STOP with the low fat diets PLEASE

Today I am going to vent. I am working from home right now with the TV on in the background and all  I ever hear is “replace the full fat with low fat” “save 40 calories” “eat this low fat cereal instead of that”….instead of that avocado eat this processed low fat bag of garbage……ARGGGHHHHHH. No no no, no no no, NO NO NOOOOO! Do not do that PLEASE! No wonder Americans are so overweight! We are all fed this inaccurate information through TV shows, internet articles, nutritionists who have bought into this whole “low fat” idea. Eating low fat is what is making us FAT. Believe me!!!

Why can’t our media just encourage us to eat REAL foods!!! If it has a label on it, put it down and run away as fast as you can….if you can’t read the ingredients on the label, throw it out…..if there are more than 5(ish) ingredients in a packaged food get rid of it. Period. Instead of a package of mini cinnamon favored rice cakes that will leave you feeling hungry 2 minutes after eating them….why not eat a banana or apple with almond/peanut butter?! Instead of eating popcorn or pretzels have an avocado….yes a whole avocado. Eat up, yummy!!!! The fats in these snacks will actually leave you feeling satisfied longer!

Some good ideas for snacks: beef jerky, avocado, apple/banana with almond/peanut butter, raw nuts and seeds, hard-boiled eggs, fresh veggies – broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, bell peppers, grilled chicken strips, kale chips, almond butter ants on a log, etc etc. Have fun with your snacks. The most important thing is to pack snacks for work so you don’t get tempted by the stuff left out in the kitchen for anyone to enjoy or the vending machine when you are desperate for a snack. And, if you don’t go to a workplace then pack snacks in your purse or car. This will eliminate your urge to stop at a convenient store, coffee shop, drive thru when you can’t stand listening to your stomach rumble anymore. You have to leave your house prepared with healthy snack choices 🙂

Also, let’s talk about how many of us misread thirst as hunger. If it is 2:30/3 in the afternoon and you are at your desk at work or running kids around town from school to sports/music/etc…..I guarantee if you drink a large glass of water (cold or warm – warm water can often be very satisfying for many of us – add some lemon or honey ;-)) I bet you will satisfy yourself more than if you eat a less than desirable on-the-go snack. Drink up and wait a few minutes…if you are still feeling hungry THEN is the time to go for a healthy high fat satisfying snack. Eating a small amount of a snack with more substance will leave you more satisfied than a whole bag of potato chips 😉 Stop eating empty foods….they do not satisfy our hunger because they are empty calories.

Wow, I feel so much better now that I vented a little 🙂 Off to chop up an avocado and get back to the daily grind!!! Hope you have a wonderful Monday!

#ourprimallife #eatrealfood #fullfatsarebest #stopthislowfatgarbage

My Food Pyramid

I will be the first to admit that a couple of years ago I was eating a bagel running out the door in the morning, bringing frozen meals to work for lunch and eating bread with dinner every night, and enjoying things like pasta regularly. I worked out, yet my body didn’t change. I really didn’t get it. I would try and cut out tons of calories and feel hungry all of the time and still not lose weight. What in the world was the problem? I mean, occasionally I would have some sweets from the office kitchen stash but not enough in my mind to make it so I couldn’t lose weight or tone my body. Maybe it was just that I wasn’t 16 anymore and my body just wasn’t going to get as fit as it could when I was younger? Every thought would run through my mind.

When I met my husband he introduced me to his way of eating, he was closer to primal than anything. So I started to research this whole paleo/primal concept and began to ask tons of questions. My biggest question was “How is that healthy for you?” mainly because I had been trained to eat the way most Americans do……BUT lets face it, that isn’t working for the majority of people! So I started to gradually follow this way of life. The first thing I noticed was that after eating clean for a few days and then going out to lunch or dinner and ordering my usual I would feel awful. The food that I was so accustomed to eating was now making me feel like garbage. So, I started to follow a modified primal lifestyle and I felt so much better. My body even changed. It was mind boggling that with eating MORE fats (healthy fats) I would lose inches around my waste and legs. CRAZY!

Eventually, because I like challenges and was curious I did a strict 30 day Paleo challenge. So instead of allowing myself a little high fat dairy and such I cut it out and went strict Paleo. I was scared at first, but honestly it really wasn’t that hard AND I felt amazing. My goal was to see how it would change my body. I ended up super busy at work that 30 days and only ended up working out a handful of times, and crazy enough my body changed. I built muscle and shed fat. What in the world!!! This was the point in my journey that I realized how important your dietary intake is to your health above and beyond your physical activity. Don’t get me wrong being active is SO important, but health starts in the kitchen.

I put together this food pyramid. I kept rearranging it because I wasn’t sure how to put it into a traditional food pyramid. But I am happy with this layout. In my mind there are basically four categories that should be the staples to your dietary life: vegetables, fruits, lean meats/fish/eggs, and healthy fats. The rest is just added variation for you to spice up your life. If you can imagine your dinner plate I want you to try next time to fill up at least half of it with your vegetables, about a third of it with your meat and the remaining sixth of it with a fruit or even a starch like sweet potatoes. Try and make the main point of attraction in your day your veggies. I will give you a sample day:

Breakfast:

3 eggs with Avocado and tomato slices

Bacon

Side of berries

Snack: either in morning or afternoon

Cottage Cheese with handful of Nuts & Seeds

Drizzle with a small amount of honey

Lunch:

Grilled Chicken over Spinach or Kale with Lemon Juice drizzled over it

Cooked or Raw Veggies – carrots/turnips/cabbage/bell peppers

Dinner:

Grass-fed Beef or Fish

Cooked Veggies – brussel sprouts/asparagus/mushrooms/broccoli/zucchini

**cook veggies in either bacon fat, olive oil or coconut oil

The reason I say snack either in morning or afternoon is because we often eat too much out of boredom when we really do not need the food energy. I encourage you to try and think of food as fuel for your body. We eat to fuel our bodies to get through our days, period. We have made food/eating too much of a social setting and often forget that the purpose of our intake is to simply fuel our bodies to operate through the day. Also remember to drink enough water. It is so important to stay adequately hydrated.

Lets touch on Herbs & Spices – we use tons of these in our household. We season everything we eat. We add turmeric and pepper to our eggs in the morning, we put paprika, garlic, pepper, chili powder, cayenne, etc on our veggies and meats. We make sauces out of healthy fats, spices and herbs, and acidic lemon/lime juice. It becomes fun to put together recipes and see what is yummy and what needs a little work. 🙂

I leave you with this…..try to eat this breakdown of food for 10 days and see how you feel. I promise you that you will feel amazing!

40% Vegetables

20% Lean Meats/Fish/Eggs

20% Fruits

10% Healthy Fats

5% Herbs and Spices

5% High Fat Dairy/Nuts/Seeds

Enjoy your food but do not live to eat, try and live by the mentality that we EAT TO LIVE!

Hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday!

#myfoodpyramid #ourprimallife #healthyliving #eatinghealthy

Local Harvest

As I have expressed in previous posts I am new to this Primal life. I have been living Primal/Paleo for four months. As a newcomer to this lifestyle I continue to learn new things daily. My fiance has a lot more knowledge since he has been living Primal/Paleo for 2 1/2 years, but he allows me to explore and find what is good for me personally.

I am beyond thrilled with my new find. This may not be new to you all but I wanted to share in case it could be useful to anyone out there. I found the site: http://www.localharvest.org/ 😀 On this site you can search your area for local farmers markets, family farms, etc. This is a great way to find local produce and grass-fed meats. I am thrilled to explore some of the farms near Tucson. It also made me realize that when we go to the farmers market on Sunday we should really talk with the “vendors”/farmers and learn about them and where they are located. Nothing seems more amazing than having a personal relationship with farmers that you buy your produce and meats from!

It also turned me on the idea of a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). On this you pay in advance for a 6 or 12 week subscription and you go once a week and pick up your produce/meat/eggs/cheese from local farms. The disadvantage to this is that you are not able to choose what you get when it comes to the produce, but you know everything you are getting is locally farmed, organic and fresh.

 

Happy exploring everyone!