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How Food Affects Mood: Are These Nutrition Mistakes Ruining Your Day?

Posted on 3 March, 2015 by | Leave a comment

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Do you ever feel a little off-kilter, like anything your colleague/partner/kid says might hit you the wrong way? Maybe you feel fragile, like things affect you more than they should and you can’t quite bounce back. Or like you’re on a roller-coaster throughout the day, sometimes in a great mood and then suddenly hit a low?

Depressive disorders are now the leading cause of disability worldwide. (source) Let’s talk about the food-mood connection, and how to fix up some nutritional mistakes you could be making that are causing you to act like a crazy biatch.

These mood patterns could be so ingrained from eating your regular diet for ages that you won’t even know you’re being thrown off. Maybe you even just think it’s “your personality”, or “it must be menopause”, or “life is just too much and I get stressed”.

Try these techniques and you might just find a new balance.

How are nutrition and mood connected?

The human body basically contains 2 brains, one in the head, and one in the gut. These are formed from the same tissue during fetal development. Even when you’re all grown they’re still connected by the vagus nerve which travels up the abdomen. This nerve is how the bacteria in your microbiome communicate with the brain. (source)

A rapidly emerging field of research suggests that the microbiome-gut-brain axis is of substantial relevance to mood and behaviour. Similarly, unhealthy diet has recently emerged as a significant correlate of and risk factor for depression. […] Although in its early stages, the emerging field of research focused on the human microbiome suggests an important role for the gut microbiota in influencing brain development, behaviour and mood in humans. (source)

If your gut is healthy and balanced, the same will go for your brain and your moods. It’s vital to foster a healthy microbiome for many, many reasons, and stable positive mood is one of them. As explained here, “What we eat affects everything from our production of neurotransmitters and hormones to our energy levels and the quality of our synaptic connections – all of which can determine how well we respond to the stresses and demands of daily living.”

First a little good-mood-food inspiration…

Here are a number of testimonials from people who transitioned to real food / paleo nutrition:

I’m a little over 3 months Paleo but I cut the grains and sugar very gradually. I used to get depressed and angry, especially when I was tired or going through a stressful situation. In the last month or so, I’ve noticed that I haven’t gotten angry or depressed even though nothing has changed but my diet and overall health. Maybe it’s being healthier and my husband is also a lot happier (he’s Paleo, too) and healthier that’s made the difference. (source)

I have been eating a Paleo diet for about 6 weeks. Not only is my arthritis pain gone but I’m finding that I sometimes forget to take my meds for anxiety. […] My moods are better in that I’m handling things well without that overwhelming feeling that I can’t cope. […] I plan on keeping tabs on my moods and slowly reducing meds. (source)

I have struggled with depression for most of my life. I have now been eating paleo for about a year: meats, veggies, little fruit, little dairy, lots of fats, no coffee, some chocolate, little sugar. […] I have no real objective measurement, but I do feel that my memory is better, there is less fogginess in thinking and awareness, and I just feel that I’m on an even keel emotionally. Things that may have formerly upset me may still bother me, but bother me less. (source)

I inadvertently fell into a paleo diet while trying to cure my 4+ year long struggle with moderate depression (dysthymia) and the addiction to carbs and sugar that came along with it. In terms of ‘normal mood’ changes that I noticed, I find myself enjoying nature and wanting to be outside to get fresh air, if something stressful/upsetting occurs i’m able to deal with it properly and resume to a level/stable mood and I have motivation to complete goals and actually do things. If I have to cry, its therapeutic and I accept is as being a normal human emotion to release whatever i’m feeling as opposed to the deep/hopeless/painful crying that often accompanies depression. I no longer consider myself to be depressed and it is literally all thanks to the food i’m now feeding my body. (source)

Foods to avoid for better & more stable mood

GLUTEN

Gluten intolerance is linked to autoimmune thyroid conditions (the body begins to attack the thyroid). The thyroid plays a huge role in regulating the metabolism and thereby keeping mood stable. Not only does gluten encourage autoimmune disease but it also damages mood-regulating functions in the gut:

A number of studies indicate that wheat can have a detrimental effect on mood, promoting depression and even more serious mental health problems such as schizophrenia. One mechanism that can help explain the mysterious connection between wheat and mental health problems is the fact that wheat inhibits production of serotonin.

Neurotransmitters like serotonin can be found not just in your brain, but also in your gut. In fact, the greatest concentration of serotonin, which is involved in mood control, depression and aggression, is found in your intestines, not your brain! (source)

This indicates that when you eat wheat the serotonin that should be produced in the gut is inhibited, and your mood suffers. Basically, wheat = sad and angry.

SOLUTION: Try entirely eliminating gluten for 2 weeks. If this sounds hard, try Real Plans for ready-made meal plans and shopping lists.

SUGAR

Sugary foods have a toxic effect on your mood and mental health, not only through the direct effect of “sugar high –> sugar low” but also via at least 3 different mechanisms where it damages hormone signaling, neuron health and impairs the immune system. (source) If this is a topic that interests you, the book Sugar Blues comes highly recommended.

This would include obviously any processed sugary foods containing refined sugar, high-fructose corn syrup etc, but also excess amounts of natural sugars (anything beyond, in my opinion, 3 servings per day). Why? It’s a completely unnatural amount of sugar to be consuming on any regular basis. A hunter-gatherer would have probably feasted on fruit a couple of times a year at most when it was in season and they found a good source, but this would definitely not be the norm on a daily basis. Our biochemistry is not designed to deal with this amount of sugar, natural or no.

SOLUTION: Break that sugar addiction! Need help? Go here!

 CHEMICAL-LADEN FOODS

I know we’re getting a bit broad here, but I’m talking about anything containing:

  • pesticides and herbicides – this would be non-organic produce, especially the Dirty Dozen. Pesticides are claimed to not directly harm humans, but they DO harm our gut bacteria, which by now we understand has huge effects on our health and well-being.
  • artificial colours and sweeteners – Aspartame in particular, since “both depression and panic attacks are known potential side effects of aspartame consumption.” (source)
  • genetically-modified organisms – these alter the gut bacteria for the worse – avoid foods containing non-organic corn, canola, soy and sugarbeet like the plague.

Foods to eat for better & more stable mood

In general, a traditional, whole-foods diet devoid of processed foods and focusing on healthy animal proteins, organic vegetables, good fats and fermented foods is what we’re aiming for here. (Want meal plans? This is what I recommend!)

This article in Psychology Today sums up how a typical Western Diet faces off against a traditional diet for gut and mood health.

A sicker microbiota (meaning in general less diversity and species and more pathologic species) is associated with a “leaky gut” wherein more inflammatory particles and bacterial cell parts pass through the gut lining, leading to systemic inflammation and problems, fatigue, and depressive behavior (avoidance, lack of energy and motivation).

Traditional diets tend to have more fiber and vegetable matter than the Western diet, which tends to have more highly refined carbohydrates. These fibers feed the microbiota in a healthy way, whereas lots of sugar and/or low carbohydrate Western diets have been associated with more pathogenic species of bacteria in the microbiome.

Nutrients to support good mood

Specifically we can focus on consuming more foods that are rich in fiber, minerals and nutrients such as iodine, selenium, Omega 3s, natural saturated fats, copper and iron. These help support the endocrine system and feed a healthy gut microbiome. Here are some foods to include in your next grocery shop! (source)

Produce

  • Onions
  • Artichokes
  • Pineapple
  • Mushrooms
  • Garlic
  • Dark leafy greens

Proteins

  • Red meat – grass-fed beef and lamb
  • Pasture-raised eggs
  • Shellfish – Oysters, Clams
  • Flaxseed
  • Chia seeds
  • Cashews
  • Sunflower Seeds
  • Brazil Nuts

Fats

Nutrient-dense add-ons

  • Organ Meats (hide liver in meat loaf, meatballs, soup)
  • Kelp and seaweed (capsules or dried, found in the Asian aisle or at the health food store)
  • B-complex vitamin (this is the one I use)

 How does food affect your mood?

Try keeping a journal for a couple of days, especially when you’re feeling particularly happy or notably anxious/sad/negative. I definitely notice a connection with wheat, sugar and coffee. If I have these things in the morning, I’ll be super lethargic in the afternoon, and then a sad sack in the evening (several hours later). If I stick with green tea and a clean eating regime I’m a lot more stable!

Share below or on Facebook, I want to know what helps or hinders your mood!

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Is quinoa actually good for you? A Paleo perspective

Posted on 28 February, 2015 by | 4 comments

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I’m so tired of hearing people say “I have a quinoa salad for lunch!” with wide eyes looking expectantly for an impressed reaction along the lines of “ooh, you made that? so fancy and healthy!” or something like that. It’s my firm belief that people go crazy for it because

a) they believe it’s healthier than rice or pasta and

b) it sounds cool and exotic because no one can pronounce it.

Well, today I’m going to break down the actual real deal about quinoa’s nutrition profile, including inflammation factor, digestive effects, blood sugar / glycemic effects, nutrient absorption, and enzyme effects.

A lot of basic facts are out there about quinoa, which at face value make it look like a healthy, high-protein, gluten-free wonderfood. I’m going to try to look a little deeper, and you can make up your own mind!

Inflammatory factor

Truth: Quinoa is technically a seed. All grains and seeds naturally contain substances that keep them from being digested by animals that may eat them, before the plant is able to reproduce. They have protective layers that make them indigestible (by animals, like us!) so that they can be pooped out in a relatively whole state, and therefore still grow little baby plants afterwards. These substances are inflammatory to our system, to keep the grain or seed safe.

  • quinoa’s inflammation factor is -126 (moderately inflammatory). (source)
  • gluten and wheat are demonized, yet the inflammation factor of whole wheat flour is -89 (only mildly inflammatory). (source)

Saponins, specifically, are the inflammatory substance that protects the quinoa from digestion. A PubMed study showed that saponins

readily increase the permeability of the small intestinal mucosal cells, thereby inhibiting active nutrient transport, and facilitating the uptake of materials to which the gut would normally be impermeable. (source)

As explained by Celebrity Health Coach Sam F. Grant,

Saponins are soapy like molecules that literally “punch holes” in the gastric mucosal lining. Then you get “leaky gut” (contents of the gut leak into the blood stream) and this causes an autoimmune response and systemic inflammation. Systemic inflammation manifests in numerous ways: headaches, skin rashes, achy joints, stomach pain, weight gain, fatigue ,etc. (source)

You can see how these invisible inflamers can cause some major issues, especially when quinoa becomes a new go-to everyday staple.

SUMMARY: Quinoa is more inflammatory than wheat and contributes to leaky gut, which in turn contributes to a myriad of inflammatory and autoimmune health issues.

Blood sugar

We all know we shouldn’t be eating “white foods” like white flour and sugar, because they cause blood sugar spikes that make us ‘wired then tired’, throw off our hormones, and pre-dispose us to diabetes by creating insulin resistance. So therefore we go for “healthier” foods like quinoa. I can just HEAR the over-achieving (well-intentioned) mom being all like “oh no my kids don’t eat rice, I only feed them QUINOA”.

Well, according to Dr. William Davis, the author of Wheat Belly, quinoa isn’t exactly a low-glycemic angel:

Oats, for instance, with a glycemic index of 55 compared to table sugar’s 59, still sends blood sugar through the roof. Likewise, quinoa with a glycemic index of 53, will send blood sugar to, say, 150 mg/dl compared to 158 mg/dl for table sugar–yeah, sure, it’s better, but it still stinks. And that’s in non-diabetics. It’s worse in diabetics. (source)

SUMMARY: Quinoa (like all grains) has a high glycemic index and load which may contribute to blood sugar disregulation.

Quinoa & Ancestral Nutrition

According to Ultimate Paleo Guide, quinoa often brings confusion to those trying to follow a paleo approach, because it’s not technically a grain, so it seems ok. The general consensus is that quinoa “does offer some of the same potentially harmful properties as grains”.

[according to a Paleo approach, grains] are avoided because they contain gluten, saponins, and lectins, among other anti-nutrients, which have been shown to be harmful to the lining of a person’s digestive system as well as their immune system. Many people don’t process quinoa effectively and, because of that, they should avoid it. (source)

But doesn’t it contain lots of vitamins and minerals?

It’s true that upon basic chemical analysis quinoa contains a good amount of some vitamins and minerals, including magnesium, phosphorus and manganese.

However it’s vital to point out that the phytic acid content of quinoa may lagely block the absorption of these nutrients. 

Phytic acid is the principal storage form of phosphorus in many plant tissues, especially the bran portion of grains and other seeds. It contains the mineral phosphorus tightly bound in a snowflake-like molecule. In humans and animals with one stomach, the phosphorus is not readily bioavailable. In addition to blocking phosphorus availability, the “arms” of the phytic acid molecule readily bind with other minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc, making them unavailable as well. In this form, the compound is referred to as phytate.

Phytic acid not only grabs on to or chelates important minerals, but also inhibits enzymes that we need to digest our food, including pepsin, needed for the breakdown of proteins in the stomach, and amylase, needed for the breakdown of starch into sugar. Trypsin, needed for protein digestion in the small intestine, is also inhibited by phytates.

[…] the powerful anti-nutritional effects of a diet high in phytate-rich grains [and seeds] may cause many health problems as a result, including tooth decay, nutrient deficiencies, lack of appetite and digestive problems. (source)

In order to reduce the phytate content of quinoa, extensive traditional methods of preparation are required, such as soaking, fermenting and sprouting. The table below shows the reduction in phytates after different processing methods, according to the Weston A. Price Foundation.

how to remove phytates from quinoa

You can see that quite a hefty amount of effort is required to reduce those phytates significantly and make all those vitamins and minerals in the quinoa be absorbable by the body. There is no point consuming nutrients if you can’t absorb them, thus the evolution of the saying “you are what you eat” to “you are what you ABSORB“.

SUMMARY: Quinoa contains good minerals and vitamins but they are encased in phytic acid which stops the absorption of these minerals, and takes a lot of traditional processing to reduce.

Protein content of quinoa

Many people use the “high protein content” of quinoa as an attracting factor for making it a daily staple. It’s true that “quinoa is what’s called a complete protein, meaning it contains all nine of the essential amino acids, which cannot be made by the body and therefore must come from food.” (source)

However, there’s only 8 grams of protein in a 185 gram serving, while 70% of the nutritional content is carbs. (source) This just doesn’t even come CLOSE to the nutritional powerhouses that are vegetables and animal protein sources.

As the Ultimate Paleo Guide puts it:

Even if you don’t have issues processing quinoa, quinoa still contains quite a few carbs. If your goal is to become a fat burner rather than a carb-burner, you’ll want to avoid quinoa as it’s a 53 on the Glycemic Index – quite high for a food that you don’t have to be eating. (source)

Check out this image comparing the macronutrient breakdown of quinoa vs rice vs pasta. Just because quinoa contains marginally more protein and fat than rice or pasta do, does not make it a “good source of protein”.

quinoa carbs

(image source)

SUMMARY: Quinoa is primarily a source of carbohydrates, and it not significantly higher in proteins or fats than rice or pasta.

Concluding thoughts: is quinoa healthy?

I hope this has helped you get some clarity on quinoa, and why it may not be the perfect ideal health food to base all your meals around on a daily basis (or anything close to that!). Personally I find that quinoa gives me a super-fast heartrate a few minutes after consuming it. I assume this is the inflammatory factor kicking up an immune allergy-like reaction.

My advice? Certainly focus VASTLY on the organic veggies, good quality animal proteins, and fermented/cultured foods as 90-95% of your diet. If you MUST eat quinoa, try soaking it in an acid for awhile first, and rinse it well before cooking and consuming.

I think the flocking of the masses toward quinoa is really just filling a cultural need to eat everything “on something”. There must always be some sort of grain-like vehicle, like bread pasta rice cracker waffle pancake bagel etc. But these are all just low-nutrient carb-heavy vehicles for the good stuff, which is the colourful veggies, flavourful meat or protein, delicious sauce and herbs and seasonings. Here’s a thought: cut out the vehicle (which usually just gets stored as fat anyway, unless you’re highly active) and go straight for the good stuff.

What are your thoughts on quinoa?

Has this article given you any insights or changed your thinking? Is quinoa part of your daily diet? Have you observed any positive or negative health & wellness effects from quinoa? Share below or on Facebook!

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Get rid of Candida once and for all: foods & natural remedies

Posted on 26 February, 2015 by | 19 comments

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[Newsflash: we’ve finally finished compiling all our vast knowledge of natural candida remedies into one ebook, to help you give your Candida overgrowth the boot once and for all. Click here to find out more!]

I’ve recently realized that I was a child of Candida. Literally the moment I entered the world, I was set up for an overgrowth of yeast and all the unfortunate symptoms that come along with that.

What the deuce am I talking about?

The importance of gut bacteria

Well, it turns out a caesarean birth deprives you of all the lovely bacteria your mother’s body has prepared for you, which you’re supposed to be exposed to on your way out. This sets you up for poor gut bacteria, and as a result a poor immune system.

From there, the snowball keeps rolling. A poor immune system from the start, plus a “normal” North American diet of too much processed food, carbs and sugary things (but of course no FAT! who eats FAT! GASP!…. and cue ironic eye roll) adds up to repeated infections.

I grew up with constant strep and tonsilitis, plus various other weird things. Things like dry red rashes in my inner elbows, constant digestive distress, food intolerances, a swelly thing beside my nose for a while, a swelly thing in my earlobe for a while, a swelly thing in my groin for awhile, etc. All sorts of lovely things!

…Which I was inevitably prescribed antibiotics for. As we’re all hearing these days, antibiotics might save your life for now but they sure beat down the immune system even more in the long run.

Contributing factors to Candida overgrowth

Add to that 10 years of taking the pill from my late teens to late 20s, because I never knew any better and of course everyone takes the pill! Doctors literally shell ’em out like candy. Acne? here’s the pill! Painful periods? Take the pill. (here’s how the pill contributes to Candida overgrowth)

Turns out these are some of the classic causes for and symptoms of Candida albicans overgrowth. Who knew!

At some point a few years ago I started frantically researching holistic health and nutrition, because I had discovered the theory behind the paleo diet and I was super stoked to find something that didn’t seem like a fad and was actually based on human evolution. COOL! Along the way I found out about Candida overgrowth, and boy did I tick a lot of the boxes…

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My frantic search for Candida albicans remedies

From that point I started a very long, stressful and expensive process of researching, buying and cycling through various candida remedies and protocols. Here are some that I tried:

  • bentonite clay with calendula
  • diatomaceous earth
  • ashwagandha
  • pau d’arco
  • turmeric, cayenne and ginger capsules (DIY)
  • garlic
  • eating only coconut oil for 3 days (I failed)
  • not eating basically any carbs except green vegetables (no fruit no starch)
  • oregano oil (health food store brand)
  • clove oil (health food store brand)
  • tea tree oil (health food store brand)
  • caprylic acid
  • goldenseal
  • drinking nasty herbal tinctures and taking heaps of capsules in a kit called Candigone (completed 2 kits, didn’t work)
  • Difluconazole from the doctor, twice
  • pharmacy yeast infection kits many times

So yeah, I spent a pile of cash, over a couple of years. I actually ingested health food store brands of essential oils, which I didn’t know at the time can be extremely dangerous and toxic. Dumb-dumb! And the thing is I was stressed and miserable! My symptoms were ok sometimes, but mostly came back every month at the end of my cycle, like clockwork. I was constantly researching and going out to buy the next thing, or ordering online. I was super anxious and literally HATED Candida with all my heart and constantly inwardly swore at it and cursed it.

I’m not saying none of the items in the above list work. Some of the other things I listed can definitely be helpful (which I’ll go into shortly). But in general my protocol was very typical of a Candida Diet, in that it was very violently focused on EAT NO SUGAR, CHOKE OUT THE CANDIDA, KILL IT WITH ANTI-FUNGALS.

I was about to lose my marbles and buy some like hundred-dollar capsule product that claimed it would somehow explode the candida, and was really quite sketchy with no solid evidence or backing, in a last-ditch attempt, after the eating-nothing-but-coconut-oil-for-3-days strategy failed at the end of the first day. Duh, I was starving an already adrenally-exhausted stressed-out immune-compromised body…

The problem with the typical approach to Candida

Thankfully I found this blog post from Lauren at Empowered Sustenance first.

She pokes holes in the typical Candida Diet approach, pointing out that it doesn’t affect the root causes of the Candida overgrowth, which are essentially:

  • leaky gut
  • poor digestion
  • and therefore a compromised immune system and systemic inflammation

Lauren also points out that

A Candida Diet impairs metabolism and hormone function. A sugar free diet will elevate stress hormones, which exhausts the adrenals, reduces thyroid hormones, and taxes the body.

I’ve learned about the effects of too-low-carb eating here as well. Taxing the body this way (especially when you are adrenally exhausted and immune-compromised) just exacerbates the 3 root causes of Candida listed above.

According to this article from the American Society of Microbiology,

When Candida albicans encounters stressful conditions, does it curl up and die? No! This crafty pathogen gets to work on its inventory of genes, slashing away until it finds a winning combination that can get it through the tough times.

This includes developing an armoured shell called chitin, building a bio-film, burrowing deeper and deeper into tissues, or casting out long filaments in search of the fuel it needs to survive. *gag, gag* I know, it’s totally freakish.

It’s important to keep in mind that Candida is supposed to exist in a certain amount in a healthy human, and completely choking it out is (clearly a losing battle and) actually not healthy.

Healthy candida levels are vital for proper nutrient absorption and to protect the intestinal tract from other infections. (source)

It’s just a matter of keeping things in a nice healthy balance. And this is where the mind-shift happened.

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A new approach to cure Candida overgrowth naturally

Thanks to Lauren’s article, I decided to shift away from the KILL CHOKE KILL approach, and toward a self-love, health-supporting mode of overcoming Candida overgrowth. The theory here is to support the immune system, metabolism and digestion so that the body can naturally re-balance the microbiome.

Here are the key ways that I’ve done this:

  • support digestion by drinking lemon juice and/or raw apple cider vinegar a few times a day (juice of 1/2 a fresh lemon, or 1 tsp ACV in a glass of water)
  • support metabolism with generous doses of pink salt on my food (always be sure to have some in the morning to support the adrenals), plenty of healthy traditional fats (such as grass-fed butter, coconut oil, red palm oil, avocados, oily fish, etc) and moderate amounts of sugars like raw honey, dark chocolate, fruits and starchy veg (max 3 small servings/day)
  • support the immune system by eating probiotic foods like raw kefir, homemade sauerkraut, homemade kombucha, and using immune-boosting therapeutic-grade essential oils topically, aromatically and internally. I especially used the supportive blend OnGuard a lot at first, and the GX Assist capsules from doTERRA. They are a clean blend of immune-supporting and anti-fungal essential oils, plus caprylic acid. I also use immune-supporting anti-inflammatory oils like frankincense, oregano, rosemary, lemon etc on my feet at night. Here is where I get essential oils good enough (and safe!) to be used medicinally this way.
  • consuming fresh garlic, turmeric, cayenne, ginger in cooking whenever I can (yum!)
  • I’ve also found that making capsules of powdered turmeric, ginger and cayenne (TCG) helps (take 1-3 capsules of each, 1-3 times a day) I recommend using your own organic spices rather than buying extract supplements, because you never know what’s actually in those or how good-quality they are.
  • supporting immunity and healing in general by applying a transdermal magnesium oil supplement quite religiously (1/2 tsp to 1 tsp a day), making/cooking with/drinking bone broth as often as possible, and being sure to sleep enough (check out my post on 3 unexpected highly effective ways to improve sleep HERE)

I’ve linked above to the few products I would recommend on your journey (just these, and save the $hundreds$ on searching!). I still have jars and bottles of random shite I collected over the past couple of years collecting dust in my cupboards…save yourself that!

If committed to kicking Candida, we’ve spent a huge amount of time preparing perhaps the most comprehensive paleo-friendly book available on the net for beating Candida. It provides 76 pages of in-depth information on how you can fight your Candida overgrowth and restore a healthy balance in your body, and keep it that way. This book is unique in that it revolves around the core concept of USING your body to fight the overgrowth by restoring properly-functioning immune and digestive systems, and then incorporating potent natural compounds to supercharge your body’s fight against it. The upside is that your health in general will drastically improve, restoring you to a healthy weight and possibly even giving the boot to any autoimmune diseases afflicting you. The image link below takes you to the order page on PayPal – it’s a very small investment in your health but a huge return!

The Paleo Guide to Beating Candida Naturally is just $12.99. You’ll be hard pressed to find a more extensively-researched, in-depth Candida-fighting protocol anywhere on the net.


For more information on how this fantastic ebook can help you, click here.

Are you going to try this approach to Candida?

What do you think? Has this changed your thinking? Does it make you feel relieved and less desperate to KILL KILL KILL? I definitely felt better and lighter when I decided to adopt this more loving approach. Share your experiences, methods and resources below, let’s all help a friend out!

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Real Food Recipe: Paleo-friendly Oreo chocolate cookie sandwich

Posted on 18 February, 2015 by | Leave a comment

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We all have memories of those delicious naughty foods we used to eat care-free in childhood. Things like chicken fingers, pizza, chips and candy.

Although I know better now and definitely don’t buy those things anymore, nor would I feel them to my children, I don’t think it’s a reason to deprive ourselves of tasty, health-conscious treats.

I’ve engineered this real-food Oreo-inspired cookie sandwich recipe with high quality ingredients and only a little natural sweetener. You can make them paleo or primal, it’s up to you!

Personally we buy raw organic grass-fed dairy from a farm nearby in Ontario (check out this post for how I found it) so I used some nice fresh mascarpone for the filling. Use the cleanest ingredients you can get your hands on!

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Real Food Recipe: Paleo-friendly Oreo chocolate cookie sandwich

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 12 cookies, 6 sandwiches

Real Food Recipe: Paleo-friendly Oreo chocolate cookie sandwich

A delicious real-food paleo/primal friendly Oreo style cookie sandwich! Make with or without dairy.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup rice flour (alternatively use 1/2 cup almond, 3 tbsp coconut flour, 2 tbsp arrowroot or tapioca flour)
  • 1/2 cup good quality cocoa powder (I get mine HERE)
  • 2 tbsp melted butter (ideally grass-fed organic) or coconut oil
  • pinch of good quality vanilla (I get mine HERE)
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • pinch of baking soda
  • 1/2 cup good dark chocolate chunks (buy or make your own by attacking a chocolate block!)
  • 4 tbsp coconut sugar
  • 2 tbsp real maple syrup
  • 2 free-range eggs
  • 1/2 cup raw organic milk or coconut milk
  • For the filling:
  • 2-3 cups of either coconut whipped cream (recipe here) OR raw grass-fed organic whipped cream, sour cream or mascarpone (I used mascarpone)

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F / 180 C.
  2. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a cookie sheet.
  3. Make your chocolate chunks, if you didn't buy ready-made ones. Basically attack a block of dark chocolate until you're happy with the size of your chunks :)
  4. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl until smooth.
  5. Make golf-ball sized balls and flatten them - they will not spread in the oven so make them look as you want them to look.
  6. Bake about 15 minutes or until the tops spring back.
  7. Let the cookies cool a bit, then scoop on your whipped cream (coconut or dairy). Eat right away, or you can put them in the freezer for 1-2 hours if you want them to be like ice cream sandwiches! They are also delicious with some warmed frozen raspberries spooned over them.

Notes

You could add some essential oils to the cream to make mint oreos, or orange oreos!

https://www.thriveprimal.com/real-food-recipe-paleo-friendly-oreo-chocolate-cookie-sandwich/

If you make these, let me know how they turned out! Did you adjust the recipe or make it with whatever you had in the pantry? Do you find these as satisfying as “real” Oreos, and do they feel better in the belly? Do the kids like them?

 

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Real Food Recipe: Guilt-free Choc-Banana-Chia Cakelets

Posted on 3 February, 2015 by | 1 comment

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Ok, not gonna lie friends, I’ve been coming up with some winners lately. The zucchini pancakes were delightful, and the easy 5-ingredient pork & pea soup was out of this world.

Today we have reached new heights in the easy quick paleo/primal-friendly dessert category. These paleo banana chocolate chip chia seed cakelets are pretty freakin scrumpsh.

You could also get away with having cake for breakfast if you’re feeling indulgent. They’re pretty high in protein and fiber, plus some healthy fat and not much sweet stuff at all. Just 1 ripe banana and 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (divided between 6 servings).

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Real Food Recipe: Guilt-free Choc-Banana-Chia Cakelets

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 6 cakelets

Real Food Recipe: Guilt-free Choc-Banana-Chia Cakelets

A tasty gooey gluten-free cakelet that's perfect for dessert and healthy enough for breakfast too, once in a while ;)

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
  2. Mash the banana in a mixing bowl.
  3. Add in all the other ingredients and mix well.
  4. Pour into 6 silicone muffin cups (you NEED these, they will change your life!!!! especially if you bake with a lot of coconut / rice / almond flour).
  5. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 F.
  6. Enjoy sliced in half with grass-fed butter on top. YUM.
https://www.thriveprimal.com/real-food-recipe-paleo-chocolate-banana-cake/

If you try these, let me know what you think! Did you use all good-quality ingredients? Would you alter the recipe at all? Do you think these are healthy and nutritious enough to fit in with your paleo/primal-oriented diet? Or are they just for a rare treat? 80-20 rule! ;) Enjoy!!

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How to Make Sauerkraut in 3 Steps: DIY Probiotic!

Posted on 2 February, 2015 by | Leave a comment

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Eating fermented foods is a must if you want to optimally digest and absorb everything you eat. Our ancestors ate cultured and fermented foods constantly, so we would have a steady stream of friendly bacteria coming into our system. Nowadays these traditional foods have mostly fallen by the wayside, along with their plentiful benefits.

Everyone should eat fermented and cultured foods, but particularly if you suffer from any sort of chronic health issues. I find it really helps my digestion!

Why it’s worth it to DIY instead of buy

Store-bought probiotic foods or capsules will never be as fresh or contain as many friendly bacteria as what you make at home. Plus they are super expensive.

They are also frequently pre-pasteurized, and then the culture is added back in. This is a crappy unnatural way of doing things according to the requirements of the food industry. Making things yourself gets you the biggest health benefit and saves you the most cash.

FACT: The fermentation process of sauerkraut causes the vitamin C content to multiply by 10 x! Sailors historically ate sauerkraut to avoid scurvy because it was so nutritious and didn’t spoil easily.

How to make sauerkraut in 3 steps

First collect your stuff.

  • Cabbage (any size and type will do, organic is best)
  • Knife and chopping board
  • Large mixing bowl
  • Large glass jar (bigger than your cabbage. I normally use a medium-size cabbage and a 2L jar)
  • Another smaller jar that fits inside the mouth of your large jar. I normally use something like a tall skinny olive jar or sauce jar.
  • Salt (Pink Himalayan Salt is best, but sea salt is still better than table salt)
  • Whey (optional. You can buy this from a local farm or make your own from yogurt)

If you use whey, your sauerkraut will be ready in 3-4 days. If you don’t, it will take 1-2 weeks.

Step 1: Chop

Take off the outer 2 leaves of your cabbage and set them aside – you’ll need them later. Then go nuts and chop your cabbage as small as you can be bothered chopping it. The pieces definitely shouldn’t be any bigger than 1cm x 1cm, but they can be as small as you want (but not puree!). If you have a good food processor you can use that too.

how to make sauerkraut - step 1

Step 2: Salt and Sit

Get your bowl and plunk in about 1/3 of your cabbage, then sprinkle a big tablespoon of salt over it. Put in another 1/3, then another tablespoon of salt. Last 1/3, then 2 tbsp of salt. The rough guideline here is 4 tbsp salt per 1 kg of cabbage. Generally this would mean 3 tbsp salt for a small cabbage, 4 tbsp for a medium cabbage, 5-6 tbsp for a large cabbage.

Then let your salted cabbage sit for about 20 minutes. The salt draws the moisture out of the cabbage.

how to make sauerkraut - step 2

Step 3: Knead and Pack

Spend about 5 minutes or so kneading, squeezing and punching your cabbage to get as much juice out of it as possible. The goal is to get enough juice out to cover the cabbage once it goes in the jar.

how to make sauerkraut - step 3

Pack it into the jar as tightly as you can, pushing it down to get any air out. Add a few tbsp of whey if you’re using it.

how to make sauerkraut - step 3

At this point see how much liquid you have – you might need to top up with a little more whey or water (filtered/purified if possible). The liquid should be 1-2 cm above the top of the packed cabbage surface.

It’s imperative that the liquid covers the cabbage bits since we are going for anaerobic fermentation (no air contact allowed!).how to make sauerkraut - step 3

Grab the cabbage leaves you saved earlier, fold them and place them on top to make as good of a ‘lid’ as you can. This is to keep the cabbage below the liquid. Weigh down this lid with your smaller jar. Put some water in the smaller jar to keep it weighed. Check that all of the chopped/packed cabbage is below the liquid. This is important to avoid mold. It’s ok if the cabbage leaf ‘lid’ pokes above the liquid, because you won’t be eating it.

how to make sauerkraut - step 3

how to make sauerkraut - step 3

How to check that your sauerkraut is ready

That’s it! Now place it in a cupboard or a cool dark place out of the way somewhere. Wait for 3-4 days if you used whey, or 1-2 weeks if you didn’t.

It’s always safe to taste, as long as there is no mold. You’ll know it’s ready when it starts to taste kind of sour, fizzy, and a lot less salty. When it’s lost enough saltiness for you, take out the weight and the leaf lid, put the lid on the big jar and keep the sauerkraut in the fridge.

A few tips:

  • If your big jar ends up being pretty full, I recommend putting it in a big bowl while it’s fermenting. There will be gases produced and the liquid level might rise. The big bowl is in case of overflow.
  • Keep checking it to make sure everything is below the liquid. Add a little water if it’s looking a bit dry.
  • If you see mold, most articles I’ve read recommend throwing out the whole batch. If you’re not sure whether it’s mold (ie a small white floating patch) you could scoop out a significant area surrounding it, and then continue fermenting. If the white stuff / mold doesn’t come back after a few days, it should be safe.
  • As a general rule, if there’s no mold it’s safe to eat. Mold is a risky area and if in doubt, just get rid of it and start again. Next time make sure you pack the cabbage down really well, put enough liquid in, and keep everything consistenly below the liquid level.

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How did it go?

Share your tips, questions, comments, experiences below. Is your digestion better? Skin clearing up? Immunity boosted? Sauerkraut rocks :)

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The Best Clean Paleo Primal Protein Powder

Posted on 29 January, 2015 by | Leave a comment

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Scary junk in commercial protein powders

First things first, let’s start with why you don’t want to go buying that typical protein shake from Walmart or GNC or Herbalife or Isagenix. As explained in this article by leading natural physician Dr. Mercola, commercial protein powders often contain concerning amounts of heavy metals like mercury and cadmium.

Also if you read the ingredients, you will find a long list of things like artificial flavours, sweeteners, thickeners, texturizers, gums, and waxes. Plus the protein is from non-organic milk, so you’re getting all the hormones and pesticides from that. Consider that in making the whey the milk gets concentrated, so those chemicals get concentrated too.

Finally, they are high-heat processed so the protein molecules become denatured and aren’t as useful to the body. Basically commercial protein powders are a massive waste of money, and could actually be toxic.

But isn’t whey isolate best?

When we were initially researching the best protein powder, Dave Asprey the Bulletproof Exec was recommending cold-processed cross-flow microfiltered whey isolate. This was supposed to be the cleanest, purest source of protein to eliminate all those nasty toxins & ingredients mentioned above.

However, excuse my dumb non-sciencey language, but whey isolate is basically a “chemistry molecule”. Kind of like taking a vitamin C supplement instead of eating an orange. It’s just one constituent of the food and the body doesn’t quite know what to do with it. When you eat the whole orange (or get all the proteins from natural milk), your body understands how to use it most effectively. (Dave Asprey has now changed his recommendation to a less-processed form, see more below – his product is my second best go-to)

Ok, so real-food protein powder is better

Will gets all the credit for finding our current favourite, and in my opinion the Best Paleo Protein Powder. He wanted to get more muscley and wanted to do it in a healthy way. Sounds good to me! ;)

He found that Protein 17 is the most minimally-processed, well-sourced, real-food based protein powder on the market right now (that we know of!). When they use minimally-processed complete milk proteins, you’re getting all the goodness of the milk, (not just the “chemistry molecule”! ha.) This includes enzymes like lactase, and minerals like magnesium. Protein 17 is actually a pretty good source of magnesium, which is something our diets often lack.

From the Protein 17 website:

protein 17 best paleo protein powder

I like how Protein 17 gives the most information about exactly how the whey powder is processed. There are a number available that say they are organic and grass-fed, but they don’t specify nearly as much about how the delicate immune-supporting proteins from the milk are minimally processed so that they remain intact.

They even explain on the container how there are no additives to make it blend with water (like most protein powders have), so it’s necessary to use a mixer or magic bullet.

It currently has 207 five-star reviews on Amazon which I found pretty dang impressive and clearly those folks are super-discerning customers. The only grass-fed organic whey on Amazon that has more reviews (Tera’s Whey, 275 reviews, 4.5 stars) doesn’t specify their processing methods, so I’m not as apt to trust it.

The second best choice for Paleo protein powder

If you see anything on your protein powder that says it “mixes easily with water” or “dissolves instantly”, that should be a red flag for additives. However, if you can’t deal with having to blend Protein 17 every time, my next best recommendation is Upgraded Bulletproof Whey.

It also contains coconut MCT (a healthy fat) for brain-power and colostrum for immunity.

Dave Asprey is a badass and does his research to the max, so I would be open to trusting and buying his products. In fact I have his Upgraded coffee beans, toxin-free vanilla, and MCT oil.

If whole foods are better, why would you use protein powder at all

Good question, and totally valid point. Generally speaking we certainly stick to whole foods 95% of the time, (and real food 99% of the time! except maybe the very occasional hung-over McDonalds feast. GASP! Yes, I said it!)

However, as discussed above, Protein 17 is pretty darn close to a whole food. And 3 other things come into play here:

  • convenience – sometimes we just need grab-and-go nutrition!
  • cost – having protein as a supplement helps save a bit on buying whole meat, poultry and fish
  • “eatability” – Will wants to consume more protein for muscle-building, but a normal person in a normal daily life can only physically eat so much. While lean muscle is awesome, neither of us really want to eat 1.5 lbs of meat at every meal. And that would get mighty expensive.

What we use protein powder for:

  • to add nutrition to our “paleo treats” recipes like muffins, loafs and pancakes, as well as to smoothies. We make baked stuff for easy breakfasts sometimes (see one of my recipes here)
  • Will has a protein shake every day after working out (raw organic grass-fed milk and Protein 17) for manly muscley purposes

That’s basically it. What do you use it for?

Share your experience with paleo protein powder

What are your thoughts on using protein powder as a smart nutritional supplement? What protein powder do you think is best? Has protein powder helped you achieve your goals? Has this article enlighted you to reconsider your approach to protein powder? Let me know your thoughts below!

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Wanting to detox and beat sugar cravings? Think about your genes.

Posted on 3 November, 2014 by | Leave a comment

I’ll be the first one to put my hand up and say I feel like I’ve spent a lot of my life struggling against my body. Having a naturally stockier build, or ‘sausage body’ as I like to lovingly call it, I definitely went through a chubby phase in my tween years.

Struggling to lose weight & feel good

It’s a classic story a lot of people can probably relate to, men and women alike. Working through puberty, wanting to look good and feel attractive, all while being bombarded by all sorts of confusing, conflicting and media-hyped messages about fitness and nutrition. I remember always being told that if I exercised enough, I could eat whatever I want. However, being a bookish kid, I usually didn’t exercise much, but still wanted to eat tasty snacks. So I would feel guilty about food and always be trying to “eat less and exercise more”.

How guilt-inducing, frustrating and exhausting is the Eat Less & Exercise More approach?!

All too many people, myself included, find that that whole thing only ends with disappointment and hating your body even more. It’s high time for a better strategy.

Surprise: you’re an animal!

Here’s a thought: last time you went to the zoo and you were looking at those chimps and gorillas, did it strike you how similar they are to us? How despite all our fancy clothes and perfumed soap, we’re really just animals too?

Animals don’t sit around stressing about whether they ate too many bugs or leaves, they just know what’s right for them to eat, and how much, and they just go on enjoying life with a fit, muscular, healthy body. Shouldn’t we feel that way too? Wouldn’t that be incredibly liberating?

If we look at ourselves as the ‘humanimals’ that we are, living in our habitat, we can gain insight into what our genes are programmed to thrive on, and understand why we may seek out or crave certain foods. From that basis of simple knowledge, we can move forward eating and enjoying food care-free, while having that fit, healthy, happy body.

 

 

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Understanding the ‘humanimal’ mind

You’re going to be so relieved after you read this. There is a solid scientific reason you crave, dream about, and feel drawn to all those tasty sugary naughty junky foods. Your brain is literally programmed to be able to pick them out of a crowd.

The reason is that we’ve evolved very little since we were hunter-gatherers, living off of the land and what we were lucky or clever enough to find/kill that day. Therefore if we were scanning the landscape and there is a calorie-rich food source visible (let’s say some nice sugary berries) our eyes snap right to it and we feel alarms in our brain like “FOOD! RIGHT THERE! OMG FOOD! EAT! EEEEEAT.” This is because in general the hunter-gatherer approach would be to eat more when food is available, since we don’t know if it will be available tomorrow.

Well, your brain has precious little, if anything, different from that hunting-gathering ancestor of yours. So you get precisely those same EATRIGHTNOW signals when you slap eyes on an ooey-gooey grilled cheese sandwich, or a picture of a chocolate cake. (I started drooling typing that, wow. There’s the animal brain for ya!)

Cravings are not a bad thing

We’ve been taught and guilted into feeling like whenever we crave a food, we are naughty naughty bad and we should just quell that down and control ourselves. If we give in to cravings we will just be fat and ugly forever.

Newsflash: those cravings are literally programmed into your DNA. They are your body telling you what it needs right now.

But, this message comes with a very important caveat. These days, our body’s signals can be a liiiiiittle bit confused, what with our modern flashy environment and unnatural foods and chemicals and distractions, etc. So, your body may be telling you that you “need to eat 2 burgers and an ice cream after yes definitely the ice cream”, however there is a lot at play there.

You also may crave more food after you’ve just eaten because the food may not have been very nourishing, or you may be needing water. Therefore your body sends signals to eat more because it is seeking more water or nutrients.

It doesn’t know how to tell you “I need vitamin C!” or “Feed me some omega 3’s!”, all it can say is “eat!” and hope that it can get some of what it needs from there.

Our ancient brains are overwhelmed in this modern world

Studies show that historically food would definitely not have been constantly available, and we would have been a lot more programmed to be able to survive off of fat stores. We would be easily able to switch to burning our body fat to get us through a few days of not finding much food.

The problem is nowadays we have food available constantly. Our monkey brains are programmed to pick out high-carb, sugary foods to be able to survive and get energy fast, but now we’re literally surrounded by those foods, at arm’s reach, ALL the time. And our monkey brains still want them just as bad.

Foods high in carbs and sugars convert to fat the fastest when we eat them. They are a quick easy source of energy and our bodies just love to store them away for later use. That includes a sweet potato or whole-grain cereal just as much as a cupcake or chocolate bar.

Because these foods burn the fastest, they often leave us in the lurch. We swing from “Mmm yummy i’m full that was delicious” to “OMG I am HANGRY, FEED ME NOW”, waaaay too fast.

The thing is, once you understand WHY you have cravings and get hungry way too often, it’s so easy to re-program your approach to work WITH your genes and that crazy monkey brain.

It doesn’t need to be complicated. The monkey brain is simple, and we can have it in our palm in no time. How to get there you ask? It’s all about breaking the sugar/carb addiction, and choosing more nourishing foods.

How to keep your monkey brain happy, not hangry

  1. Eat more fat – Yes, fat! Avocados, salmon, coconut oil, grass-fed butter, full-fat milk, full-fat greek yogurt, quality cheese, eggs. It’s aaaaall good baby!
  2. Eat good quality protein – Organically raised, happy, free-range animals and fish. Dairy and eggs from the same.
  3. Get good sleep – Those hunger signals we were talking about before get just sooo much more confused when you are tired. The energy has to come from somewhere, and if you’re not rested, you’re going to be mighty tempted to get it from a chocolate chip muffin.
  4. Use a proven plan – I love programs like the 21 Day Sugar Detox, which is wildly popular and gets rave reviews left right and center. It’s a fast and well-tested way to press the reset button and learn how to work WITH those genes instead of against them.
  5. Lose the body shame! – Once you understand what you’re genetically programmed to want, you realize it’s not your fault. Using a simple program like the 21DSD teaches you to be confident in the right food choices, enjoy eating, and get on with living life! Enough said!

I hope you’ve enjoyed these guidelines on how to make your genes work for you.

If you want a well-engineered plan to take away all the mind-sweat and give you an excellent kickstart, more info on the 21 Day Sugar Detox can be found by clicking the image below! Cheers!

Balanced Bites

 

 

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