Pumpkins, Paleo and a Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!!!  (the best holiday ever!) Unfortunately, given that candy is public enemy no. 1 on Paleo, I'm not going to be stuffing my face with Mars and Nestle products tonight; however, I think I can still manage to enjoy my favorite holiday.

Candy aside, there is another fall treat I am allowed to indulge in : pumpkin. Since day one on Paleo, I have been dying to make something fall-worthy, and I found a recipe for Paleo Pumpkin Bars which I modified to suit my own tastes. I have made three batches of the bars in the week and a half since I started Paleo. I'm officially addicted.

For anyone who wants to join my in my epic quest for pumpkin, here is the recipe :

Paleo Pumpkin Spice Bars

1/2 c. Pumpkin Puree (or similar squash)

1 c. Almond Meal (flaxseed meal works as well, but makes the bars far more savory)

2 Large Eggs

2 Tbsp Maple Syrup (the real, grade A, dark amber kind)

1 Tbsp Raw Honey

1 tsp Vanilla Extract or Vanilla Bean Paste

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1/4 tsp Nutmeg

1/4 tsp Ground Clove

1/4 tsp Allspice*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly mix all ingredients in a large bowl, and pour into a greased 8 x 8 baking pan. Bake for 28-35 min, or until an inserted toothpick removes clean. Devour without shame.

*many people may want to include Cinnamon in this recipe, but I'm not a fan, so its not included here

Now, as for the rest of Paleo, the non-pumpkin part, I will have to admit that, at the moment, I am underwhelmed. For my personal tastes, a Paleo diet leaves much to be desired. I am hungry all the time, I crave foods I'm not allowed, and on top of that, I have actually gained weight since I started a week ago. (not that I really mind, but isn't the point of Paleo to lose weight?)

Now, I am willing to shoulder much of the blame for my issues with Paleo, as I do not eat ninety percent of the meats the diet advocates. However, even with the added variety of a full complement of proteins, it is very easy to get bored on Paleo. My mother, meat eater as she is, has found she is already tired of the restrictiveness of the Paleo diet.

On the other hand, I do find Paleo to be much more athlete friendly than Atkins; I have had the energy to get out and run, even if it just ends up making me more hungry. I enjoy the demand to eat lots of fresh foods, and I'm happy with how many fruits and veggies I get to consume on a daily basis. My mom has said she has already lost weight on Paleo, and finds she has fewer hunger issues than I do. For her, Paleo allows her to eat enough to find satiety.

I think perhaps if I were to follow Paleo to the full extent of its theories, I might find I enjoy it more than I currently do, but its too late to go back now. Hopefully, I'll be able to resist the bowl of Halloween candy tonight, but my willpower has already waned considerably. Perhaps the magic of Pumpkin Bars can help me make it through.

Paleo : Its so easy, a Caveman could do it!

The Original Paleolithic diet, was designed, as the name implies, to mimic the diets of our Paleolithic ancestors, who lived up until about 10,000 years ago, when modern agriculture began. It is based on the premise that, while our food technology has improved since the advent of agriculture, our bodies have been a little slow to catch up. We are better suited to the longstanding hunter-gatherer diet. The Paleolithic era lasted approximately 2.5 million years, it is theorized that during that time, hominids had sufficient time to adapt to the evolutionary pressures of the hunter-gatherer diet, and since then, we've had too little time to re-adapt to an agricultural diet.

Basically, you are physiologically designed to eat like a caveman or nomad, even if you no longer know it.

According to Dr. Cordain's version of Paleo, there are six main premises to follow during the diet, all of which have roots in the ancient hunter-gatherer diet :

here is a link to the theory behind the rules

Unfortunately, these premises, while helpful, leave open a bit too much room for interpretation. Where does my favorite food in the world, coffee, stand in all of this? Is roasting considered processed? What about salt? Or honey? Different versions of Paleo cut these grey areas in different ways, and in the end, its really up to you. Unlike Atkins, there is not exhaustive list of what to eat and not to eat on Paleo, and no hard and fast rules concerning carbohydrates either. 

However, on her website ( here ) Dr. Cordain expounds a bit more on the rules of Paleo. As far as carbohydrates go, the theory is that you should obtain 35 - 45% of your daily caloric intake from carbohydrates, 20 - 35% from protein sources, and the remainder in mono and polyunsaturated fats. (Fats which are liquid at room temperature) For contrast, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, makers of the infamous MyPlate and Food Pyramid, generally recommend a 45-60% carbs, 15-30% protein breakdown.

The best way, in my opinion, to calculate the number of grams of carbohydrate you should be eating on Paleo is thus :

Begin with an estimate of the calories you consume in a day  [for me its about 1800-2200 Cal/day]

Then multiply by the percent of calories you should obtain from carbs [ lets start with 35%]

1800 Cal (0.35) = 630 Cal from carbs

Then using the generally accepted calories to grams exchange,* 4 Cals / 1 gram of carbohydrate, we find the number of grams of carbohydrates we should consume :

630 Cal  ( 1 gram / 4 Cal) = 157.5 grams

This means that if you consume about 1800 Calories in a day, 630 of them should come from carbohydrates, which means you should consume approximately 157.5 grams of carbohydrate in a day. (booyah algebra!) After three weeks on 45 grams or less a day, this seems like a lot to me, but in comparison to the average western diet, this is actually quite low. 

Now you may be wondering how all of this translates into a very real, everyday kind of life. I began this morning on my first day of Paleo with a fruit smoothie made with coconut milk and strawberries, a hard boiled egg, and a cup of coffee. I feel a bit guilty about the coffee considering it toes the line in the grey area of Paleo, but I just love it too much to give it up completely. What I have promised myself is this, I will have only the one morning cup, and the rest of the day will consist of tea to get me through. Seems fair enough.

The other thing which was different this morning is that, for the first time, I am not alone in my crazy scheme. My mother has decided to join me on Paleo in the hopes of kickstarting her currently flagging weight loss. Unlike me, my mom is not pesce-octo-lavo-vegetarian, (means I eat fish, eggs and dairy) and will be able to better eat the full range of Paleolithic foods. Hopefully, Paleo can do for her what it purports, and it will be wonderful to have a compatriot in my diet experiment. Time to get down with our caveman roots!

* For the full range of exchanges, including fats, proteins and alcohol, see here

One Down, Three to Go : Atkins Wrap-Up

Fall has finally arrived here in earnest, leaves are blooming colors, air is crisper, days are growing shorter, and I have reached my last day of Atkins. Its amazing how quickly the last three weeks have flown by. Despite many of my issues on Atkins, I am stunned at how quickly it has become habit. I know the carbohydrate counts of almost all of my favored foods and its easy to keep track and make the right choices in terms of my hunger, nutritional needs and cravings.

While I may have complained a bit about Atkins and its restrictive limitations, its not the demon I have, in fits of anger, made it out to be. But neither is it all sunshine and rainbows; like many things, there are both upsides and downsides to Atkins.

Here are, in my experience, the benefits and drawbacks :

Benefits :                                                                     Drawbacks :

- Rapid weight loss                                                       - Restrictive 

- Easy to follow                                                            - Not athlete friendly 

- Filling                                                                         - Requires carbohydrate counting 

If I'm being honest, Atkins was much easier than I thought it would be. While I knew there were plenty of foods I had to say no to, including freshly baked chocolate chip cookies in my chemistry class, the fact that I could go home and eat plenty of allowed foods made it much easier to resist. I didn't feel like I had to hungry all the time, a rarity on many diets. The rules of allowed and forbidden foods are simple, and require no guesswork. 

On the other hand, I very much dislike the weakness I feel when it comes to working out. I feel fine on a normal, walking around basis, but most activities that substantially raise my heart rate seem much more difficult. Ketosis is not athlete friendly. (Not that I'm a full blown athlete, but I'm extrapolating here) I also have found I've gotten kind of bored with the foods I am allowed to eat. While I have pushed myself to eat more of the items on the Atkins list that I would normally avoid, there are only so many items on that list. 

Atkins certainly has a place in the modern lifestyle diet field, as its weight loss, during induction, may well be unparalleled. For a person with a lot of weight to loose, Atkins might be a good way to kickstart that loss. Especially in a culture that places so much emphasis on processed sugar, it would certainly be educational to be forced to avoid almost all forms of refined carbohydrate, replacing the carbs with more nutritionally sound food. 

However, from a nutritional standpoint, I shudder to think of how many saturated fats and processed foods I have consumed on Atkins. Though I understand most people (myself included) would go stir-crazy without some form of sugar in their lives, I simply cannot endorse sugar substitutes as being in any way healthy. Likewise, Atkins allows foods like diet sodas, mayonnaise, gelatin desserts and cream, many of which, in my opinion, shouldn't really be a part of a truly healthy diet. 

Perhaps this is why, during my research I have come to admire some of the theory behind Paleo, which I begin tomorrow. Paleo emphasizes natural, unprocessed foods. Type of macromolecule aside, (carbohydrate, fat or protein) it is apparent to me that the best foods are the most natural ones. We'll see how Paleo fares under my very intense scrutiny. Until tomorrow!

Its OWL time! I should have studied.

After the first week on Atkins Induction, I was pretty concerned about my weight, so I decided to switch to the second stage of Atkins, known as OWL (Ongoing Weight Loss). OWL allows me to eat nuts, seeds, berries, soft cheese and yogurt in addition to the Induction list of foods. I still have to eat less than 45 grams of carbohydrate each day, but that number seems so much bigger after having spent a week on 20 grams per day. For the last week, I have dined on full-fat greek yogurt for breakfast, snacked on raspberries, and devoured roasted almonds on every break in between my classes.

I felt like a kid in a candy factory, as in a crazy, magical, chocolate-river, sugar-teacup kind of place. Just being able to eat these three foods made me ecstatic. Add to that the ability to drink beer (which is allowed in moderation) and I'm feeling the best I have in days. My weight loss has slowed, and I'm a bit less cranky. All that said, I'd like to share what has become one of my favorite meals in the last two weeks, an Atkins-friendly version of a tuna salad. 

Sriracha Avocado Tuna Salad

7 oz. can chunk light Tuna in water, drained

1/2 Haas Avocado

1/2 c. chopped Cucumber

1 stalk chopped Celery

1/2 tsp cumin

1-2 Tbs lemon juice

1/4 tsp Sriracha chili sauce (or more depending on how hot you like it... rawr)

salt and pepper to taste

Mash the avocado in a large bowl, mix in tuna, cucumber, celery, lemon juice, spices and Sriracha. Grab fork. Eat.

nom nom nom... halfway gone

The only downside to all of this OWL wonder is that it have become increasingly annoying to exercise, in particular to get out and run. My body has completely depleted its reserves of glycogen (the stored form of glucose, one of the most readily available forms of fuel in the body) and is now using mostly ketone bodies from breaking down fat. Running feels like hell, particularly after a mile or so when what little glucose I have in my blood has been used up. Ketone bodies are a decent form of fuel for many of the bodies organs, but not as much for the brain or for the muscles. That runner's wall that I normally hit after three to five miles is now coming up much sooner. I do not like it. I've been using it as an excuse to be lazy. 

I'm looking forward to Paleo, which as a part of its athlete-friendly program, encourages a higher consumption of carbohydrates and demands a much higher level of physical activity. I have one week until the switch. No more being lazy for me. 

Bippity, boppity, BOO! An Atkins diet for you

First, let me say this : Atkins Induction is hard. I would say, "Atkins Induction is a b--ch," but I don't want to offend anyone's delicate sensibilities. I've spent the last four days obsessively counting my carbohydrate intake, because well, 20 net grams per day is not much, not much at all, especially for someone so used to obtaining a large portion of her calories from carbs. For comparison, a single slice of whole wheat bread has approximately 15 grams of net carbohydrate alone. Even most vegetables, contain net carbohydrates between one and four grams. Only meats and some cheeses are carbohydrate free.

But, I digress. Atkins has forced me to be far more creative with my meal planning and far more dedicated about my cooking than I ever imagined I would be. Now, I'm not saying I'm kind kind of girl to pull a Carrie Bradshaw and store sweaters in my oven, but I probably could, given that I use it less than once a week. However, on Atkins, that is just not the reality. Most every meal I eat needs to be cooked, if only for the fact that it must contain a 4-6 ounce serving of protein, and most proteins require cooking to be entirely palatable.

On the plus side, this means I'm expanding my horizon's in terms of the meals and items I have decided to eat. Last night, I faced a dish I hated from childhood (sorry, mum) Spaghetti Squash. While the rosemary and thyme heavy recipe was perhaps not my favorite way of preparing the dish, (below, from Martha Stewart Food) I was happy to find something different to eat, something outside my comfort zone.

Unfortunately, not all of my meals have been such a success. My biggest struggle so far has been breakfast. Atkins highly recommends eating eggs for breakfast (a perfectly normal thing, I must admit) but, after three morning attempts at eggs done various ways, I was forced to give it up. My body does not like eggs in the morning. Suffice to say, my reaction involved a lot of time spent hugging the toilet.* I guess after twenty-some-odd years of cereal and oatmeal breakfasts, the change was just too much for my tummy to bear. So, I switched to cheese. Yep, just plain old cheese, for breakfast. This has worked just fine for the last two days, though I feel a little bizarre swallowing my vitamins with slices of pecorino romano.

All in the name of science, right? Right. Another benefit of Atkins Induction is that while carbohydrates are severely restricted, fats and protein are not. This means I am rarely hungry, though I am frequently craving nuts and fruit, both forbidden for their carbohydrate counts. If you are the type of person who can live with eating as much as you want from only a very select list of foods, Atkins may indeed be the diet for you.

As for the weight loss aspect, I will admit I have already dropped 2-3 lbs, in four days, which concerns me slightly. While this would be fine and dandy if I were an overweight individual on Atkins; I am not. I do not have much weight, if any, to loose. Not trying to be Cinderella-sized for the prince's ball! Hopefully, as I continue on Induction, the weight loss will slow, but if not, I might have to move into the second stage of Atkins a bit early, for the sake of my well-being.

However, for those of you looking to loose weight, I can attest that so far, Induction works like a charm. Now where is my pumpkin carriage? Oh right, it has too many carbs....


*As a side note, I have had a cold, or similar, for the past few days, so my egg-cellent reaction may have been related in some manner to that, rather than the eggs themselves. All I know is that I'm not eager to repeat the experience.