Some Articles to Check Out!

Just because you should...


Did you know that pizza is a vegetable?  I certainly didn't.  But it's considered a vegetable in our schools because of the minuscule tomato paste content, and Congress wants to keep it that way.  My question: how can we teach children to make smart food choices if we tell them such misguided information about the food they are served at school lunch?


A wheat-free diet is definitely getting more medical attention.  I'm excited to check out Wheat Belly and see what else William Davis says about the harmful effects of processed grains.  Big points go to the fact that he points out that the way wheat is now bred and grown is particularly harmful: "This isn’t your great grandmother’s wheat—or waistline—we’re talking about. Amounts of wheat’s destructive compounds have increased over the past 50 years as the grain has been hybridized and crossbred to be resistant to drought and fungi, produce higher yields per acre, result in better baking consistency, and cost less to produce. Not surprisingly, the increase in wheat in the American diet parallels obesity rates that have nearly tripled since 1960."


According to the USDA, sales of locally grown foods are up!  Local foods are healthier for our  bodies and for the environment since they leave a smaller carbon footprint -- a win/win situation.  And it's so nice to have a personal relationship with the person who sells you your vegetables.   Jump on the bandwagon and find a local farmers market or CSA here.


And finally, it's about time we bring back the local butcher and learn to savor truly excellent cuts of meat.


What have you checked out in the news lately?

How Pregnancy Cravings Work...

... at least for me.

A few weeks ago, at our Saturday trip to the farmers' market, as my husband and I purchased our lovely grassfed beef and local produce, I caught a whiff of the bagels from a stand.  All of a sudden, I needed to have one.

Me: Husband, I need a bagel immediately.
Husband: Really?  Do you even like bagels?  You haven't had one in awhile.
Me:  Yes, I know, but I need one now.
(Approach bagel stand)
Me: No, I probably shouldn't.
Husband:  There's nothing nutritious about them.  You don't need one.
Me:  You're right.  I've been Primal for so long.  I don't know what came over me.
(Leave market)
Me: I should have gotten a bagel.
Husband: (Shakes head).  Do you want to go back for one?
Me: No, no, no, it's okay.  Let's just get some coffee.

(Yes, I drink coffee pregnant, and yes, some caffeine is safe.  I usually do a cup or a cup and a half a day.  Sometimes I drink regular; sometimes I drink decaf.)

After each trip to the market, my husband and I ritualistically walk to our local Dunkin' Donuts for some coffee with milk.  A small iced is my preferred drink of choice; my husband prefers hot coffee but drinks iced in the summer.  I used to be the girl who drank at least three cups of coffee a day, so cutting back to a small took some adjusting, but I've managed just fine.

Once in DD, I start eyeing the bagels.
Me: Do I want a bagel?
Husband:  If you want one, get one.
Me: Nah, it's okay.  I don't think they even really taste that great.
Husband: You sure?
Me: Yes, yes, I'm fine.

(Leave Dunkin' Donuts and walk home)

Me: I should have gotten a bagel.
Husband: (shrugs).

We proceed to make a fabulous breakfast of bacon and eggs, get the kitchen organized, and decide to head to the CrossFit Regionals.  As we get in the car and start driving off, I turn to him and say:
Me: I really need a bagel.
Husband: Are you sure?
Me: Yes.  Please.  It's urgent.  I don't know what I'm ever going to do if I don't get a bagel now!
Husband sighs, and we park the car at Bruegger's.  I dash inside and order an everything bagel, toasted with cream cheese.  My husband orders one too.  I impatiently pace the store floor as I wait for my bagel to be toasted and greedily snatch it out of the hands of the clerk when he gives it to me.  We get into the car and I dive into bagel as quickly as possible.  Tears are practically streaming down my face, I'm so happy.  It's a euphoric moment.

A few minutes pass.

Husband: That bagel really wasn't very good.
Me: What are you talking about?!?!?!? That's the best thing I've eaten in forever!

So folks, I really wish I could be that person who was a super clean pregnant eater.  I confess, I'm not.  Sometimes, the cravings are so overwhelming, I don't know what to do but to give in.

So, my general rule of thumb is to still eat a primarily Primal diet, and limit a big craving to one a day.  Sometimes I have more; sometimes I stick to Primal.  It really depends on the day (and dare I blame this little Peanut?)

But, I try to make sure I always have food on me to try and offset a craving (Larabars can be my best friend at times).  I also try to take it one day at a time.  I don't eat bagels everyday, nor do I eat flour on a consistent basis.  I just try to find a happy medium that will work for me right now.  I'm confident that I will go back to my previous eating habits.

I think these cravings come, in part,  from not sleeping well.  While I've been fortunate enough to not have morning sickness, I became quite the insomniac during my first trimester.  Sugar and processed grains probably gave a quick and dirty insulin boost to keep me going, even though I mentally know those won't have great effects over the long term.  But sometimes, it's hard to convince your body of that.

But man, that bagel was pretty awesome.

My beef with gluten (recipe included)

Trying to figure out what to eat is a daunting process.  As Americans, we are constantly flooded with messages regarding what's appropriate (and what's not appropriate) to consume.  Swap whole fat yogurt for low-fat.  Substitute butter for margarine, or is it margarine for butter, or is it I Can't Believe It's Not Butter? High carb is the way to go.  Lay off the meat.  Actually, it's Weight Watchers/Jenny Craig (depending on the celebrity spokeswoman of the weekend).  Perhaps eating Subway sandwiches will bring the key to being healthy.  Acai is definitely the only way to get a flatter belly.  Without a doubt, we are a nation of fads, willing to pay lots of money to put in as little effort as possible when it comes to health.  If we don't lose ten pounds in the first two weeks, magazines send messages that we are failures at being fit and thin, and we quickly fall of the wagon.  It's all quite disheartening and confusing.

For the past several months, I've been trying to define what health and healthy eating means.  And I am starting to realize that eating food in it's most natural state is the best way to go, but I don't think it's always easy to understand why or to always follow through with it.  Part of the problem stems from the fact that (and I speak for my 20-something generation) we've had pretty bad information about healthy eating.  What has been defined as 'healthy' has been designated by companies with clever marketing campaigns.  Counting calories as a means to weight loss and health was always the (most recent) preferred method to measure health success, and it was easy for companies to exploit the calorie outlet.  100 Calorie Packs -- you little demons.  For years, you convinced me to eat a pack or two of you a day.  I greedily scarfed down those buttery Lorna Doones and those Mister Salty chocolate covered pretzels.  Chocolate + salt + carb = magic, I thought.  These little guys were the key to my health and happiness, and would make me thin.  It was the best of both worlds -- I could eat crap and still look great!  Blessed Nabisco for such a great product. 

Gosh, I was so ignorant and ill-informed.  I counted calories, bought packaged products, trusted things like Smart Choices labels, believed I was doing the "right thing," and never saw much permanent change in my body.  And I certainly didn't feel any different.  Check out the nutrition information for Lorna Doones here.  Quite honestly, I'm not really sure I know what's in Lorna Doones, but I still ate them.  Was I healthy?  What does healthy mean?

Through everything I now read (I owe everyone some major Michael Pollan blogging!) and the more time I spend musing about my health, it's clear to me that humans are intended to eat foods found in nature.  Wonder Bread came into existence in 1924 and Lucky Charms was first marketed in 1964, and while I might not have my dates right, it seems like people were able to eat before the inception of such food products.  Like, a long, long time before.  So, why should I think there is something wrong with the foods that people ate earlier, before the creation of McDonalds?  Why should I get my vitamins and minerals from fortified Lucky Charms when I could get it from something like, I don't know, spinach and apples?

When I decided to attempt to cut gluten out of my life, I really don't know if I could tell you why I did it. And yes, there are days when I think I want nothing more than a fudgy brownie.  But should I replace processed gluten-filled foods with processed non-gluten foods?  I really don't think that's the best answer.  I think my beef with gluten is less about gluten than it is about processed foods.  And let's face it, most foods with gluten are highly, highly processed (and yes, pasta counts as highly processed).  And right now, I don't feel a need to eat barley and oats.  It's getting off the Oreos that's hard, but not impossible, and actually quite rewarding.  Study after study proves that no matter how you package it or size it, processed foods are not the answer to health.  So, that takes me back to my original point: getting to be healthy is about eating food that looks and tastes like natural food.  And that's my goal.

(recipe for this butternut squash is below!)

And with that said, the more and more I think about food, the more my perspective on what constitutes good, delicious food had changed.  I am forced to consider food purchasing and preparation more carefully and have had to broaden my food horizons to keep my taste buds interested.  And through all of it, I find that I'm definitely more of a foodie than just someone who eats Hot Pockets because it's the convenient package in the freezer.  I'm redefining "fast food."  And, through it all, I'm starting to enjoy food a whole lot more.  But more on this to come.

Musings:  check out this link from the Summer Tomato about Whole Grains vs. Intact Grains.  I found it informative and helpful, and it solidifies my belief that processed foods are no good for our us.

Secondly, my husband and I have finally decided to make eating grass-fed meats and farmers' markets produce a part of our food lives and are musing with the idea of starting our own herb and vegetable garden.  More to come!

And finally, this new lifestyle has forced me to be much more creative.  Last night, I made butternut squash that we had purchased at the Winter Farmers Market.  To make it, I used what I had on hand: olive oil, sea salt, ginger, and cinnamon.  After peeling and dicing the squash, I put it in a bowl, coated it with olive oil, sprinkled on cinnamon and ginger (mostly cinnamon, although I wish I had had more ginger), popped it on a cookie sheet at 400 degrees for about 35 minutes, took it out, sprinkled it with sea salt, and voila!  Veggies for dinner were done.  

Alright, I've been mostly known to kill plants, not get them to grow.  But what foods and herbs should my husband and I try to grow in our tiny backyard garden?