Pregnancy and Conventional Nutritional Advice

It has been quite some time since I have added a new post. Enough time, might I add, to effectively be 32 weeks pregnant. My how time flies! A bit of an update:

Kirk and I continued paleo reasonably well (75-80% of the time) through June 2010. We also kept up Crossfit about 2-3x/week. During the month of June, we traveled a large amount and saw our diet begin to slide. However, I think it was our rising good health and activity levels that led to me getting pregnant. At least I like to blame it on that! At the end of June, I moved to Boston to do some work at the Museum of Fine Arts and stayed with friends. Boston in the summer is an amazing place. Farmers Markets abound and there is a plethora of healthy, interesting fruits and veggies, along with grass-fed meats. I also started crossfitting at CF Fenway. The trainers there quite honestly kicked my ass, but after two weeks I mastered double-unders, handstand push-ups and PR’d on my deadlift and back squat. I felt great!

Then I started feeling terrible. I probably slept 12-14 hours a day and struggled to go to CF. I thought I was either sick, depressed, or both. Lucky me, it was neither; I was pregnant! I did my best to stay paleo, but it is pretty difficult with morning (ahem, all day) sickness. Once I made it back home in August to my very excited husband, I had lost most of my motivation for working out OR eating paleo.

It’s sad to say, but I fell off the bandwagon and pulled Kirk down with me. For anyone who has ever been pregnant or lived with someone who was pregnant, the bombardment of medical “nutritional” advice is overwhelming. Then the worry sets in that perhaps, maybe I am wrong about what a pregnant body needs or doesn’t need. I began eating the Brewer’s Diet along with my Bradley childbirth classes, and although I didn’t feel terrible, I didn’t feel great.

My big scare came with the glucose tolerance test given to pregnant women around 24-28 weeks. I barely passed the threshold my midwife had set. In my defense, most hospitals today use a glucose level of 140mg ; my midwife uses 130mg. My level was 128. You would think that would be enough to kick my butt into gear, but sadly it was not. It amazes me that grains are so highly recommended to pregnant women who are already at an increased risk of glucose intolerance. I should have known better!

Kirk has also been on the pregnancy diet, and the only thing it has developed in him is a disgust for the way he feels. So, with less than 2 months left until this baby decides to make an appearance, we are officially whipping ourselves back into Paleo shape. Our typical pattern the last few months has been maybe 1-2 paleo meals per day. I’m shooting for a 90% paleo rate. We’re reading Robb Wolf’s new book and using his grocery shopping list here: http://robbwolf.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/shopping-list.pdf.

So there you have it. A year of ups and downs, surprises and blessings, bad choices, but new beginnings. More updates to come!

A Nasty Little Thing Called Soy….

Hi all,

One of my least favorite “food-like” substances is soy. Now, if you’re a soy fan, there is a good chance that you are either:

A. rolling your eyes

B. thinking of a rebuttal

C. (my favorite answer) reading on….

Soybeans are an interesting item. They are largely unedible unless they have been fermented and although they do contain protein, you are getting your protein at a cost. Consider these tasty tidbits:

*Soy is highly estrogenic. Meaning that when you consume it, it mimics the effects of estrogen in your body. If you are a women it can possibly cause hormonal imbalance. If you are a male, it can lower testosterone and cause infertility.

*The amount of soy in a baby’s daily allotment of a soy-based formula is equal to 4 regular birth control pills. 25% of infants in the US are immediately put on soy formula.

*Ever wonder why young girls are developing younger and younger? Besides the hormones that have been in our dairy products for years (which is another story), soy is in almost ALL packaged food. Don’t believe me? Go look in your pantry right now and start reading labels, I dare you. When children are exposed to high levels of estrogenic soy, their bodies will adjust to the estrogen and it causes hormonal and developmental problems.

*We eat so much soy that it is has become one of the top 8 most common allergens.

*Parents are advised to avoid eating soy (and peanuts) during the third trimester, breast-feeding, and not to give their infant soy formula. This is because many children will develop a strong allergy after this early exposure.

*Soy is loaded with trypsin inhibitors that prevent proper protein digestion; so if you’re eating soy for its high protein content, you are most likely not getting the amount that you think you are anyway.

*It also contains goitrogen which inhibits thyroid function and phytic acid, a fiber that impairs absorption of minerals.

* Soy is not allowed on paleo either, FYI.

Here are some lists of common store-bought foods that contain soy:

• ice cream
• bread
• lunch meat, hot dogs, salami, etc.
• crackers
• salad dressing
• chicken nuggets
• pizza
• Powerade (ridiculous, huh?)
• cookies, cakes, chips, dips, spice mixes

So you might be wondering, if soy is so bad for us, why is it in everything? Well, it’s important to keep in mind that the soybean industry is HIGHLY subsidized by our government. If you’ve watched “Food, Inc.” you know what I’m talking about. Secondly, soy is a filler, plain and simple. It is cheap, relatively tasteless, and means that manufacturers can spend less to get it in your hands. The first step these companies took to make YOU think soy is healthy was to market it to the elite.

Soy milk with your latte? Exactly.

Again, the choice of course is yours. And it is so much easier to just eat it and ignore the growing body of evidence proving how horrible it is for your body. I know that since I cut out soy 1.5 years ago, I never get upset stomachs, sick, headaches after eating, clogged sinuses after eating, or hormonal swings (well, don’t ask my husband about that last one!) I understand that some people are vegetarians and have a limited number of protein options, but if you’re going to eat soy, fermented is best. And believe me, I know there are major problems with the meat we eat as well and will probably touch on this topic at a later date. We all need to do what is best for ourselves and our familes by being as informed as possible when we make our food decisions.

Check out “The Whole Soy Story” by Kaayla T. Daniel, PhD, CCN. You can find her book here: www.wholesoystory.com

Also take a look at: http://www.westonaprice.org/Soy-Infant-Formula-Birth-Control-Pills-for-Babies.html

Mediterranean Stuffed Pork Loin

Kirk’s mom had given us a bounty of food from Whole Foods a few weeks ago, and one of those items was a pork tenderloin. We’ve been waiting to make it and once we found this fantastic recipe from Mark’s Daily Apple, we decided to make it for dinner today.

Now, it does take some time to prep. But I firmly believe that for the most part, you get back what you put into something. If you want quick food eat fast food. But will it really have complexity of flavor, be satisfying, and give you an opportunity to spend time with family cooking? We are insanely busy, but somehow we always find time to cook together, and it has brought a lot of happiness to our lives. I think there is nothing greater than making something from scratch and then enjoying it together. OK…..so back to the pork loin.

Mediterranean Stuffed Pork Loin (Via Mark’s Daily Apple)

• 1-2 pound pork tenderloin
• 1 red pepper, finely chopped
• 1-2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 6 oz spinach
• 1/4 cup chopped nuts (any kind that sounds good)
• Pitted kalamata olives
• Olive oil or butter for sautéing
• Optional: 1/4 cup crumbled Feta cheese (not paleo, technically, but a minimal amount adds great flavor)

Instructions:

Drizzle some olive oil or butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add red peppers and garlic to the pan. After a few minutes add the spinach and cook until it wilts. Remove from heat.Butterfly cut the pork tenderloin (cut vertically down the middle until almost through, but not quite through the pork).Place saran-rap over the butterflied pork and pound it as flat as you can without breaking through the pork (use a meat tenderizing hammer for best results).Once the pork is thin then add the ingredients from the pan on top of the pork, spreading it all over. Add the nuts, and optional feta cheese and olives.

Gently roll the pork into a tube/roll. If you are using a smaller pork loin, or were not able to pound it very thinly, you may just be folding the loin over rather than rolling it. In this case, securing the loin with toothpicks or kitchen twine will be necessary.

Drizzle the pork with olive oil and butter and bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 40-60 minutes (depending on the size of the pork roll).

When the pork is cooked to your liking, let it cool slightly and then slice.

We ate ours with grilled asparagus and it was delicious!

If you can’t buy it paleo, make it

After a long week dealing with students who are already mentally on spring break and looking a 12 page graduate paper in the face I need something sweet. And nothing hits the “I’m stressed” spot better than a bowl of homemade ice cream. But not on paleo right? Well, I found this little gem of a recipe on the Caveman Food blog for making paleo vanilla ice cream. I’m a little wary, BUT the ice cream maker we received for Christmas can only continue to gather dust. I think its time to make sure it still works.

So here is the recipe boys and girls, straight from Caveman Food:

COCONUT MILK ICE CREAM
honey/lavender/vanilla version

1 14-oz can full fat coconut milk
2 eggs
1 vanilla bean, cut in half lengthwise (we used 1.5 T vanilla extract because vanilla beans are pretty expensive around here. Next time I’ll probably double that amount of vanilla)
1 T chopped lavender flowers, optional
3 T raw honey (adjust up or down to taste, but less honey will make it freeze much harder in the freezer)
ice cream maker

Set up a double boiler by placing a heat proof bowl over a pot of simmering water (be sure it’s simmering and not a full rolling boil, as this will give you better control later). Add the coconut milk and lavender to the bowl. Scrape the insides of the vanilla bean into the coconut milk, then throw in the whole bean pod as well. Stirring fairly frequently, heat until the coconut milk is hot but not boiling.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs well in a separate bowl. Once the coconut milk is hot, add a ladleful to the eggs while you’re whisking – you want to bring the eggs up to the temperature of the coconut milk without scrambling them. Add in another ladleful of hot coconut milk to the egg mixture while whisking. Take the now hot egg mixture and whisk it into the bowl of coconut milk on the double boiler.

Now, whisk constantly until the mixture thickens to a custard. This may take several minutes (it took me about 5 minutes). If it’s getting too hot and starting to scramble, remove from the heat immediately but keep whisking, then return it to the double boiler. Once it has thickened to a custard, remove the bowl from the heat and let it cool.

Thickening to a custard-like consistency

Remove the vanilla bean pods. Once the custard is cool enough for you to stick your finger in it and hold it there without burning, whisk in the raw honey. Put the custard base in the refrigerator or freezer until it gets cold. Freeze in your ice cream machine per the manufacturer’s instructions.

Straight out of the machine this ice cream has a creamy soft serve texture. If you store it in the freezer for later, just let it sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before eating to let it soften up a little bit.

Yummy, frozen custard

VERDICT: This is a very rich ice cream, more along the lines of custard. I think next time we’ll splurge for the vanilla beans. This seems like it would make a good base to add other ingredients; I think next time I’ll add fresh berries. Enjoy!

P.S. If you’re enjoying our blog, let us know by subscribing. We have NO IDEA if anyone is even reading this, and frankly it gets a little bit boring only writing for yourself. Flatter our vanity and subscribe, fellow paleo-lovers!

You know you think about something way too much if….

you dream about it. Which is why it seems so strange that I had a dream last night in which I effortlessly did kipping pull-ups. YES, that was definitely a dream! I can do 1-2 hanging pull-ups, a decent amount with a band, and can crank out ring rows like nobody’s business. But the elusive kip keeps escaping me. When I get the kipping pull-up, I’ll know that I’ve arrived, Crossfit style.

In other news, a friend told me about this new movement (literally) called MovNat.

It is “paleo” to the extreme, basically moving outdoors the way humans were meant to. AKA no shoes and using every muscle in your body to safely and effectively move through your environment. I guess the group does workshops where you can spend 4-5 days in nature learning how to reprogram your body. I love that this movement is aligned with paleo eating, and I would love to try this someday. I think I’ll work on Crossfit for the time being though.

My goal for this week is to eat 90% paleo and go to Crossfit three times. What are you doing this week to live a more natural, primal life?

A Family Portrait

Just got off the phone with my dad and had a FANTASTIC conversation. Although my parents live 800 miles away, I feel like we’re really getting on the same page about fitness and nutrition. He has lost a huge amount of weight (or so I’ve heard from multiple sources,) and he is feeling a lot younger and healthier.  So I wanted to showcase what my dad is doing!

He’s been doing a variety of workouts at home using a kettle bell and body weight exercises: push-ups, pull-ups, leg ups, etc. He also eats a modified paleo-zone diet and has been getting a good amount of protein. A few times a week he does latin dance classes/goes out dancing with my mom. Way to go Dad, I’m impressed!

I hope this shows that no matter what age you are, you CAN take control of your health. All it takes is a little motivation and respect for your body. Who knows, maybe Dad will come check out CrossfitOKC sometime while visiting?

I’m going to post some videos on some of the techniques we’re learning in our ON RAMP beginner’s class at Crossfit OKC (www.crossfitokc.com).

I’m not really tech-savvy, but hopefully you can follow these links to the video (you’ll have to copy and paste, sorry!):

Crossfit Air Squat:

http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFit_AirSquats.mov

Crossfit Push-ups:

http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFit_DevelopingPushup.mov

These two videos and more can be found at www.crossfit.com

Ok, well enough for today. I think it goes without saying that we are LOVING Crossfit! Post to comments what kind of work-outs you’re doing and your nutritional plan of attack….are you getting your family involved in your progress? Let us know how! Hope everyone is keeping up with their New Year’s resolutions.

Kate

Stepping it up a notch

Tonight we went to our first Crossfit classs. Crossfit and Paleo are essentially a perfect match and work hand in hand for ultimate health. More info can be found here:

www.crossfit.com

The class pretty much kicked our butts, but we’re thinking that this is the exact kind of butt-kicking we need.

Looking forward to the next class!

Taste for pasta…

Kate here.

I don’t know about you, but I love pasta. Whenever I used to be stressed and craving a high-carb meal, I ran to spaghetti. Now that I’m on paleo, I can’t eat my beloved spaghetti. Or can I?

Below is my recipe for paleo spaghetti. It takes a bit of time, but keeps well in the fridge and can be eaten for a few days. PS. This can easily be made vegetarian as well and is very nutritious while not negatively affecting your glycemic load as grain based pasta does!

Paleo Spaghetti

serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1 large spaghetti squash
• 4-5 roma tomatoes
• 1/2-1 lb. lean ground meat (I used beef)
• 1-2 T olive oil
• spices: garlic powder, basil, oregano, and black pepper to taste
• optional: 1/4 C diced onion and 1/2 t chili powder

Directions:

• Wash the squash, pierce the skin with a fork, and microwave on high for one minute to soften it
• Cut off the stem and then cut the squash lengthwise in half
• Scoop out the seeds and rub the flesh of squash with olive oil
• Bake in a glass baking dish, rind side up for 35-40 minutes at 375 degrees or until you can pierce the rind easily with a knife. DO NOT overcook!
• While it’s cooking, brown the ground meat with spices and diced onion.
• Once the squash is done, let it sit 5-10 minutes away from the heat

• Then use a fork to pull the fibers apart. Once the fibers are mostly separated from the rind you can use a spoon to spoon out the insides
• In a separate bowl combine diced tomatoes and olive oil. Add more spices if preferred.
• Use a potato masher to macerate the tomatoes to create a “sauce.”
• Spoon sauce and ground meat mixture over spaghetti squash “noodles.”
• VOILA! Delicious, worry-free, healthy “pasta.” Just leave off the parmesan, ok?

Paleo Stuffed Green Peppers

Stuffed peppers are always a family classic. But they are so NOT paleo with Worcestershire sauce and rice. So we updated the recipe, and honestly, think it tastes better this way.

Ingredients:

3 large green bell peppers

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 small onion

1 yellow/red bell pepper, chopped

1 14.5 oz can tomatoes

1 6oz. tomato paste

minced garlic and spices to taste

Directions:

1. Wash, halve, and core green pepper. Dice yellow pepper.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3. Cook ground beef with the diced onion, chopped yellow pepper, minced garlic, and spices until brown.

4. Mix diced tomatoes into beef mixture.

5. Put green pepper halves into a large baking dish and spoon beef mixture into open peppers.

6. Mix tomato paste with 2 cans of water and stir until smooth. Pour sauce over peppers.

7. Add water to bottom of pan until there is a depth of 1/2 inch (this will help make the peppers tender.)

8. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45-60 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and the peppers tender.

pre-oven peppers

Wanna be even more paleo? Use fresh tomatoes and herbs and macerate tomatoes to make your own sauce.

P.S. Kirk made his amazing butternut squash soup again this week and we experimented with putting nitrite-free, natural ground sausage in the soup. Can I tell you how amazing it tasted? Please, please take the time to try it, I promise you won’t regret it. It is quite possibly the best soup I have ever had in my life.

Let us know what you think!

A Lotta Frittata

A frittata is an italian style omelette. The great thing about it is you can throw any “extra’s” or leftovers into it and make a terrific breakfast.

7 eggs- beaten in bowl

1 1/2 cups broccoli/asparagus/mushrooms/ anything veggie you can think of

3/4 cup onion- small dice

1/2 lb (or more, whatever you want) sausage/bacon/small diced meat

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp italian seasoning

Preheat broiler. In a medium skillet/pan, cook meat over medium heat. If it’s leftover meat, reheat it. Once cooked, put in bowl, set aside. With leftover grease (or a tablespoon of your favorite oil), cook onion until they just start to caramelize/brown. Then throw in veggies and cook until you can pierce with fork, but they should still be firm. You do not want your veggies soft at this point, or else they will be too soft in the finish product. Now return meat to pan, stir.

Mix together the eggs, pepper, and italian seasoning (pinch of salt if you’d like). Once mixed thoroughly pour over meat and veggies stirring slightly making sure eggs fills in all spaces. Cook on low-medium until eggs are cooked through except for a thin, slimy film on top. Transfer skillet/pan to oven. Leave open or cracked, as you only want the top cooked. Cook till golden brown, remove, cut into and serve with salsa/avocado/diced tomatoes/ whatever sounds good.

Tips:

Some veggies have high water content and the fluid leaves the body of the veggie when cooked, especially when salt is added. Be conscious of this so you do not end up with egg soup instead.

It’s best if you use stainless steel when cooking this dish. Non-stick teflon pans put off a dangerous gas when cooking at high heat, and the broiler gets very hot. Aside from that, it is difficult to scratch stainless steel.