Tender, delicious, almond flour pancakes!

Is it just me, or is food just as beautiful as the most gorgeous models out there?! I do seem to have a singular obsession with the look of certain beautiful foods. Tomatoes, for instance. One of my previous roommates used to laugh at me, because I would buy plump, firm, red tomatoes at the market even though I never liked the taste of tomatoes. I would admire them and let them expire in my vegetable drawer. Wasting food, I know. I don't do it anymore!

No, because I moved onto devouring grain-free, gluten-free, low carb, high-protein pancakes! And what a sight to behold. Almost makes me want to appreciate them visually instead of in a dance of joy with my taste buds. Almost. 

 

Find the recipe here: http://zenbellyblog.com/2012/02/29/fluffy-almond-flour-pancakes/

You will need an electric hand mixer unless you have arms of steel. After one CrossFit workout, I found out I definitely do not! Not yet, that is.

I subbed maple syrup for the honey since I have not re-introduced honey yet. I used coconut milk instead of cream because I haven't re-introduced cream yet. I also didn't use any flax seed; I just didn't have any!

I like to serve these with coconut oil or butter and maples syrup. And bacon and strawberries and bananas. Maybe some eggs too. Grain-free feasting, here we come!

Autoimmune/Paleo/Taste buds-Friendly Chocolate Chunk Cookies!

Chewy and gooey morsels of glory!
A.K.A. Grain-free, gluten-free, mostly dairy-free, low carb, high protein, high antioxidant, fights-for-your-happiness Super Cookie!

A couple of days ago, I had the great good luck to stumble upon a site called The Food Lovers Kitchen. It is a site featuring paleo recipes from a couple on the East Coast. I found them because I was, as was bound to happen soon after I started eating eggs again, scouring the internet for a good recipe for chocolate chip cookies made with almond flour. The recipe I found (http://beta.primal-palate.com/recipe/chocolate-chip-cookies/) and I are quite happy together. Everyone who has tried the batch I made (a panel of four very experienced eaters who don't follow the Paleo diet) has enjoyed these cookies very much. That is, unless they lied to me. No one eats a free cookie and then says it's bad, right? Have some manners!

I want to give the recipe authors their proper due (how could I really, they deserve gold medals!) so I won't paste the recipe here. I did use refined coconut oil instead of unrefined because I find unrefined to have an overwhelming coconut flavor. If you like coconut chocolate chip cookies, by all means, use unrefined coconut oil. I also only eat %70 dark chocolate, per Chris Kresser's recommendations. So, instead of semisweet chocolate chips, I broke %70 dark chocolate bars into chunks. Yes, my hands were sore by the end of all of that breaking. But I digress...really, what are you still doing reading this? Leave me talking to myself (as usual) and go make yourself some delicious Super Cookies!

Happy eating!

-Emma

Chocolate, berries, more chocolate, and other essentials

My favorite food is chocolate. Following my current version of the Paleo diet means no conventional chocoholic fare, such as brownies or chocolate cake or milk chocolate. What's a girl to do?

Never fear, Lindt's 70% dark chocolate masterpiece is here! 

Take it one square at a time. :)

 A chocolate like no other...

...smooth and creamy like milk chocolate, with the health benefits of dark!



I eat it with raspberries and mac nuts; or with blueberries, raspberries, and mac nuts.

 A chocolatey snack here, a chocolatey snack there....




What about melting it? Brilliant!

Step 1: Break 1-2 squares into small pieces



Microwave for 1 minute.

 Add blueberries. :)

 Or blueberries and mac nuts!

 Or cherries!

Now, revel in the glory of quality chocolate and berries.

Afraid of eating fat?

Let's let Chris Kress, L. Ac answer this one. Click here to see his discussion of dietary fat and health. :)

There is also a documentary called "Fat Head," pictured above, that explores the history of America's fear of eating fat and the real sources of our health issues.

I had a hard time letting myself eat a lot of fat, at first. But, only a few months later and 9 pounds lighter, I feel better than I have in a long time.

It seems our society's fear of dietary fat is based on a slew of misconceptions and distorted studies. The more I learn about the connection between sugar (cane sugar, high fructose corn syrup, white wheat flour, white rice, etc.) and insulin, the relationships between inflammation and heart issues and autoimmune conditions, and the profit food companies make off of grain products (think the middle aisles of most supermarkets), the more comfortable I feel eating oil galore.

Care to join me?

Autoimmune diet 2-week food log

"What do you eat?"

People often ask me this when they find out that I am not currently eating any grains, legumes, diary products, concentrated sweeteners, or nightshades. I kept a food journal for the first two weeks of my diet (I'm now on week six). I hope this satisfies curious minds. :) P.S. Where a meal is missing, it's because I forgot to jot it down.

My appetite has decreased (yay for loose clothes!) so I need to do a new journal too. Stay tuned. :)

Day 1
Breakfast: baby collards, 2 pieces of bacon
Dinner: bacon/chicken/avocado lettuce "sandwiches," strawberries
Snacks: coconut/date/almond rolls (sold at natural food stores)

Day 2
Breakfast: baby collards, 3 pieces of bacon
Lunch: sirloin steak (ate out at Casa de Luna)
Dinner: chicken/bacon/avocado salad with lime
Snacks: 2 sweet potatoes, 3 cocoa balls, coconut/date/almond roll, strawberries in chocolate/almond butter/coconut cream pudding
Drinks: kombucha, lavender mint herbal tea, Tazo Awake iced tea

Day 3
Breakfast: papaya, apple banana, 1 piece of bacon, 5 slices of honey turkey
Lunch: 1 hot dog, green beans, date/coconut/almond roll
Dinner: Garlic and pepper pork and veggies (ate out at New Chiang Mai)
Snacks: strawberries and blueberries in chocolate, soursop, date roll, tuna salad, strawberry papaya
Drinks: seltzer water and lime, water

Day 4
Breakfast: collards, 3 pieces of bacon
Lunch: 2 small burgers, lettuce, avocado, garlic
Dinner: ham and Chinese peas
Snacks: coconut milk/apple banana/blueberry pudding with macadamias, macadamias, mango, soursop
Drinks: Perrier water, water

Day 5
Breakfast: bacon, mango/banana/papaya/water smoothie
Lunch: lettuce/micro greens/turkey/bacon/chicken/avocado salad
Dinner: laulau
Snacks: apple, mac nuts, sweet potato
Drinks: water, club soda

Day 6
Breakfast: bacon, ham, coconut milk/mango/banana/pineapple smoothie
Lunch: roast beef and avocado salad
Dinner: beef/veggies/coconut aminos stir fry
Snacks: figs, almonds, green beans, dark chocolate and coconut oil, banana
Drinks: iced tea, lemon water, water

Day 7
Breakfast: turkey, bacon, green beans
Lunch: 2 small burgers, chard
Dinner: butter lettuce, avocado, organic uncured hot dog
Snacks: 2 cocoa balls, 2 bananas, coconut/mango/pineapple/banana smoothie, papaya with lemon, mac
nuts
Drinks: Ayala's ginger lemongrass herbal water

Day 8
Breakfast: Bacon, collards, coconut milk/pineapple/banana smoothie
Lunch/Dinner: Beef/pork sausaga, taro fried in coconut oil
Snacks: chocolate and coconut oil, blueberries, baby carrots, 1 cocoa ball, banana
Drinks: lemon water, water

Day 9
Breakfast: Beef/pork sausage, fried taro
Lunch/Dinner: Lettuce, beef/pork sausage
Snacks: apple, 2 cocoa balls, macadamia nuts, chocolate, figs, almonds, coconut milk/water/banana/pineapple smoothie, 1 apple with cinnamon and nutmeg, sweet potato, mango

Day 10
Breakfast: coconut milk smoothie
Lunch: Chicken thigh, Chinese peas
Dinner: honey turkey, carrots
Snacks: cocoa balls, cucumbers, carrots, strawberries

Day 11
Breakfast: Coconut milk/blueberries/banana/;pineapple smoothie
Lunch: Lettuce/turkey/dijon wraps
Dinner: Kalua pork and cabbage, salad
Snacks: 3 pieces of bacon, strawberries, taro, 2 date balls, microwaved apples, papaya

Day 12
Breakfast: collards, 1 organic hot dog
Lunch: 1 head butter lettuce, 1/2 of an avocado, honey turkey
Dinner: Coconut milk/banana/pineapple/peach smoothie
Snacks: 1 cocoa ball, 2 pieces of dark chocolate, blueberries, figs, almonds, sweet potato

Day 13
Breakfast: collards, ham, turkey
Lunch: Turkey, carrot cucumber, greens salad
Dinner: beef/broth/bacon/carrot/onion stew
Snacks: baby carrots, taro chips, raspberry chocolate, strawberries, coconut milk/strawberries/banana/pineapple smoothie
Drinks: Green chia kombucha

Day 14
Breakfast: ham, collards
Lunch: 1 head lettuce, smoked turkey, 2 pieces of bacon, avocado
Dinner: 1 chicken thigh, snap peas
Snacks: 1 strawberry papaya, coconut milk and chocolate pudding, strawberries, sweet potato, fig, almonds, portuguese sausage, mango
Drinks: water

Commitment Central :)

About five weeks ago, I actually committed to try out the Paleo diet...and then some! I signed up for Dr. Chris Kresser's Personal Paleo Code, which is a 3 Step program designed to guide you through finding your best diet.

I was worried that I wouldn't be able to commit to what Step 1 demanded of me, as someone with an autoimmune condition: no eggs or nightshades (peppers, eggplant, and tomatoes, among others), in addition to none of the foods that the strictest version of the Paleo diet bans (no dairy, no concentrated sweeteners like honey or sugar or maple syrup, no juice, no seed oils like Canola or Soy, and of course no grains or legumes [except green beans, which Chris allows]).

The program doesn't set any calories or portion limits. Mercifully, I can eat 70% dark chocolate, unsweetened coconut products, avocados, veggies, fruit (though berries are preferred over tropical fruits), nuts, and meats.

And...so far, so good! I have lost weight, feel full longer, my mood has stabilized, my energy levels are much better, and, for the first time as far as I can remember, I rarely have food cravings. Cravings used to run my life and demolish my weight loss and healthy eating attempts. Well, no longer!

I wanted to share some pictures of some of my favorite dishes, my favorite recipe, and some shopping tips for those of us who live in or near Hilo.

 Bacon/chicken/avocado lettuce wraps!

 Coconut milk and dark chocolate with strawberries.

 Lettuce, nitrate-free turkey, bacon, and avocado salad.

 Nitrate-free turkey, bacon, papaya, banana. :)

 Dark chocolate covered blueberries and strawberries.

 Burgers and avocado in lettuce "buns."

 Coconut milk and blueberry pudding topped with mac nuts.

 Another bacon/avo/turkey salad.

 Taro fried in coconut oil.

 Nitrate-free pork sausage cooked in olive oil, with taro and greens.

Coconut milk and dark chocolate pudding with strawberries. 

 An avocado with a heart! I tend to use avocado to flavor my salads because I can't have traditional dressings, which are made from processed seed oils and sugars, and I don't care for olive oil and balsamic vinegar. With some bacon and avocado to flavor a salad, you won't miss dressing.

 Portuguese sausage. Chris wants us to limit processed meats such as nitrate-free bacon, nitrate-free deli meat, and sausages. I try to use them as flavoring with other meats such as free range chicken and Big Island free range grass-fed beef.

 Cinnamon coconut warm pudding with strawberries.

 Chris recommends fermented foods but I don't care for kimchi or sauerkraut. So, I occasionally have Kombucha tea, which is fermented. The bottles work great to carry coconut milk and fruit smoothies too!

 One of my few dining out experiences recently: kalua pork and cabbage with salad from Tex's Drive In.

Thai restaurants generally have dishes I can eat too, though curries generally have added sugar; I asked for no sugar and it tasted just as good!

 Nitrate-free turkey and avocado salad with raspberries.

 Nitrate-free turkey and bacon salad with avocado and sprouts. Side of berries again. :)

 Nitrate-free bacon and avocado with a big hunk of watermelon!

 Roasted garlic. Great seasoning!

 Steak, roasted chicken, and salad with avocado dressing. :)

 Pork stir fried in olive oil and garlic powder, with a side of sprouts of avocado. Yum!

 Grass-fed, free range beef and avocado salad.

 Another glorious salad! I tend to have them for lunch.

One breakfast: bacon, a banana, and a coconut milk/ice/banana/blueberry smoothie.

Surprisingly I don't have any pictures of my favorite new dish, cocoa balls! They are dates, mac nuts, shredded coconut, almond butter, and cocoa powder chopped and mushed together. Delicious! Little paleo cookies.

Shopping tips:
For any of you who are thinking of trying paleo, I suggest:

Cost-u-less: a big bag of frozen organic blueberries for $15
KTA Puainako: Grass-fed, free range Big Island beef in various cuts, organic free range chicken in the refrigerated section
Sack and Save: Nitrate free bacon
Island Naturals: Nitrate free turkey cut daily in the deli, in the refrigerated section by the cheese and fish
Abundant Life: Synergy kombucha in various flavors. The raspberry and mango are my favorites.
Kinoole farmer's market: Saturdays 6:30-11:30/noon Great for hydroponic lettuce and a variety of fruits and veggies. Unlike the downtown farmer's market, everything here was grown on island. Get there early before the selection is largely depleted!
Most anywhere: Crystal geyser flavored sparkling water. A great drink for those of us who get tired of just water. :)

New wonder treatment?

I was perusing the Hashimoto's 411 page on Facebook and came across talk of LDN. What is this LDN? I wondered. I did a quick search and came up with this page: http://www.lowdosenaltrexone.org/index.htm#What_is_low_dose_naltrexone
And this video:

...I will have to research what LDN really does to one's body, but I like the idea of something besides diet that might reduce the amount of autoimmune flare ups.

Day 6: Time for a change

So it turns out my friend Olelo has strayed off the diet, and I...can't blame her, actually. The recommendations, while apparently healthy for our guts and our immune systems, are heavily restrictive. Meats, organic. Some vegetables, organic. Very few fruits, organic. Coconut products, unsweetened. Fermented things. Salt, spices. These aren't the makings of a happy, creative chef. At least not this chef.

The effect of five days of eating only these foods has been to make me not want to eat. Dr. K recommends eating at least every two hours, but I simply don't want to eat something like a piece of steak or a handful of lettuce seven times a day. I've gone fairly long stretches of time without eating over the five days of this diet, and often when I did eat something, it was a small amount because what I could eat simply wasn't appetizing. Having to cook most everything I could eat from scratch wasn't always fun, either. So, in short, I have cut the time for this diet in half, from ten days to five, and officially ate food not allowed while on it today: white rice, corn, tomatoes, potatoes, to name a few.

I plan to sign up for the Personal Paleo Code and actually read Dr. Kharrazian's book. Wish me luck!

Day 5 (04/06) Food Diary

I made a smoothie with coconut milk, raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries. My experience with Paleo dietary recommendations kept telling me that I needed protein for my breakfast, but since Dr. K's diet doesn't specify how much protein one should be eating, I guess this was an okay breakfast. It tasted good, tangy from not having any sweetener. :) 

 And...some steak and carrots for lunch.

 A small bowl of orange pieces when I got hungry again did little to help.

 The I had lunch from Island Naturals: roasted chicken and avocado. Dinner I ate out again: red curry from Sombat's, which was coconut milk, spices, bamboo shoots, carrots, zucchini, and pork. I asked the waitress to leave out the sugar that is traditionally in curries. I also ordered their marvelous herbal tea.

 When I got home I finished the curry and ate a peach and some sweet potatoes.