Showing posts with label paleo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label paleo. Show all posts
Friday, March 13, 2015
Cauliflower with Garlic and Lemon Low Carb Gluten Free Paleo Vegan
Cauliflower, garlic, and lemon; three of my favorite flavors in one dish.
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(Updated with better photos and step-by-step instructions, March 2014.) Have you heard that cauliflower is the new trendy vegetable for 2014? I don't know who decides these things, but personally I'm kind of excited to see a versatile and low-glycemic vegetable like cauliflower getting the spotlight! My love for cauliflower is well documented in the recipe archives, but there are quite a few of my early cauliflower recipes that can really use a photo update, like this amazing way to cook cauliflower I posted in 2006 when I was infatuated with Mark Bittman's wonderful book The Best Recipes in the World. In this recipe with Tuscan origins, the cauliflower is briefly simmered, then sauteed in a generous amount of olive oil that's been seasoned with garlic and finished with both lemon zest and lemon juice. This is a pretty garlic-flavored dish, which was fine with me. But if you're not sure how much you like garlic, or if you're planning a romantic evening, you might want to reduce the amount of garlic.
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Thursday, March 12, 2015
25 Deliciously Healthy Low Carb Recipes from January 2015 Gluten Free SBD Paleo Whole 30
Here are 25 Deliciously Healthy Low-Carb Recipes found on Kalyn's Kitchen and other great blogs during January 2015.
It's already February 2; can you believe we're that far into the new year? I normally post this monthly round-up of 25 Deliciously Healthy Low-Carb Recipes on the first day of the new month, but I waited a day because I was pretty sure my low-carb round-up wouldn't be able to compete with the Superbowl! I spent last night at the Denny Family Superbowl Party at my brother Mark's house, where I tried hard not to consume too much of the sugary and carb-loaded foods most people bring. (And I took these Deviled Eggs with Green Olives for Mark, who loves green olives as much as I do.)
Of course in January when half the world goes on a diet it's a great month to spot low-carb recipes, both on Kalyn's Kitchen and other blogs around the web, so there are some amazing ideas being featured here. I also did a round-up of 25+ Amazing Low-Carb Slow Cooker Dinners on my slow cooker site, and if you take a look at that you'll have a double helping of delicious low-carb recipe ideas (just in case you got a little off track at your own Superbowl party!)
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Slow Cooker Mediterranean Beef Stew with Rosemary and Balsamic Vinegar Low Carb Gluten Free Paleo
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| A tummy-warming beef stew for the adults to eat while kids are eating candy! |
(For Phase One Fridays I highlight Phase One recipes from the past that have been my personal favorites, and this recipe is one I'd love to make on the weekend so I'd have leftovers to eat for lunch of a quick dinner during the week. If you're not a slow cooker fan, there are directions at the end for making this on the stove.)
On Halloween night you know the kids aren't going to want to eat anything but candy, so why not make this slow cooker beef stew with lots of adult flavors to keep the grown-ups happy? You can start this mid morning and by dinner time it will be ready to go. If you'll be gone all day, just do the advance prep the night before, refrigerate the ingredients in a plastic container, and put the cold ingredients in the slow cooker and let it cook all day while you're out. I'd love this with a dollop of sour cream on top, but no matter how you eat it, this stew is loaded with flavor. (There are also stove-top instructions if you don't have a slow cooker.)
On Halloween night you know the kids aren't going to want to eat anything but candy, so why not make this slow cooker beef stew with lots of adult flavors to keep the grown-ups happy? You can start this mid morning and by dinner time it will be ready to go. If you'll be gone all day, just do the advance prep the night before, refrigerate the ingredients in a plastic container, and put the cold ingredients in the slow cooker and let it cook all day while you're out. I'd love this with a dollop of sour cream on top, but no matter how you eat it, this stew is loaded with flavor. (There are also stove-top instructions if you don't have a slow cooker.)
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Roasted Turnips with Balsamic Vinegar and Thyme Paleo Low Carb
Turnips don't get much respect, but these Roasted Turnips with Balsamic Vinegar and Thyme are delicious!
(Updated with better photos and step-by-step instructions, April 2014.) Kale has had it's place in the food spotlight, and now cauliflower seems to be the new trendy vegetable, but turnips don't get much respect. I grew up eating raw turnips as a snack (thanks mom!) but I'd never cooked turnips until 2007. Then one day I thought to myself, "I wonder how roasted turnips with a bit of balsamic vinegar would taste?" And you guessed it; I loved these Roasted Turnips with Balsamic Vinegar and Thyme.
I wasn't sure where the idea came from (although I found Roasted Kohlrabi on A Veggie Venture, which might have inspired it.) I peeled some turnips, tossed them with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and decided they were very good indeed. When I decided to update this recipe with better photos, I added a little dried thyme to the turnips (and a little Feta cheese sprinkled over the top would also be a nice addition.) I cooked the turnips in my counter-top toaster oven, which makes them a good option when you don't want to turn on the oven. If you've never thought of turnips as a side dish option, I hope you'll give them a try.
I wasn't sure where the idea came from (although I found Roasted Kohlrabi on A Veggie Venture, which might have inspired it.) I peeled some turnips, tossed them with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and decided they were very good indeed. When I decided to update this recipe with better photos, I added a little dried thyme to the turnips (and a little Feta cheese sprinkled over the top would also be a nice addition.) I cooked the turnips in my counter-top toaster oven, which makes them a good option when you don't want to turn on the oven. If you've never thought of turnips as a side dish option, I hope you'll give them a try.
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Monday, March 9, 2015
Paleo Diet for Athletes Article Summary
Not long ago I heard this great presentation from a fellow RD (Steve Hertzler PhD, RD) about the Paleo diet (caveman diet) for athletes. Since the Paleo diet has been such a popular topic in the past several years, I decided why not share the wealth of information with you. Here is a summary of his talk and article from SCANs Pulse. He reviews and references The Paleo Diet for Athletes by Loren Cordain and Joe Freel as they paved the way for this diet in the past decade.
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First lets try and define the paleo diet: Its typically defined as the diet that was available in the paleolithic era which was in the pre-agricultural period between 2.5 million to 10,000 years ago. However, different regions had different diets during those times which means there was no one paleolithic diet. Books on Paleo state that humans should not have dairy products nor grains/legumes, since they did not exist in that era, but have a diet rich with meat/fish, vegetables and fruits, low in starches and only natural sources of sugar. The theory is that our "human genome was developed based on this diet" and by sticking to it we decrease risk of multiple chronic diseases and improve human performance. However, some of the science shows otherwise; anthropologists have evidence that during that era there was more reliance on starches and tubers. Moreover, research shows that our guts have evolved and continue to evolve since 10,000 years ago allowing us to digest many foods not present during that era. Lastly, to replicate that exact diet is quite impossible since most of the foods we currently have (meats, produce, fats) are very different than what they had back then.
Pros about the diet and book:
- The diet promotes eating less refined carbohydrates and more fruits and vegetables
- Lean meats (including game) are recommended
- Adequate fish (containing omega 3) is highly encouraged
- Healthy fats are important
- Timing is important when it comes to performance
- For recovery, combination of carbs and protein is important post exercise
Cons about the diet and book:
- Elimination of several food groups (e.g. grain, dairy) leads to limited variety which in turn could cause defeciencies
- Interestingly, alcohol in moderation is permitted (I wonder what caveman drank alcohol?!)
- The book itself only addresses endurance athletes, not power nor strength athletes
- To date, there are not many studies on the Paleo diet in athletes. The studies that have been done were done on mainly obese and sick individuals (heart disease, diabetes) which have seen improvements in body composition and health markers (blood lipids, blood sugar). Athletes are very different than obese individuals
- In the book there are multiple exceptions to meet the high carbohydrate demands of the endurance athlete. If there are so many exceptions are they really eating Paleo?!
- "The diet is nutritionally inadequate, expensive and impractical". Studies show that the diet would lack calcium, Iron and fiber recommendations as well as cost 9.3% more annualy
- "Acid ash theory states that by eating a diet high in grains and dairy we produce a high acid load on the body and the body must remove calcium from the bone to buffer the load." The more the food is acidic the more we are supposed to see calcium in the urine. However, urine pH does not represent blood pH as it stays more or less the same. Moreover, there is no evidence indicating that high calcium levels in the urine mean that there is less calcium in the bone or a decrease in calcium balance
- Some of the research quoted by the authors for "avoiding certain foods such as potatoes, peanuts and canola oil are misinterpreted and taken out of context"
- The authors mention that the Paleo diet is the best. However, currently, the people that live the longest (to about 100 years of age) eat meat infrequently and their diet is based on grains or starch
In summary, the Paleo diet promotes certain healthy habits that are worth keeping such as limiting processed foods, eating fruits and vegetables, healthy fats and lean meats. However, by adding dairy, legumes and grains in your diet you can have a more complete varied and healthy nutrition plan to promote your activity.
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