From the Archives: How to Change the World

I was tired of the vegan/vegetarian vs. paleo debate then, and now I just ignore it entirely. Much like most of the world.

“Your diet is the best diet. It’s the healthiest, most environmentally responsible, animal-loving, morally upstanding, heart-friendly, age-defying, or whatever. Fine.  We’ll start with that assumption and go from there.

Here’s the deal: whether you’re vegan, vegetarian, locavore, paleo, Raw, CR, or some other niche eating habit, there’s science to prove your way is the right way. And, there’s science to prove your way is the wrong way. Welcome to reality, where things are 1) not that black and white, 2) most nutrition studies are woefully crappy science, and 3) the woefully crappy science is funded by special interests that want the science to say something specific. But most importantly, welcome to the world where 99% of the US population simply doesn’t give a damn.

And there, my friends, is your untapped market.” Read More….

How’s That Low-Grain Thing Going?

I’ve gotten this question a few times in the last couple of weeks, and the truth is that it’s a mixed bag. While I appreciate Paleo people’s commitment, my body prefers low meat and some grains. I have succeeded in cutting down on grains a good bit, but they’re not coming out of our diet completely. Why? Well..

1. My body doesn’t do the whole high-meat or high-protein thing and never has. I’ve tried a variety of different styles of eating, and it’s pretty clear that what my body wants is lots of vegetables, some quality meat, and a bit of whole grains. I was, indeed, eating too much grain this past year, but taking it out puts my body into fits.

2. It’s incredibly expensive. We prefer to eat quality meats (local, grass-fed, etc.), eggs, dairy, and vegetables (organic when possible). Grains can really help extend those things, because it’s just more than we can afford to do without them.

I have had some nice results from cutting down on grains in terms of visible musle mass, but I was also hungry ALL THE TIME, no matter how much I ate or what else I ate when I cut them out completely. I was tired and had a difficult time getting enough calories in to support my crazy lifestyle and workout schedule(when I did this with beans, cheese, nuts, etc., I just felt sick). I did do it for a while anyway, and sucked it up; but, in the long run, all the negatives weren’t worth it for us. Adding a bit of grain back in, but a lot less than we’ve been eating, seems to work well.

So, that’s where we’re at: small amounts of grains a few times a week, and almost never for breakfast or lunch for me (Thadd isn’t holding to this–he’s got a different body and metabolism). And, that’s how it’s going!