The Holy Grail of Fitness - Is it Possible?

The Holy Grail of Fitness, reducing body fat and gaining muscle at the same time.

How is this possible?  Supposedly via Intermittent Fasting.

Long thought impossible, this guy has supposedly solved the problem - Lean Gains.  Very interesting articles, worth the read.

Paleo Dino-Muffin Recipe

I recently read a blog that stated people following the Paleo diet should not be baking anything.  This isn't how our ancestors ate.

To that guy, I say welcome to the 21st century.  Our ancestors also didn't have supplements, yet the Paleo community pushes these hard.  All that matters is that people eat more healthy.

With that in mind, I set out to create a balanced, easily portable, healthy Paleo-style snack item.  The biggest challenge was creating some sort of baked good that didn't include any flour or grain.  Think about portable snacks from around the world - empanadas, sandwiches, wraps, gyros, etc.  Common theme - some sort of wheat/corn based wrapper. 

The solution - Almond Meal.  Combine that with some coconut flour for sweetness, and some starch from Potato flour and you have a basic Paleo friendly base for baked goods.

I went with the kitchen sink approach.  The Dino-Muffins included the following ingredients.

• 4 eggs
• 2 bananas
• 1 cup melted coconut oil
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 4 tbsp Honey
• 0.5 Cup cranberries
• 0.5 Cup chopped onion
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 sprigs Rosemary, just leaves
• 1 tbsp organic grass fed butter
• 12 ounces chicken breast
• 10 ounces beef liver
• 1 cup broccoli
• 0.5 cup carrots
• 0.5  cup parsnips
• 0.25 cup rainbow chard
• 1  lime, juiced
  
• 1  lemon, juiced
• 0.75 cup coconut flour
• 0.5 tsp baking powder
• 0.5 tsp baking soda
• 2 cup almond flour
• 1 tbsp hemp seeds
• 0.25 Potato Starch
• 0.5 cup shredded coconut

 This was a momentous effort.  I already had cooked chicken and beef liver, which I shredded in the food processor.

I then cooked the onions and garlic in butter with rosemary, salt and pepper. 

Next was steaming.  First the carrots and parsnips, then the broccoli, and finally the rainbow chard.  Just a minimal steam to soften the veggies since they would cook again in the muffins.

Two hours later and after almost killing the food processor, all prep was done.  Combined all non-flour ingredients, then sifted together almond meal, coconut flour, potato starch and baking soda/powder.  Combined everything together.   It was then time to "pour" the batter into muffin tins.  But the mixture was more like stuffing, which I had to loosely pack into the liners.  Definitely would need to add more liquids next time.  Topped with either Hemp Seeds or Sunflower Seeds. 

Into the preheated oven at 350 degrees for ~25 minutes.

The result - pretty damn tasty.  They didn't rise much, would need to up the baking soda/powder next time, but overall came out very filling and a nice balance of sweet and savory between the meat filling and cranberry / citrus juice mixture.

The nutritional profile for these Dino-Muffins:

Cal          Fat       Sat Fat      Carbs  Sugar  Protein

240.3    16.7        9.9           16.1      6.7       10.2

Not a bad ratio for a muffins loaded with quality protein and veggies.  Fat content seems high, but it is mostly healthy fats from the coconut oil and almond meal.

Will make again, but given the amount of work, back to chicken breast and steamed veggies for now.

Beef Liver - It's Not as Bad as you Think!

The Paleo diet is constructed around the idea that we should eat the same way our ancestors did.  Scavenge around for nuts, fruits and seeds, and eat lean meats from wild game and fish.  Seems logical. 

The proponents of the Paleo diet believe that carbohydrates, especially processed carbs, are the major reason for obesity and numerous health related problems in modern diets. 

They argue that it is only in the last ten thousand years, since the widespread adoption of agricultural practices, that humans began consuming high amounts of carbs in the form of grain and legumes; wheat, barley, oats, beans, etc. 

But our ancestors didn't necessarily eat filet mignon and boneless skinless chicken breast.  When they did catch/find the occasional wild game, they would consume the whole animal, especially the offal parts; ie liver, kidney, heart and brain.

I have had liver a few times, never really caring for the taste or texture.  But in expanding my mind, and meat options, I thought I would give beef liver a try.

Whole Foods, the mega-chain I openly despise, has been receiving more and more of my hard earned dollars.  It is four blocks from my house, and some of their products are hard to find at other stores, even for a comparable price.  I needed more organic medjool dates, and stopped to browse the meat section.

On display were organic, 100% grass fed beef livers.  Ahh, the good stuff, grass fed beef.  Once you try, you will not go back to corn-fed, antibiotic treated traditional beef.  The flavor and nutritional profile of grass fed beef is vastly superior. 

Quick Google search for recipes and I got busy in the kitchen.

If you marinate the beef in milk, it will slightly reduce the strong liver taste.  30 minutes in some almond milk, and then in to the skillet with organic salted butter, onion and garlic.

About 6-8 minutes per side depending on the thickness, cooked over medium heat.

Most recipes recommend cooking the onions, then removing, then cooking the meat and adding the onion back.  I just left it in because I was tired and it was late.  This resulted in some burnt onions, but I was just after the meat.  I need the beef liver for an upcoming creation..

The result was pretty tasty.  Nice texture, not too pasty.  But it sure stunk up the apartment!

Beef liver is high in cholesterol, but does provide an awesome assortment of vitamins and minerals.  Eaten on occasion, a great addition to a high protein Paleo style diet.

Lectins - Are Beans Really Toxic?

It is probably best to decide for yourself whether lectin rich foods should be avoided.

This site does an excellent job of summarizing the research and clinical data available.

Essentially, the following food groups could be harming your body:

• grains, especially wheat and wheat germ but also quinoa, rice, buckwheat, oats, rye, barley, millet and corn.
• legumes (all dried beans, including soy and peanuts),
• dairy (perhaps more so when cows are feed grains instead of grass, a speculation based on research showing transference of lectins into breast milk and dairy.
• nightshade (includes potato, tomato, eggplant and pepper).

What is left to eat!  Luckily animal sources containing lectins, including eggs, are not considered to have toxic effects at this time.

Experiment with removing the food groups above for 7-10 and see how you feel.  Listen to your body, it will guide you.

Home Made Protein Bars

This was my first attempt at a home made protein bar.  The results were interesting...

Since I started eating more Paleo, the oatmeal and cereal will be replaced by quinoa and lentils. 

In addition, the next protein bar will feature organic cacao powder instead of chocolate chips.

Still trying to find a replacement/substitute for textured vegetable protein (aka processed soy) that you find in so many commercial protein bars. 

Some combination of super foods (chia seeds, quinoa, cacao powder, berries) along with protein powder and possibly egg whites for the next incarnation. 

2 cups oatmeal

2 cups Kashi cereal

12 scoops whey protein

1/2 cup almond butter

1/2 cup honey

1 banana

1 cup almond / coconut milk

1/2 cup apple sauce

1 cup cranberry

1 cup almond slivers

1/2 cup walnuts

1.5 cup chocolate chips

1 cup flax meal

1 cup water

Nutrition Information:

Calories    Fat       Carbs  Sugar  Protein

255.4        12.2      21.5     6.1       15.4

Mayo Alternative That Sounds Halfway Decent

Found a great Mayonnaise alternative on Yahoo.

Egg-free, Soy-free, Dairy-free Mayonnaise Substitute

meat of 1 avocado, sliced or cut in chunks
juice of one half of a lemon
1-2 heaping teaspoons Dijon mustard (I use the grainy kind)
2 tsp.-1 T milk alternative (rice milk, hemp milk, etc.)
a couple of dashes of paprika
a pinch of salt
a pinch of sugar, if you like your mayo a bit sweeter

I am going to try to make more chicken and salmon salads, but they are just not the same without mayo.  Hopefully this alternative bridges the gap. 

Eating for Health - Awesome Video

Stumbled upon this UCTelevision Video on Youtube, amazingly insightful.  Worth the hour long investment.  A quick guide to eating healthy.

Nutrition and Cancer

Protein - A Quick Intro to Protein Suppliments

So there are a million different options and approaches to getting more protein via powders.  There are two primary types:

Whey Protein - Fast acting, take immediately after a workout / run / gym.  Protein powder will not create muscle (common fear) but will actually help tone and lean existing muscle.  Will not make you bulky at all.  The best price / performance ration for Whey Protein is ON's 100% Whey.

Casein Protein - Longer releasing, ideal for breakfast shake or evening drink.  Slowly releases, allowing body to absorb protein over several hours.  Lots of options, I prefer Optimum Nutrition brand here as well.

Both products above are milk based.  There is also a new all-veggie protein powder called Raw Protein, available at Whole Foods.  Pretty expensive, but entirely plant based.  I have not experimented with plant based proteins yet. 

In addition to straight protein powders, there are also blends.  A mixture of protein, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, etc.  A little more expensive, think of them as "designer proteins"    I really like this product and take some every morning and evening - Syntha6.

Stay aware from the protein powders sold at supermarkets like Walmart, etc.  They are very cheaply made.

You can of course also buy premixed shakes, protein bars, etc.  I used to buy these, but they are over-processed and contain to much sugar. 

As always, good idea to consult your doctor first about what is best for your body. 

Raw Foods - Everything in Balance

An excellent overview of why a "raw food" diet (75% of food cooked at less than 115 degree) is not necessarily healthy.

Consistent with all recommendations on this blog, everything in moderation.  Raw foods are great, but you want to mix it up for ideal health.

Raw Food
A review of the scientific literature for raw food risk and benefits.

Extra Money for those Extra Nutrients

Sprouted Seeds
Why three time the price?

While at Whole Foods earlier today, I noticed sprouted red lentils were almost three times the price of regular seed lentils.  Soaking in water sure is expensive!