's all they have at work and for salads, canola oil just sounds gross.

Step 1: Read the Book

2009-06-09T10:22:00.000-04:00

I've been convinced for some time now that most of our human ailments these days are tied to our diets. I'm not just talking the obvious - heart disease, cancer, etc. But also things like joint pain, asthma, loss of vision, you name it. I've heard a great deal of anecdotal evidence, but now I'm on a journey to collect the facts - scientific, empirical evidence. The folks who wrote "The Paleo Diet" have spent an awful lot of time conducting their own trials and documenting the work of others around the world. The book doesn't go into enough detail for my taste on how these experiments were conducted, what the variables were, how big the testing pool was ... but they do scratch the surface enough to keep me believing that finding our optimal diet really is the cure for what ails ya (whatever that "optimal diet" may be).

Here's how Paleo goes:
(1) All the lean meats, fish and seafood you can eat.
(2) All the fresh fruits and (nonstarchy) vegetables you can eat.
(3) No grains (bread, rice, pasta, oatmeal, cereal, etc.)
(4) No legumes (green beans, kidney beans, black beans, peanuts, peanut butter, soy)
(5) No dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, ice cream)
(6) No processed food (canned soup, frozen entrees, 100-calorie packs of crackers/cookies)

I've always had a pretty clean diet. I don't like hamburgers, hot dogs or chicken wings. I am drawn to "pretty" food - like sushi rolls, salad or stir-fry with all different-color veggies, or a big fruit salad. But don't get me wrong - I also love Five Guys french fries, Birthday Cake ice cream at Cold Stone and buffalo chicken sandwiches at Hooter's (to name a few). I am human, after all!

But those are indulgences I consider "cheat meals." The trick has been refining my perspective on what is healthy. Maybe using cooking spray instead of heart-healthy oils isn't the best idea. Maybe the brown rice, sweet potatoes, and whole-wheat pita, pasta and bread really aren't that good for me. Or worse - what if they're actually bad for me? Same thing with low-fat dairy. Maybe skim milk isn't the miracle beverage I once thought it was. What about my beloved "healthy" go-to's like peanut butter, green beans, and soy-based veggie burgers. If you believe the scientists who collaborated on "The Paleo Diet," it's all cancer-causing crap. Maybe it sounds a little extreme, but what if they're right?

What if the foods humans have been eating for 2.5 MILLION years are the foods -- the ONLY foods -- we were designed to eat? The Agricultural Revolution began about 10,000 years ago when the first farms and domesticated livestock were recorded in the Middle East (a drop in the bucket when you think about how long the human species has been around). And the archeological records seem to indicate that's when humanity's health problems began ... infectious diseases and childhood mortality began increasing, and overall life spans began decreasing. For the first time, humans began experiencing vitamin- and mineral-deficiency diseases like osteoporosis, rickets, scurvy, beriberi and anemia. Cereal grains had replaced much of their previously animal-dominated diets. Even more recently -- just 200 years ago -- the Industrial Revolution brought refined sugar, flours, and canned and frozen foods to our tables. In the 1950s comes the invention of trans-fatty acids, margarine, shortening, preservatives and emulsifiers, taking "processed food" to a whole new level.

Lots to talk about and debate here. I'm not even 100% sure what I believe. I certainly don't want to be one of those "everything-causes-cancer" alarmists. And I know food is intrinsically tied to our social lives these days. But I have been off dairy and grains for a while now and I feel great. I think it's worth a try taking it to the next level and cutting out legumes and all processed food as well. I want to see how easy and how affordable I can make this lifestyle so I can feel confident recommending it to the families I work with in the future. If it's not easy and not affordable, how can I expect anybody -- much less a busy mom -- to latch on?