Digestion Woes…

I have a confession to make: I’ve been having some digestion issues.

In the months since starting Paleo (July 2011), I had almost forgotten what it felt like to have a stomach ache.

I am VERY careful to stay away from gluten-containing items.  In fact, before last week I think I had only had one encounter with gluten since before that first Whole30.

However, over the last few weeks I have learned two important lessons:

1. balance on your plate is just as important as eating whole foods

2. listening to your body is essential

These lessons have come as a result of a series of digestion issues.  Specifically, in the form of crampy aching after most of my meals.  This has led to a lot of frustration for me (“I’m eating Paleo foods… why is my stomach hurting?”  ”I have a Paleo website and a Facebook page with over 2800 fans… I can’t tell all of those people that I’m having regular belly-aches!”).

It started week before last.  Almost every night, right after dinner, I started feeling a little queasy and crampy (in my lower stomach… not like heartburn or acid reflux).  Usually, after about an hour, the feelings would go away.  I figured it was just a fluke because I was so busy with work and gearing up for a trip, so I kept going on my merry way.

The next week (last week), I was in San Diego on a business trip.  I know that I consumed gluten on at least two occasions that week (not voluntarily, I promise!).  I also snacked on a lot of nuts and fruits.  I had a stomach ache almost every night that I was away.  At that point, I blamed it on the stress of travel, working in a different environment, jet lag, and too many meals out.

I came home on Sunday evening, ready to get back on track and let my gut re-heal.  However, I have still been in some pain almost every night this week… UNTIL TONIGHT.

Why tonight?  Well, I think it’s because I haven’t consumed ANY nuts today, and I’ve had very little fruit.

WHAT??  But I thought nuts, seeds, and fruits were allowed on the Paleo diet!!

Yes, they are allowed!  But let me tell you something:they should be eaten in moderation.

Last night I sat down and had a heart-to-heart with myself.  What has changed in the last three weeks that could have caused all of these digestion woes?  Well, there are a few things that have changed, but the summation is this: I have gotten a little lazy.

So today I did a little test.  I woke up, made myself a real breakfast (3 eggs, scrambled with kale in coconut oil, bacon, and chamomile tea with full-fat coconut milk), stayed satisfied until it was time to make a good lunch (chicken and leftover kale with fresh guacamole), snacked on a few blueberries with a cup of hot tea, and then had a delicious dinner (garlic-lemon chicken with roasted carrots and balsamic onions).  I felt so healthy all day!

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Taking care of your body means just that: taking care of your body.

That means that you should make sure your body has what it needs, that it is comfortable, and that it is disciplined.  

Whether we like it or not, all three of those things require that we make a commitment.  It’s very easy for me to put myself on the back burner.  When I’m doing something important (working, taking care of things at home, even blogging), I will sometimes ignore feelings of hunger, or try to do something quick to make it go away (a spoonful of almond butter, a handful of pistachios, a square of dark chocolate, etc.).  I will sometimes do a tough workout when my body is already crying out for rest.  And I won’t even go into my occasional sleep issues (here’s a hint: I do not like going to bed early).

Well guess what, folks?  It turns out that stomach aches are not as fun as I remember.

And guess what else?  This is all in my control!  

I sometimes complain about how overweight people don’t just reach out and GRAB an opportunity for better health!  It is all in your control!  But here I am realizing that I myself have not been taking advantage of that control.

So what am I doing about it?

I’m taking control…

and here’s how:

1. I’m taking a break from nuts and seeds, and slowing down on the fruit.  Will I miss my heaping spoonful of almond butter with flaxseeds?  Yes.  Will I want to take a dive into the huge Costco pistachio bag every time I walk past them in the kitchen?  Probably.  Will I wish that I could make my favorite chocolate chip cookies every night?  Definitely!  But I control my habits; my habits do not control me.

2. I am forcing myself to eat three good meals each day.  This means that my little habit (developed over the last few weeks) of not eating breakfast, even though I’m hungry, needs to end.  And grabbing a smoothie or a handful of nuts for lunch is no longer allowed (I knew this already, but like I said before… I allowed myself to get a little lazy!).  To ensure that this happens, I’m putting breaks for food in my work calendar (which guides my day).  If that’s what it takes, that is what I’ll do!

3. It’s time to get back into better sleep habits.  I learned so much about the importance of sleep in February, and I don’t want to let all of those benefits fall by the wayside!

4. I have to listen to my body.  When I am exhausted from traveling and not eating well (as I have been this week), I do not need to work out.  My adrenals don’t need any more stress.  Therefore, I am taking the rest of this week off.  On Monday, I’ll ease myself back into my regular workout routine, and I’ll be rested and strong enough to handle it.

5. It’s time for some gut-healing.  I’m not sure if my gut is irritated by the over-consumption of nuts, or by the recent gluten consumption (probably both!), but I’m definitely feeling like I have some healing to do.  I’ll be making some bone broth, loading up on the sauerkraut, trying a little liver, and sipping on some kombucha over the next few weeks (take a look at #2, #3, and #4 at this link).

For a look at my complete “protocol,” click here.

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Do you need a little reality check too?  

No one can take care of your body the way YOU CAN.

 

So take control!

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Delightful Smoothies…

One of our favorite dessert or snack options is a fresh smoothie.  They are easy to make, healthy (if you make them right!), and always delicious!

Keep in mind that you should not be consuming several smoothies each day.  Some fruits can be pretty high in sugar, and most people should only be having about 2 servings of fruit per day (a serving is about the size of your closed fist).  If you are trying to lose weight, you should probably be eating less than that.

With that in mind, let’s make a smoothie!

Our smoothies generally consist of 1 banana, about 1 cup of fresh or frozen fruit, about 1 cup of coconut milk, a healthy sprinkle of cinnamon, and some ice.  Tonight we had raspberries, so that was our flavor choice.

Use the template above to create your own fabulous smoothie!

Other Items We Sometimes Add to Smoothies:

coconut flakes

almond butter

spinach (you can’t taste it, but it adds some great vitamins and iron to your smoothie!)

carrots

nutmeg

coffee

coconut oil (for added fat and flavor)

avocado

cocoa powder

A Few Favorite Combinations (we always use 1 banana and 1 cup of coconut milk):

coffee and almond butter

pumpkin, nutmeg, and cinnamon

peaches and cinnamon

mixed berries and orange juice

blueberries and spinach

cherries, cocoa powder, and almond butter

extra banana and almond butter

coffee and cocoa powder

peaches and blackberries

What is your favorite smoothie recipe?  Please share!

The Dirty Dozen

I have recently blogged about the importance of buying seasonally, but do we have to buy organically?  This chart from Whole9 is excellent, and I just came across another great website that lists “The Dirty Dozen” (the 12 most important produce items to buy organically).

 

Click here to check it out!

There is also a wallet-sized download available on the site.

Do you miss your morning cereal?

So many paleo-people desperately miss their morning “healthy whole grain” cereal.  I really missed it during my first few weeks eating Paleo, but I haven’t thought about it a whole lot since then.

This morning my sister, Katie, told me about this idea for a great morning cereal (pictured above).  She combined berries, slivered almonds, coconut flakes, and cinnamon.  Then she poured “lite” coconut milk over it for delicious feels-like-cereal breakfast (you could also just water down some full-fat coconut milk to thin it out).

I like it.  Thanks Katie!

For more breakfast ideas, click here.

Food Diary: a WOW! paleo dessert

On Thursday evening, Dustin and I had dinner with our good friends, Jon and Ashleigh.  They grilled chicken, and it was delicious!

I decided to bring a dessert, and of course, it had to be Paleo-friendly!

I looked in my new cookbook, Paleo Comfort Foods, and found a recipe for Cool Berry Tart.  It was easy to make, and SO delicious!  I topped it with a little homemade whipped cream.  We were all very impressed.  It was actually what we would consider “restaurant-worthy.”  Here’s the recipe… you should totally give this a try!  For other dessert ideas, check out this post.

Cool Berry Tart

For the Filling:

1 cup water

1 tbs honey

2 cups strawberries

2 cups blackberries

(note: I did not have fresh fruit, so I used 2 cups of frozen blackberry/raspberry/blueberry mixture, thawed)

For the Crust

1 1/2 cups almond flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 cup macadamia nut or other neutral-tasting oil (note: I used melted coconut oil)

1 tbs honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Heat water, honey, and berries in a medium sauce pan.  Crush berries with potato masher, and simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  The fruit filling should reduce by a fourth.

2. While fruit is simmering, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

3. Combine almond flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl.

4. Mix honey, oil, and vanilla in a separate bowl, and pour the wet ingredients into the dry.  Mix until throughly combined.

5. Press the dough into a pie pan, and bake for 10 minutes, or until light brown.

6. Remove crust from oven, and allow to cool for 5 minutes.  If you time it right, your fruit filling should be done now, and cooling.

7. After fruit mixture has cooled a bit, pour into crust, and place in refrigerator for 1 hour before serving.

Whipped Cream

I poured 2 cups of organic heavy whipping cream into a mixing bowl with 1 tbs honey. Use an electric mixer to whip the cream until it reaches desired  consistency.  The cream will actually double in size.  Start slow, and gradually increase the speed of the mixer.  Be careful not to over-whip, and the cream will start to separate, and will not be as smooth.

(Note: this photo was taken the day after I made the whipped cream… as it sits, it begins to collapse, which is why my whipped cream doesn’t look as “fluffy” as it was the night before.)