Diabetes Doesn't Have to be Part of a Complete Breakfast

I have said it before, but it bears repeating: the single, most effective change in your diet is changing your breakfast.  It is the simplest change to implement and starts your day on the right path.  Change your breakfast first.


Let's discuss why a change is necessary.  What makes the traditional American complete breakfast so wrong?


Read this article from the Santa Cruz Sentinel.  Did it make you scream like me?  Shouldn't educators know better?  ARGH!  Here are some gems:

Waffles might soon be on the menu at two Watsonville elementary schools, if the Pajaro Valley Unified School District gets $27,000 in state grants they've applied for to improve their breakfast programs.

and:

 The kids could munch on yogurt, muffins, string cheese and waffles while teachers take attendance.

the kicker:

 "It definitely won't be doughnuts," she said. "We want to provide a nutritious breakfast."

THIS is why there is a problem, Houston.  Educators can't see that waffles (drenched in syrup of course) and muffins (especially if they are whole grain and/or contain sugared fruit) AREN'T a better choice than doughnuts.  Can the protein and fat (how much do you want to bet the yogurt and cheese will be reduced-fat?) in the pasteurized, grain-fed dairy even come close to balancing out that refined sugar?  Can you see why there might be such high incidence of ADHD amongst children fed so much sugar?  Doesn't it irk you that the educators who should know better don't have a clue? *screaming at the top of my lungs with frustration!!!*


You Call This Complete?


Okay, so why not feed kids what everyone tells us to: cereal and milk?  You have all seen the commercials; they're part of a complete breakfast.  A bowl of cereal alongside a piece of fruit, toast, glass of OJ, and glass of milk.  Classic.  Breakfast cereal as our morning staple has been inGRAINed in our culture for over a century.  Let's balance the books on the "complete breakfast" and discuss why this is NOT optimal fuel for anyone--especially kids!

1 cup of let's say a middle of the road cereal like Cornflakes (probably too bland for most kids, but let's err on the side of seemingly less sugary breakfast cereal)
Fat: 0g, Carb minus Fiber: 23g, Protein: 2g    Zone Blocks:  2.5 Carb

(here is my source for nutrition facts and Zone diet lists like this are useful based on the 3g of Fat per block, 7g of Protein per block, and 9g of Carbohydrate per block--usually taking only the highest macronutrient of a food)

1/2 cup of 1% milk    Zone Blocks:  0.5 Protein and 0.5 Carbohydrate (combo food)  (we are using "healthier" 1% fat milk since we all know that fat is bad but skim milk tastes like water)

1 banana     Zone Blocks: 3 Carb  

1 cup orange juice     Zone Blocks: 3 Carb  

1 cup 1% milk  Zone Blocks:  1 Protein and 1 Carb    


1 slice of classic Wonder bread  Zone Blocks: 2 Carb


1T jam  Zone Blocks: 0.5 Carb (because we all know that butter is bad and high fructose corn syrup-laden jam is SO much healthier--hey, its fruit, right?)

Zone Block Totals for this "Complete Breakfast": Fat: 0  Protein: 1.5  Carbohydrate: 12.5


Even worse, let's cut out the cereal and feed our kids a "nutritious" waffle breakfast with each waffle at 2 Carbohydrate blocks and 2tsp syrup accounting for each additional Carb block.  Two waffles with a modest 2T of syrup delivers 7 blocks of Carbohydrate with NO fat and NO protein.  That atrocity isn't even taking into account the heavy processing and high fructose corn syrup.  Sound nutritious?

Results of the Complete Breakfast:

1.  Quick energy followed by a crash soon after--ever feel like a mid-morning nap?  Perhaps this "complete" breakfast is one reason why we have such a coffee addiction...

2.  Lack of concentration--you are on a hormone roller coaster, good luck staying focused!  According to the Zone diet, a balance of protein, fat, and carbohydrates is essential to balance your hormones and give you and even keel.  This makes sense to me--I have definitely felt sleepy after a huge pancake breakfast or pasta meal.  Imagine how the kids feel flying high on sugar from breakfast!

3.  Hungry within hours--since this meal was so overbalanced with carbs, you'll be hungry soon after.  There is no satiety here.  A breakfast deficient in fat spells hunger since fat is what slows down your digestion and promotes satiety.  Don't get me started on how much the non-fat movement is misinformed, unhealthy, and downright dangerous...

4.  Cranky and moody--yup, more perks of the hormonal roller coaster!

5.  Insulin resistance--since you gave your body a nice megadose of sugar to deal with good luck not overreacting to all subsequent foods you eat.  See more system mechanics here.

6.  Fat storage--the excess carbohydrate must go somewhere after you fill up your muscle and liver cells.  Guess where?

Let's get to know our pal, Glucose

Glucose is a fuel for the body.  Your body needs it and your brain can't function without it.  It is a simple sugar that all carbohydrate sources break down into.  The speed of carbohydrate digestion (breaking a carbohydrate down into its constituents) depends upon the chemical bonds between the sugars that make up the carbohydrate and the presence of fat, which slows the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream.  The bloodstream is where is all goes down: glucose enters, the hormone insulin is released to get it out into the cells before its levels become toxic and lead to all sorts of nasties.  Glucose is used for energy in muscle and liver cells, but excess is stored in fat cells, making you fatter.  Thus, too much carbohydrate makes you fat.  But that is a story for another day.  Read Pasta Sans Pasta for more information about glucose and blood sugar.

What Glucose Means To Your Body: The Glycemic Index

The glycemic index measures how quickly glucose enters your bloodstream after you ingest a food item.  Quick transfer means your body has an insulin crisis on its hands.  The glycemic index is based upon a scale where pure glucose is 100 for 50g of pure carbohydrate to rank its rapid transfer from your digestive system to your bloodstream compared to 50g of carbohydrate in other foods.  Another lesser-used standard used is white bread, which would be set at 100 and glucose would then be 140 (funny when you realize bread is nothing but sugar to your body).  Either way, shoot for foods below 50 to have a lower glycemic diet.  These foods tax your body less and don't put you on a hormonal roller coaster.  What carbohydrates are low glycemic?  Most fruits and veggies (tropical fruit and root veggies are exceptions).  The more you process and refine a source, the worse it becomes.  For example, take table sugar (sucrose) at an average of 68 on the glycemic index.  With glycemic indices of 42 (All-Bran) to 113 (New Zealand's Fruity-Bix), seemingly healthy breakfast cereals are as bad or worse than sucrose to your body.  Let me say that again since it is so important: processing grains makes them as sugary or even more sugary to your body as pure sugar.

Limitations: the glycemic index measures carbohydrates and their glucose entering the bloodstream, so it doesn't apply well to protein or fat.  Also, it measures 50 grams of carbohydrate of the food in question, which may be quite a hefty quantity of some foods and nowhere near appropriate serving size.  Finally, everyone's body is different, so I suggest you try to figure out your own responses to foods to see how they effect you.  HOWEVER, this doesn't mean that since you have been eating bread forever and have never felt anything wrong there is no reason to give it up.  WRONG!  Try going without grains for 2 weeks.  Then, introduce grains back in and see what happens.  If you really went cold turkey on all grains, then you'll likely get sick from eating them again or at the very least have a terrific carb hangover the next day.  Bleary, puffy eyes, crankiness, congestion or drippiness, repetitive snooze button pressing: these are the gifts of grain.  Good luck taking back bread/rice/pasta and re-entering the grain-induced coma.  Dude, I get a sniffle just from eating rice!  Seriously!

To summarize: the glycemic index measures how fast carbohydrates in food are broken down into their constituent sugars during digestion so that the sugar glucose enters the bloodstream.  Values close to 100 spike your blood sugar rapidly, while those lower on the scale are less likely to overload your bloodstream because they are entering at a rate insulin can handle.  Shoot for foods below 50 to have a lower glycemic diet.

Here is a comprehensive website listing of foods and their glycemic values from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Here is a searchable database for looking up different foods.

Let's look at our complete breakfast above for how it tallies in glycemic index:

Cornflakes      Glycemic Index: 92 (from this chart's USA value)

Milk               Glycemic Index: 11-41 for skim milk to full fat
(since there is no 1% milk from the USA in the database)
Banana        Glycemic Index: 51  
Orange Juice     Glycemic Index: 52  
Bread (say Wonder bread)  Glycemic Index: 73
(believe it or not, this is middle of the road for all breads, even whole wheat)
Jam (say Strawberry)  Glycemic Index: 51

and our nutritious alternative:
Aunt Jemima waffles  Glycemic Index: 76
Maple flavored syrup  Glycemic Index: 68

Another Layer of Complexity

The glycemic index only gives a partial picture of food since it doesn't account for portion size.  The glycemic load is another scale that takes into account portion size with the idea that consuming low quantity of high glycemic food has the same effect on the blood as higher quantity of lower glycemic food.  It is calculated by quantity of carbohydrate in the food (minus the fiber) in grams times glycemic index value divided by 100 (the last step is optional and some GL values are given in numbers greater than 500).  When divided by 100, the numbers are lower than the GI scale. Values of 10 or less are considered low and values 20 and greater are high.  Some foods that are high on the glycemic index are lower when you take into account how much carbohydrate is in them--this includes high glycemic fruits filled with water and fiber (ex. watermelon with a glycemic index of 72 but only a glycemic load of 4).  Not surprisingly, the concentrated sugars in dates and raisins place them high on both glycemic scales.

For the most part, foods we should avoid anyway that are high on the glycemic index also have a high glycemic load.  Most fruits and vegetables are low are both scales.  The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition's listing also provides glycemic load values on its chart.

Check out the chart for the GI and GL of common foods.  Notice those "healthy" cereals that are part of a "complete" breakfast.  Nice to know that sugar is part of a complete breakfast.

Let's look at our complete breakfast above for how it tallies in glycemic load (remember, values of 10 or less are considered low glycemic load):

Cornflakes      Glycemic Load: 24 (from this chart's USA value)

Milk               Glycemic Load: 1-5 for skim milk to full fat 
(since there is no 1% milk from the USA in the database)

Banana        Glycemic Load: 13

Orange Juice     Glycemic Load: 12
Bread (say Wonder bread)  Glycemic Load: 10
Jam (say Strawberry)  Glycemic Load: 10


and our nutritious alternative:

Aunt Jemima waffles  Glycemic Load: 10
Maple flavored syrup  Glycemic Load: 15


So, what are high glycemic foods?

Grains are!  Most breads come in at 40-75 on the glycemic index (5-12 GL), pastas 45-60 (15-30+ GL), and grain-based breakfast cereals are almost laughable: not only are their glycemic indices close to (even exceeding!) 100, but their glycemic loads are reaching and exceeding 20.


Here are some examples:
71 GI / 18 GL  for Golden Grahams (I used to eat those like chips and devour a whole box in a day!)
76 GI / 17 GL for Total (more like Totally sugar--I thought this was a bland, healthy, adult cereal!)
74 GI / 15 GL for Cheerios (the "heart healthy" food)
89 GI / 23 GL for plain, old Rice Chex!

82 GI / 22 GL for Rice Crispies (snap, crackle, pop!  is that the sound of your insulin?)
Can you believe that Special K (69 GI/14 GL) is basically the same as Fruit Loops (69 GI/18 GL) to your body?


As a college kid, I thought that eating cheap cereal was great because it was fortified and "healthy" enough to be my 3 meals a day!  OMG


Some grains and legumes are a mixed bag: some low, some high, but really not ideal when you take into account antinutrients, gluten, and lectin (see Pasta Sans Pasta for more discussion about these).

The next highest glycemic index foods are root veggies like starches and some fruits, mainly tropical varieties.  For example, corn (54 GI/ 9 GL), carrots (47 GI/ 3 GL), beets (64 GI/ 5 GL), potatoes (50-80+ GI/ 10-20+ GL), and sweet potatoes (61 GI/ 17 GL).  We already covered fruits and their lower proportion of carbohydrate accounting for a lower glycemic load in most cases.  Here are some examples: apples (38/6), grapefruit (25/3), grapes (46/8), mango (51/8), orange and peach (42/5), and strawberries (40/1).  Starches (including grains, pasta, and potatoes) are the storage form of energy in plants.  Your digestive enzymes rapidly convert starches to glucose, hence their high glycemic index values.  Preparation and types of starches can effect their glycemic index quite significantly, but safe to say they are medium to high regardless.  Check out our discussion of sweet potatoes from a previous post.

Besides root and starchy vegetables, other vegetables are not listed on the glycemic index or load charts.  This is because they have so little carbohydrate content that one would have to eat an enormous amount to get any glycemic rating.  So you can eat your veggies guilt free!

Lesson Learned?

Eat your fruit and veggies.  Eat high glycemic root veggies, fruits, and other starches in moderation.  Sadly the "complete breakfast" is a money making myth propagated by mega corporations to sell their sugary products.  And to whom do they advertise to seal the deal?  Children, who can pressure their parents and keep the myth alive from generation to generation.  From the article on school breakfasts, it looks like these companies have done a great job duping the general public and educators alike.


But now you know better.  A REAL complete breakfast is balanced fat, carbohydrate, and protein consisting of real, whole foods (if anything, we've learned to err on the side of lower carbohydrate quantity, NEVER higher).  Our paleo-style prescription of eating meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, no sugar, no grains, no legumes, and little to no dairy holds water when applied to the glycemic scales.  And now you know why it says "some fruit" and not all you can eat.  There is more to this story with type of sugar and the evils of fructose, but we'll save that for next time, Gadget, next time.


In the meantime, here is my fruit for the day.  After this, it is all veggies.  To some, this may be more morning sugar than they can take, and since everyone is different, I suggest you experiment to see what your body thrives upon.  This is sweet enough for the sugar-fiend inside me, but chock full on antioxidants and insulin-boosting Ceylon cinnamon.   Delicious!

Hot Apple Berry Cinnamon Breakfast
So syrupy sweet with cinnamon spice--it fragrances the house and warms your belly!
Cooking Time: start to finish less than 10 minutes


Ingredients:
1 apple  (medium to large or 2 tiny ones), sliced into bite-sized slivers
1/2 to 1 cup frozen berries
Ceylon cinnamon


Method:
Toss apple slices with plenty of cinnamon in a microwavable bowl or on a microwavable plate.  Microwave uncovered for 2 minutes.  Remove, add berries (still frozen, right from the freezer bag is fine).  Dash cinnamon on top.  Microwave another 2 minutes until berries are warm and syrupy.  Remove, dust again with cinnamon if desired (and I ALWAYS desire).  Stir to combine and feast upon this warm, fruity delight!  And for extra deliciousness, drizzle in any remaining cooking fat from the breakfast skillet.  Yum!




My Complete Breakfast breakdown:
2 egg   Fat: 2  Protein 2  GI: 10 (from here)  GL?
1 Aidells chicken apple sausage   Protein: 2B (unknown GI, GL)
1T coconut oil    Fat: 4B  (unknown GI, GL)
1 apple    Carb: 2B  GI: 38  GL: 6
1/2c berries   Carb: 1B  GI: 32 (from here) GL:?

Zone Block Totals: Fat: 6  Protein: 4  Carbohydrate: 3  with GIs all under 50 and GLs all under 10 (for those that are known, and from what we have learned above, it seems reasonable to assume that the others are in this range too).  Although not perfectly Zone, it works for me for my goals since I am trying to go low-carb and fuel myself on fat!
My results: no hunger for 5 hours, superb concentration and focus, high energy, clear head, motivation, and most importantly: happiness!
Give it a try!




Final Thought:
Knowledge is power and with great power comes great responsibility.  So what are you going to do with this knowledge?

Cereal

Cauliflower Rice

Rice is nice when you crave a grainy consistency.  Sticky or fluffy, it bulks up your meal and adds a great texture component.  Rice may be touted as healthy, especially if it is brown or wild, but really, who are they kidding?  Unfortunately, just about everyone.

I have heard the argument that kids need grains.  They are "good" for them.  What can you get out of a grain that you can't get tenfold from vegetables, fruit, and meat?  Name me something other than digestive problems.  Don't think you have digestive problems with grain?  Try giving it up for two weeks, cold turkey, then go right back to eating your bread, pasta, and rice.  See how it feels to clean out your system and reintroduce an irritant.  Chances are highly in my favor that you won't be fine.

Why No Rice?


Rice is a grain.  White rice is a highly refined carbohydrate, meaning it is processed to make it more digestible.   Doesn't that say something right there?  If we have to process something to eat it, should we be eating it?  That is one of the reasons behind arguments against tubers (they have to be cooked to be eaten).  There is definitely more to argue here, but trying to consume less processed foods is a step in the right direction.

White rice has lost most of its nutrient value since its outer layers have been stripped away.  But lectins and antinutrients are still prevalent.  According to the "Nutritional Quality of Cereals" chapter of Fermented Cereals: a Global Perspective, grains mess with your enzymes, chemicals needed for chemical reactions vital to your bodily processes.  The enzyme inhibitors found in rice are concentrated in the bran (i.e. what brown rice retains) and interfere with digestion causing problems with the pancreas (where insulin is made) and disrupting amino acid utilization.  The kicker: these enzyme inhibitors are heat stable, meaning they stick around after cooking.

According to Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes, a prominent reference detailing the problems with refined carbohydrates, a British researcher and retired physician of the British Royal Navy, named Thomas Cleave, tried to warn the medical community in the 1960s.  He found a trend that societies who left their traditional foods and adopted a carbohydrate staple such as sugar, white rice, and white flour were set on a disastrous path.  With these refined grains came cavities and periodontal disease then obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.  Refining grains increases their digestibility, which means a blood sugar spike as they are quickly broken down into glucose.  It also means they can easily be over-eaten since they are refined down and more concentrated.  Look at the Zone blocks of rice (brown or white): 1/5 of a cup.  That is just over 3 tablespoons.  Is it worth it?

Rice is also high glycemic.  On a scale where 100 is white sugar or pure glucose, white rice averages 64, long grain white rice at 56, brown rice averages at 55,  and even wild rice receives a 54.  High glycemic foods are 50 and higher, meaning they easily break down into glucose and flood your blood, spiking your blood sugar dangerously.

While glycemic index numbers around 50 might not convince you, glycemic load values should.  Glycemic index values measure how fast a carbohydrate breaks down into glucose, which floods the bloodstream.  Glycemic load takes into account quantity of carbohydrate in a food to give a more complete picture.  For example, while watermelon is sugary and high glycemic at 103, it is also full of water and has less carbohydrate content, so its glycemic load is really low at 4.  Your best bet is to eat foods low on both scales, and more often than not, foods low on the glycemic index also have a low glycemic load, which  means values of 10 or less (20 or more are considered high).

The glycemic load of rice is much more nefarious than its glycemic index.  White rice and long grain white rice share the same number: 23.  Wild rice and brown rice both have glycemic loads of 18.  Most rice glycemic loads were extremely high, though.  How about a glycemic load of 60 for boiled white low-amylose rice from Turkey or 46 for rice cooker prepared jasmine rice?  Look for yourself on this comprehensive international table of glycemic index and glycemic load values.    

Think your kids still need grains to be healthy?  Probably not, but that might not be the problem.  Many people just fall back on grains because they feel they have few alternatives.  Try this: Cauliflower Rice.  Cauliflower works perfectly as a rice substitute.  It can be sticky with the right addition of liquid or fluffy when sauteed just like the Uncle Ben's commercial's advertised.  Frustrated your kids won't eat veggies? Here is one they will devour.

Why Cauliflower?

Cauliflower is a clean palate in the world of veggies.  It has little of its own flavor, but loves to soak in that of its sauces and spices.  It also has a great ability to be tossed in the food processor and come out in rice-like kernels similar to the pasta variety of couscous.

Cauliflower is chock full of nutrients.  It is one of Barry Sear's top 100 Zone foods for being filling, high in fiber, low in calories, and vitamin rich.  It has your recommended dosage of vitamin C in just one cup.  Its heart helping nutrients, folate and vitamin B6, break down homocysteine, an artery damaging chemical.  Its phytonutrients also protect against cancer.  One study found that combining the spice turmeric with cauliflower leads to protection again prostate cancer and slows its growth, perhaps accounting for the low incidence of prostate cancer among men in India.  

Rapid cooking keeps the nutrients intact and avoids mushiness or sulfurous compounds that can make cauliflower bitter and smelly.  Cauliflower is in the same family of vegetables as cabbage and kale, so it has similar health benefits.  So what can I do with it?  Read on!

Kristy's Cauliflower Rice
This will take your love of rice dishes to a new level.  Have fun experimenting!
Zone Blocks: 4 cups of cooked cauliflower (in floret form) is one block.  Eat your fill!

1 medium head of cauliflower per diner

Hardware:
chef's knife
cutting board
spatula or rubber scraper
food processor
salad spinner
large bowl

Cut the cauliflower into florets of medium size (no need to cut down to small ones, but the food processor doesn't like them too large either).  Yes, this is messy and I always get particles of cauliflower all over the counter, floor, my clothing...  It is the price for home-made goodness.

Wash the florets and do a quick scan for little buggies that enjoy hiding in the nooks and crannies.  Spin the florets in a salad spinner or dry some archaic method.  Plop a handful into your food processor (DO NOT load up your food processor--believe me--you'll be scooping out the unbroken florets to repulse in two batches anyway) and pulse til you break up the big chunks (probably less than 10 pulses).  Then, hold down the button and continue to process until the cauliflower rises up the sides of the processor and the blade just spins uselessly, just a minute.  I love how the cauliflower itself determines the right consistency--no need to fuss.  It tells you when it is done by rising up the sides away from the blade.  Scoop out the rice into your bowl, replace the blade that likely fell out too, and repeat.

Continue to work through your cauliflower in batches.  I know this is tedious and you might be tempted to load up the food processor, but don't unless you want that challenge of trying to scoop out large chunks amongst the processed rice to reprocess them.  Not worth it, man.  Not worth it.  

Once done, you are ready to cook.  Basically, the rice just needs heating and time to mesh with some spices.  It can be ready in 10 minutes or less.  If you like your rice sticky and clumpy, try adding liquid to the cooking method you use.  The rice comes out fluffy with sautéing.  Try using your cauliflower rice in any rice dish (just remember to cook it first)!  Below are some cooking options that I have enjoyed:

Cooking Options: 

Cilantro-Lime Curry Rice

Delicious Indian spices with a citrus kick.

ingredients:
Kristy's Cauliflower Rice for 2
1/4 C chopped cilantro
1 lime, cut in half (more if desired)
curry powder
turmeric
garlic powder
salt
coconut oil
optional: instead of powdered garlic, use chopped garlic and grated fresh ginger and add them with the other spices
also optional: like your rice more sticky? add some chicken broth while cooking to clump it

Prepare the Kristy's Cauliflower Rice above.  Then, heat a skillet over medium heat and add the coconut oil.  Up to you how much, but a tablespoon will probably do.  Once hot, add the spices (start with a tablespoon of curry powder, turmeric, and garlic and a pinch of salt if desired).  Give them a moment to get fragrant, then, add the cauliflower rice and mix well.  I have had success with adding it in batches since there is too much rice to mix at once.  Taste and add more spices if desired.  You want to warm the rice without making it mushy (or add some chicken broth if mushy is your goal), so it should be done in 10min or less.  Once done, squeeze half a lime over the top and stir in chopped cilantro.  Taste and add more lime as needed.  The lime really adds a great flavor kick, awaking the spices and flavors.

Serving suggestions:
Add any cooked meat to the rice or serve beside it.  We have had great success with scallops and shrimp (just saute in coconut oil).  It also pairs great with fish, especially when prepared using a recipe with the same spices.

NOTE: the above picture is of the following rice recipe prior to adding the shrimp, but since it looks pretty much the same as Cilantro-Lime Curry Rice, I used its picture.

Indian Spiced Paella
This recipe came about when trying to make the rice above but finding out with horror that I was out of curry powder, as I was cooking.  So I grabbed other spices that looked good and came out with something quite tasty.  


ingredients:

Kristy's Cauliflower Rice for 2

two servings of uncooked, cleaned shrimp (however much you want to eat; tails on or off)

1/4 C chopped cilantro

1 lime, cut in half (more if desired)

coriander

turmeric

dried onion (or regular onion, chopped)

chili powder

garlic 6 cloves (or more), chopped and split into two equal piles

ginger, about 1-inch segment, grated or chopped finely, to get about the same amount as the garlic, split into two equal piles

salt

coconut oil

Prepare your garlic and ginger first--too often have I overheated a pan during preparation taking longer than expected.  Heat coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat and add one pile of the garlic and ginger and the spices: one tablespoon each of turmeric, coriander, dried onion, chili powder (this one is up to you), plus a pinch of salt if desired.  Give them a moment to get fragrant, then add the rice and mix throughly.  Taste and add more spices if desired.  You want to warm the rice without making it mushy, so it should be done in 10min or less (or, if mushy is your goal, add some chicken broth).  Once done, squeeze half a lime over the top and stir in chopped cilantro.  Taste and add more lime as needed.  Scoop cooked rice into a bowl and clean out your skillet.

Now for the shrimp.  Add more coconut oil and the remaining piles of garlic and ginger to your skillet placed back over medium heat.  Once fragrant, add your shrimp and get your tongs ready.  Shrimp cook fast, so give them a minute and start flipping.  You are looking for white, opaque color and pinkness in the tails (if you left them on).  Treat each shrimp individually, don't wait for the whole batch to turn.  Once you think a shrimp is done, both sides, get it out fast.  Shrimp overcook in a heartbeat, so err on the side of "I think this looks done" rather than "Yup, that is definitely done."  They will continue to cook a little when you toss them in the hot rice, which of course, is the last step!

Enjoy your paleo feast!


Pesto Rice (check back for the recipe coming soon!)

Cauliflower

Pasta Sans Pasta

Nothing beats a heaping bowl of spaghetti when you want something filling, simple, and comforting.  I have the perfect substitution for pasta that is BETTER than pasta.

Here are just a few of the problems with wheat pasta (Disclaimer: this is MY take on the information out there I have gathered through my CrossFit Nutrition Certification by Robb Wolf, my biology and physical anthropology degrees, books on diet and health, and my internet searches.  I am NOT a biochemist, but I want to try to explain things as I understand them hopefully in a way YOU understand and can benefit from):

1.  It contains wheat, which is a grain, which has lectins and gluten that screw up your digestive system making it difficult to digest and absorb nutrients.  Grains put your digestive system in a state of battle with the food you are ingesting.  Gluten is sticky and lines your gut, promoting harmful bacteria growth and decreasing your ability to absorb useful vitamins, minerals, and nutrients into your bloodstream.  Plus, now your immune system has to fight that bacteria.  Lectins are mild toxins found in grains that inhibit the repair processes in your gut and leave the door open for particles from your gut to leak into the bloodstream.  These foreign particles illicit an immune response from your body to search out and destroy them.  Autoimmune disorders can result from an overtaxed immune system.  It is no wonder most of us are gluten sensitive to some degree and even if you think you are "fine," try going without them for two weeks and then reintroducing them.  They will likely make you sick in a not so pleasant way.

2.  Grains have a very high glycemic load.  They are sugar in disguise and release a ton of glucose (a simple sugar that all carbohydrate is broken down into) into your bloodstream, which forces your body to release insulin, a hormone whose job it is to get glucose out of your blood and into your muscle and liver cells as an energy source.  Once they are full, the overflow of sugar going to those cells must be stored  instead.  So excess carbohydrate becomes FAT.  Your body tries desperately to get glucose out of your bloodstream and into cells because it is toxic there--it binds to proteins and clogs arteries.  The cycle of fat storage is made worse by the fact that insult inhibits a fat-burning enzyme, lipase, so you can't use your fat for energy as efficiently.

A constant overflow of sugar also makes you insulin resistant, which means it takes more and more insulin to get the same response as if you had a lower glycemic diet.  This is because your body is trying to squish more glucose into cells that say "no vacancy," so more insulin is released to find other places to stick it, which are fat cells.  Your body learns that to get the glucose out of your blood it takes more and more insulin, so it releases more each time.  The production of insulin by your pancreas isn't cheap and high levels of it in your bloodstream are toxic, leading to more problems such as arterial clogging plague and cancer cell proliferation.   The disastrous cascade goes on and on...

Thus, by ingesting foods with high glycemic loads like grains, you are essentially breaking your digestive system and making its use of nutrients for energy less efficient.  And guess what happens when you crash after eating too much sugar--you get tired and hungry again.

3.  It isn't very nutritious.  The nutrients are bound up inside it and isn't a good source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber compared to going to the source: veggies.  Even meat has more available vitamins and far outweighs grains as a protein source.

4.  It is more processed.  We are trying to mimic a more natural diet of our ancestors.  Think outside the box.

5.  Finally, does it actually have a taste?  Is it something people can eat alone (without fat)?  Not really.  It is mostly just cheap, bulking filler to satiate you.

Vegetable pastas have taste, are grown and not processed, are nutritious, are low glycemic foods, and are natural back-to-the-earth foods.  You can support your local farmers by buying them fresh and local.

Here are two vegetable pasta varieties that will blow your mind and forever change your pasta perceptions.  Both are superb served with a meat sauce, but I encourage you to experiment with them and other sauce varieties.

Basic Meat Sauce
Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes 

1 lb ground beef (preferably grassfed)
1 16oz can of crushed tomatoes
1/2 T each of oregano, basil, onion powder/dehydrated onions, garlic, kosher salt
1/2-1 tsp each of red pepper flakes and black pepper
(NOTE: You can get fancier, but this sauce is quick and easy for a weekday meal)

Brown beef over medium high heat in a skillet.  Once browned, add sauce and spices and simmer to mix flavors and reduce sauce to desired consistency (minimum of 10min).  Combine with pasta choice and enjoy!

Zucchini Pasta
Zucchini has a neutral, fresh veggie taste with a lovely crunch
Cooking Time: prep time is 5 minutes, cooking is ZERO (just warm)

1 med-large zucchini per diner
specialty equipment: serrated veggie peeler to make noodles when instead of peels (between $5-20 at a cookware store, looks just like a regular peeler just with teeth along the blade)

Wash the zucchini.  Cut off the ends.  Peel into noodles with the peeler.  NOTE: gets tricky at the end with the nubs that don't want to peel.  You can chop those and add them to the sauce.  Warm noodles in the sauce before serving.  They have a delightful crunch!


Spaghetti Squash Pasta
Spaghetti squash pasta has a nutty, buttery taste with a pleasing crunch
Cooking Time: less than 30 minutes

1 med-large spaghetti squash (oval, bright yellow squash)
(NOTE: one large one can easily feed the whole family!)

Punch holes in the squash with a fork or chef's knife (the skin is thick!).  Place in microwave with moistened paper towels circling it (one layer).   Microwave on high for 2-5 minutes, flip, and repeat for as long as it takes to be able to compress the top of the squash easily--about 20 minutes for really large ones.  Remove and place on cutting board.  Rest 5 minutes.  Then, using a chef's knife, carefully cut in half lengthwise being careful not to burn yourself on the steam.  Use a large spoon to remove the seeds and stringy seed casing.  Then use a fork or spoon to scrape the sides of the squash into noodles and separate them into another bowl, separating the noodles into strands once there.  Continue until you remove all of the noodles you can and add them to the meat sauce, coating them evenly.  Enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash
Zucchini Noodles