Indubitably, some people find VLC "stressful" -- studies show elevated cortisol, which few of us need! I withhold judgement, myself, because i suspect that there are confounders in that kind of study. I mean -- a lot of "people" (lab rodents included) have a hard time adapting from a glucose metabolism to fat/ketone-burning, and among the two-legged kind, there's also environmental stressors which can make it even harder.
What i'd like to know more about, though, is comparative "stress" scores in those who have elevated glucose and insulin, compared with those who don't. It has borne in upon me that to process glucose places a huge burden upon our bodies! So why don't we ever hear paleos/Optimals talk about the stressfulness of a high-carb diet?
When we eat a very large amount of carbohydrates, many bodily resources are also eaten up! We have to supplement vitamins and minerals JUST TO BURN SUGAR that burning fatty meat does not require. We have to be concerned about acquiring vitC, which was a non-issue to early Native-American buffalo-centric eaters. We need magnesium, as well -- bigtime. We also know that more thyroid-hormone is REQUIRED to process the body's fuel, as more carbohydrate is consumed. More nutrients, too, but after my busy weekend i'm feeling too lethargic to want to hunt them down. ;-)
What brought this up is a 2010 discussion on Hyperlipid about how primary liver-damage is on obesity causation. Some folks seem to think that metabolic derangement comes first and fatty-liver and fibrosis follow behind, and others that all you have to do is insult your liver enough and the rest will happen as a result. "Associations" in diet and disease are a bitch! Elevated liver enzymes connect with all sorts of metabolic-syndrome correlatives, but that don't mean diddly-squat until someone runs a well-planned study that defines the mechanism.
It all just made me think that maybe the body's adaptive capabilities are extended sufficiently by dealing with this potentially-dangerous substance, but when you throw in even more stressors like a hepatitis-C infection or toxin exposure, it just becomes more than the poor liver (and thyroid and pancreas, etc) can reasonably handle. We can handle a dose of industrial pesticide, OR we can handle a bolus of glucose, but we can't handle both, maybe?
A massive cascade of Unfortunate Events leads to the kind of breakage that requires significant special knowledge and resolve and effort to undo -- and which you'll NEVER learn if your dietary advice comes from mainstream sources. And maybe not even then, as Peter points out that NAFLD is reversible but that fibrosis is forever.
EDIT: I typed too soon! George corrected that last statement ... so as Emily Litella used to say, "never mind!" :-)
Monday, March 31, 2014
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
my favorite catsup recipe
Reading comments on Wooo's blog (always best after she's responded to everyone), there was a discussion of condiments for boosting vinegar intake. I have a favorite recipe for catsup myself, adapted from an early "Joy of Cooking." Quite easy for those like me who NEVER manage to raise them successfully.
4 cans diced tomatoes
2 onions (not the sweet kind), chopped coarsely
1 t. minced garlic
3 medium jalapenos, or to taste
Cook over very low heat for several hours till everything is quite mushy. Let cool, then blend till smooth. Return to the pot and add:
6 t. sugar's-worth in whatever sweetener you prefer (I use 6 drops of liquid sucralose)
1/2 c vinegar (I prefer ACV)
a sprinkle of celery salt
In a cheesecloth bag place:
1" cinnamon stick
1 t. whole cloves
1 t. whole allspice
1 t. black peppercorns
1 small nutmeg, broken up
Simmer to the desired consistency, remove the spice bag, then refrigerate, freeze, or can (if you know how).
4 cans diced tomatoes
2 onions (not the sweet kind), chopped coarsely
1 t. minced garlic
3 medium jalapenos, or to taste
Cook over very low heat for several hours till everything is quite mushy. Let cool, then blend till smooth. Return to the pot and add:
6 t. sugar's-worth in whatever sweetener you prefer (I use 6 drops of liquid sucralose)
1/2 c vinegar (I prefer ACV)
a sprinkle of celery salt
In a cheesecloth bag place:
1" cinnamon stick
1 t. whole cloves
1 t. whole allspice
1 t. black peppercorns
1 small nutmeg, broken up
Simmer to the desired consistency, remove the spice bag, then refrigerate, freeze, or can (if you know how).
are we done now? GOOD
I don't get off through being a bitch online, but i learned long ago that dealing promptly with [ahem] PROBLEMS is better than letting them hang around....
On the other hand i feel awfully buoyant today, despite the early onset of allergy season. Perhaps venting one's spleen occasionally is a "releasing" thing after all? That was the original concept, though 20th-century psychology told us at one point rage was a self-perpetuating "activity."
So we progress! Now that the after-affects of food-poisoning/gastritis are fading allergy season commences -- not even waiting for the snow to stop flying, here. Seems like every place we move I pick up a new pollen-sensitivity: oak in Texas, Bradford-pear in OK, sage in UT, and now elm. Hi-de-ho, life goes on....
Busy time ahead! I have a living-history event in TX, then a visit to my daughter. Later!
On the other hand i feel awfully buoyant today, despite the early onset of allergy season. Perhaps venting one's spleen occasionally is a "releasing" thing after all? That was the original concept, though 20th-century psychology told us at one point rage was a self-perpetuating "activity."
So we progress! Now that the after-affects of food-poisoning/gastritis are fading allergy season commences -- not even waiting for the snow to stop flying, here. Seems like every place we move I pick up a new pollen-sensitivity: oak in Texas, Bradford-pear in OK, sage in UT, and now elm. Hi-de-ho, life goes on....
Busy time ahead! I have a living-history event in TX, then a visit to my daughter. Later!
Monday, March 24, 2014
"Christopher" is a little shit ... and most likely Heavilyn herself
Some people don't seem to know what "fuck off" means. I told "it" I wouldn't tolerate the harassment the Wooo does, and that "it" wasn't welcome here, but some people don't know when others find them repulsive. "It" just HAD to come back for more! So here, as promised, i'm telling "Christopher" exactly what I think about "it," in public for the WORLD to laugh at it ... more than it does already.
"ChristopherMarch 24, 2014 at 5:24 PM
Such a nasty pottymouth, Tess... Why am I not surprised that alcohol is one of the things you refuse to give up"
OOOOOH! I'm a POTTYMOUTH! ...and this "thing" is supposed to be male? When was the last time you heard a man use the word "pottymouth"? It seems like the "precious" language of a fifth grade snotty little fat girl, to me.
I've suspected that ChriStopher was CarbSane for a long time. The same sort of prissy language, the rabid insistence that Heavilyn is always right and a "SCIENTIST!" and the same kind of petty malice and bitchiness underneath.
CarbsaneR, before she was OBVIOUSLY legally restrained, gave us reams of evidence that The Lying Obese One was in fact nothing she claimed to be, by scanning years'-worth of CS's OWN WORDS. HERE she claimed to be X and THERE she said she was NOT X, but Y, over and over and over and over again....
Oddly enough, the woman whose blog inspired me to begin my own was once an avid reader and believer in CS. On her prompting I made my first and only visit there. I read a few paragraphs and never returned. After the nice lady closed down her own blog, I googled her name and CS to see if she commented there still -- nope. Even Heavilyn's "friends" can only stand her for so long.
And her website!!! The tone of the whole is presumptuous and self-aggrandizing, and not one word I read that day contained any information worth spitting on. Her design and style are puerile, and her bunnies and butterflies are too much for an adult's stomach to bear. Her venom and obsessive return to JIMMY MOORE! is worthy of being reported as a cyber-stalker. I'm not surprised that other bloggers believe her to be quite literally mentally-ill -- that's how it comes across, but I don't have the background to make any judgment calls: they DO. No shit -- they believe her to be insane.
They may have a point.
Sunday, March 23, 2014
self-proclaimed "experts"
Alas, the self-publishing (and self-PROMOTING) world of blogging has promoted a huge set of wannabes into comparative prominence! I DEPLORE the mass of worldly fuck-ups who pretend to knowledge they OBVIOUSLY don't have.
By and large they are all half-educated individuals who don't have the nous to attain excellence, but want us to think they do anyhow. They hide behind ancient photographs and exaggerated credentials. They think that because they've "studied" certain aspects of health for many years, they have a firm grasp of EVERYTHING that is to be known about it.
News flash, O thou pseudo-congnoscenti -- i'm intelligent and educated and interested in health and i don't know JACK SHIT, compared to the TRULY knowledgeable -- and i ain't talking about the walking JOKES who are the amateur gurus of the poorly-informed.
Who DOES know what they're talking about? Jan Kwasniewski, who has healed tens of thousands through a carefully-crafted nutritional plan. The Drs Eades, who have helped hundreds of thousands. Robert Atkins, who has probably helped MILLIONS by this time. I'm also very attached to Blake Donaldson, may he rest in peace. His book is an inspiration.
Who, whose mind-products are within daily reach of those with internet access, are to be relied upon? Drs Briffa and Kendrick in the UK are conventionally trained but are able to think for themselves and thus surpass the mass of plodding medicos to be found every day.
Over here, Kurt Harris wins the prize in my opinion. I recently read his entire archive, and i was impressed. I like Cate Shanahan too, but she hasn't yet reached his level of communication even if she does have the background and intelligence (give her time and experience...). Then, there is Chris Masterjohn, who was showing huge promise long before he got to put DR before his name. It's too bad he's not actually treating patients -- that makes a HUGE difference because otherwise people don't learn when their hypotheses don't work in practice, even if they sound good on paper.... I still grieve that Stephan Guyenet betrayed Truth for Gain; his first work, while working toward his PhD, was considered and highly intelligent, but when he latched onto a Trademark Hypothesis, he completely fell on his ass.
Special Mention absolutely goes to Peter Dobromylskyj! As a veterinarian, he got the same kind of education a human doctor gets, and less pressure to conform while speaking of human health. And he's bloody BRILLIANT. I can imagine how second-raters must hate him, because that's the way of the world....
I have a huge amount of respect for Itsthewooo, because she is this close () to slaying the Hydra and she lives to tell the tale. The battle has been long and bloody, but the obesity-aspect is dead on the ground, and all of the other physiological enemies are doomed. Her struggles continue to be painful, but her internet family is beside her all the way.
Mark Sisson and Robb Wolf hold a special place in my estimation -- i don't list their blogs myself, but i respect their good qualities. I often send newbies to their sites, because i know they provide a sound, approachable introduction to paleo/primal principles.
There are quite a number of other bloggers of whom i have a good opinion, but this post is getting a bit long. Allow me to move on to those who are ... um ... less impressive.
Some i used to have on my blog list, but have been removed because of their sloppily unprofessional ideas, include the Jaminets. They started out sound, but as they got rather swelled heads they went right down the tubes as far as i'm concerned. When they left the area in which they were PERSONALLY knowledgeable, and "progressed" to subjects in which they merely parroted the "knowledge" of others, they totally lost their believability. Ya gotta stick to what ya knows.... Ditto for Kresser -- he knows a bit, but not ENOUGH. I guess that's the difference between a thorough medical education and the shortcut version he had. Tell me, do "alternative" practitioners serve an internship and residency? Sounds like that's where the rubber hits the road.
Some bloggers have never been on my list and will never be on my list because they're IDIOTS with oversized delusions of their own significance. I'll only list them and tell why i despise them if pressed to do so by their protesting chelas. (A chela is the student of a guru, for those of you not interested in Eastern philosophy.) Chelas they are, because what these medical-wannabes preach is RELIGION, not science. And the louder they insist that yes they really are, really truly scientists, the more my BS meter alarms. Most of them are less-than-world-class jocks, ne'er-do-wells, and failed academicians.
The merchants of crapola, who love picking fights online because they don't have to show themselves to do it, i PREFER not to discuss. They nauseate me (and since my bout of gastritis, my stomach is tender enough). I HATE to read their rantings, just like i hate to read politicians' material -- it's so full of transparent LIES, ignorance, exaggerations, and evidence of bad character traits, i feel like i've been rolling in feces if i open their websites. ...PLEASE don't make me go there to quote their inanities!
By and large they are all half-educated individuals who don't have the nous to attain excellence, but want us to think they do anyhow. They hide behind ancient photographs and exaggerated credentials. They think that because they've "studied" certain aspects of health for many years, they have a firm grasp of EVERYTHING that is to be known about it.
News flash, O thou pseudo-congnoscenti -- i'm intelligent and educated and interested in health and i don't know JACK SHIT, compared to the TRULY knowledgeable -- and i ain't talking about the walking JOKES who are the amateur gurus of the poorly-informed.
Who DOES know what they're talking about? Jan Kwasniewski, who has healed tens of thousands through a carefully-crafted nutritional plan. The Drs Eades, who have helped hundreds of thousands. Robert Atkins, who has probably helped MILLIONS by this time. I'm also very attached to Blake Donaldson, may he rest in peace. His book is an inspiration.
Who, whose mind-products are within daily reach of those with internet access, are to be relied upon? Drs Briffa and Kendrick in the UK are conventionally trained but are able to think for themselves and thus surpass the mass of plodding medicos to be found every day.
Over here, Kurt Harris wins the prize in my opinion. I recently read his entire archive, and i was impressed. I like Cate Shanahan too, but she hasn't yet reached his level of communication even if she does have the background and intelligence (give her time and experience...). Then, there is Chris Masterjohn, who was showing huge promise long before he got to put DR before his name. It's too bad he's not actually treating patients -- that makes a HUGE difference because otherwise people don't learn when their hypotheses don't work in practice, even if they sound good on paper.... I still grieve that Stephan Guyenet betrayed Truth for Gain; his first work, while working toward his PhD, was considered and highly intelligent, but when he latched onto a Trademark Hypothesis, he completely fell on his ass.
Special Mention absolutely goes to Peter Dobromylskyj! As a veterinarian, he got the same kind of education a human doctor gets, and less pressure to conform while speaking of human health. And he's bloody BRILLIANT. I can imagine how second-raters must hate him, because that's the way of the world....
I have a huge amount of respect for Itsthewooo, because she is this close () to slaying the Hydra and she lives to tell the tale. The battle has been long and bloody, but the obesity-aspect is dead on the ground, and all of the other physiological enemies are doomed. Her struggles continue to be painful, but her internet family is beside her all the way.
Mark Sisson and Robb Wolf hold a special place in my estimation -- i don't list their blogs myself, but i respect their good qualities. I often send newbies to their sites, because i know they provide a sound, approachable introduction to paleo/primal principles.
There are quite a number of other bloggers of whom i have a good opinion, but this post is getting a bit long. Allow me to move on to those who are ... um ... less impressive.
Some i used to have on my blog list, but have been removed because of their sloppily unprofessional ideas, include the Jaminets. They started out sound, but as they got rather swelled heads they went right down the tubes as far as i'm concerned. When they left the area in which they were PERSONALLY knowledgeable, and "progressed" to subjects in which they merely parroted the "knowledge" of others, they totally lost their believability. Ya gotta stick to what ya knows.... Ditto for Kresser -- he knows a bit, but not ENOUGH. I guess that's the difference between a thorough medical education and the shortcut version he had. Tell me, do "alternative" practitioners serve an internship and residency? Sounds like that's where the rubber hits the road.
Some bloggers have never been on my list and will never be on my list because they're IDIOTS with oversized delusions of their own significance. I'll only list them and tell why i despise them if pressed to do so by their protesting chelas. (A chela is the student of a guru, for those of you not interested in Eastern philosophy.) Chelas they are, because what these medical-wannabes preach is RELIGION, not science. And the louder they insist that yes they really are, really truly scientists, the more my BS meter alarms. Most of them are less-than-world-class jocks, ne'er-do-wells, and failed academicians.
The merchants of crapola, who love picking fights online because they don't have to show themselves to do it, i PREFER not to discuss. They nauseate me (and since my bout of gastritis, my stomach is tender enough). I HATE to read their rantings, just like i hate to read politicians' material -- it's so full of transparent LIES, ignorance, exaggerations, and evidence of bad character traits, i feel like i've been rolling in feces if i open their websites. ...PLEASE don't make me go there to quote their inanities!
Thursday, March 20, 2014
reading inspires yet more speculation
Hyperlipid is endlessly illuminating! In "Cirrhosis and Fructose" Peter goes looking for endotoxin in the bloodstream of the experimental rats; he says:
Hmmmm.... Hypothyroidism is largely an autoimmune problem these days, implying a leaky gut. Hypo people are renowned for their high LDL. Could this, perhaps, be one reason WHY (beyond the receptor's need for T3 to activate)?
As the best bloggers repeatedly say, Nature didn't evolve processes which have become modern problems, simply as a way to mess us up. Things like physiological insulin resistance started out as adaptive processes, and just got out of hand when we started thinking that we could improve on Nature (margarine, anyone?).
There is absolutely no doubt that LDL isn't out to kill us, but to repair our interior damage. If the body makes a lot of it, surely it perceives that there's a lot of damage that needs to be ameliorated. In the end, does a high-carb diet raise LDL because it (and the attendant insulin) is harming tissues which then need repair?
Seems to me that removing the signposts of trouble (lowering TC) is a really dumb way of dealing with our health problems. We're not eliminating police departments in our cities as a way to reduce crime, for a very good reason. Artificially changing lab numbers doesn't make the underlying problem go away.
So here's another technique to improve health in hypothyroidism -- it seems that alcohol and fructose both contribute to a leaky gut, and polyunsaturated fats don't help the situation. Saturated fats DO, and glycine helps. and taurine as well. And zinc....
Again -- hmmmm....
*******
A "wrong" restaurant choice seems to have given me a bad case of gastritis yesterday! I haven't felt such pain since childbirth....
Everything i ate yesterday went down the sewer, one way or another. This morning i've been cautiously sipping things to try to avoid the same miserable results i got yesterday -- even from a small tub of gelatin! I'm hungry enough, even being fat-adapted -- glucose-burners in my position would be ready to chew on the woodwork, i imagine! Chicken broth with parsley added has been soothing but not very energy-providing. Cola was a no-go. Still feeling weak and shaky, i just sucked on a ribose tablet and felt a little better.
It's gonna be another long day....
"Endotoxin (gram negative bacterial wall components) belongs in your gut, not in your bloodstream (if endotoxin is in your blood stream one function of LDL cholesterol to mop it up...)."
Hmmmm.... Hypothyroidism is largely an autoimmune problem these days, implying a leaky gut. Hypo people are renowned for their high LDL. Could this, perhaps, be one reason WHY (beyond the receptor's need for T3 to activate)?
As the best bloggers repeatedly say, Nature didn't evolve processes which have become modern problems, simply as a way to mess us up. Things like physiological insulin resistance started out as adaptive processes, and just got out of hand when we started thinking that we could improve on Nature (margarine, anyone?).
There is absolutely no doubt that LDL isn't out to kill us, but to repair our interior damage. If the body makes a lot of it, surely it perceives that there's a lot of damage that needs to be ameliorated. In the end, does a high-carb diet raise LDL because it (and the attendant insulin) is harming tissues which then need repair?
Seems to me that removing the signposts of trouble (lowering TC) is a really dumb way of dealing with our health problems. We're not eliminating police departments in our cities as a way to reduce crime, for a very good reason. Artificially changing lab numbers doesn't make the underlying problem go away.
So here's another technique to improve health in hypothyroidism -- it seems that alcohol and fructose both contribute to a leaky gut, and polyunsaturated fats don't help the situation. Saturated fats DO, and glycine helps. and taurine as well. And zinc....
Again -- hmmmm....
*******
A "wrong" restaurant choice seems to have given me a bad case of gastritis yesterday! I haven't felt such pain since childbirth....
Everything i ate yesterday went down the sewer, one way or another. This morning i've been cautiously sipping things to try to avoid the same miserable results i got yesterday -- even from a small tub of gelatin! I'm hungry enough, even being fat-adapted -- glucose-burners in my position would be ready to chew on the woodwork, i imagine! Chicken broth with parsley added has been soothing but not very energy-providing. Cola was a no-go. Still feeling weak and shaky, i just sucked on a ribose tablet and felt a little better.
It's gonna be another long day....
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
is it "stressful" to have raised "stress" hormones?
Some weeks ago, i began the monumental adventure of reading the Hyperlipid archives from the beginning. I'm still only in 2009. :-)
I just finished the post which is an overview of "the dark side of ketosis." Peter's regular readers will be aware that he flirts with the borderline, but largely TRIES to stay OUT of it. And that, largely because Kwasniewski recommends it. The comment section was full of people agreeing AND disagreeing.
We're all genetically different, and have different starting-points when boarding the low-carb train! I've always thought it bizarre that some people find ketosis stressful (or at least describe it so), when it's the hugest reliever of physical discomfort that i've ever found!
One person thought that ketosis is fine for those with healthy adrenal function, but questionable for the less hardy. Peter observed that certain stress hormones are raised by entering ketosis, but diminish with time. Other people pointed out various difficulties that they or their friends have observed, only to have it pointed out that they were not natural results of VLC, but confounded by other behaviors or dietary factors.
Obviously, some of us thrive on ketosis, and some have more trouble with it. Some also adapt more slowly and with more difficulty, but end up feeling better if they persevere. I rather suspect that the raised cortisol, adrenaline, etc FEEL worse to people who aren't accustomed to the keyed-up energy that comes with things like ghrelin also. I get it with supplementing tyrosine or DLPA -- if i'm active that day, these supps (like caffeine) are a great boost. But if i sit down to read after taking them i get way too much mental agitation. Is it REALLY stress, or is it energy that we interpret AS stressful?
I don't know. I DO however take it with a grain of salt when some people (bread-lovers especially) call a moderate LC diet "stressful"....
I just finished the post which is an overview of "the dark side of ketosis." Peter's regular readers will be aware that he flirts with the borderline, but largely TRIES to stay OUT of it. And that, largely because Kwasniewski recommends it. The comment section was full of people agreeing AND disagreeing.
We're all genetically different, and have different starting-points when boarding the low-carb train! I've always thought it bizarre that some people find ketosis stressful (or at least describe it so), when it's the hugest reliever of physical discomfort that i've ever found!
One person thought that ketosis is fine for those with healthy adrenal function, but questionable for the less hardy. Peter observed that certain stress hormones are raised by entering ketosis, but diminish with time. Other people pointed out various difficulties that they or their friends have observed, only to have it pointed out that they were not natural results of VLC, but confounded by other behaviors or dietary factors.
Obviously, some of us thrive on ketosis, and some have more trouble with it. Some also adapt more slowly and with more difficulty, but end up feeling better if they persevere. I rather suspect that the raised cortisol, adrenaline, etc FEEL worse to people who aren't accustomed to the keyed-up energy that comes with things like ghrelin also. I get it with supplementing tyrosine or DLPA -- if i'm active that day, these supps (like caffeine) are a great boost. But if i sit down to read after taking them i get way too much mental agitation. Is it REALLY stress, or is it energy that we interpret AS stressful?
I don't know. I DO however take it with a grain of salt when some people (bread-lovers especially) call a moderate LC diet "stressful"....
Monday, March 17, 2014
for John at TLCD
...as it seems he likes C&W. :-)
[although i see the embedded video when i edit, it seems to disappear when i publish! the link is http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KjN5qFtYN_w ....]
This is Latigo Crossing, some of my reenacting friends in Texas, and they're performing in one of the saloons of the town where i'll be playing in a couple of weeks.
Try to not tap your feet to this....
Thursday, March 13, 2014
who'd 'a' thunk it?
It sounds like my vacation is insulating me from some of the sturm und drang in the paleo/primal world -- Primal North implied on facebook that he's embarrassed by the unscientific nonsense in the fringes and regrets how his blog name associates with them. Yeah, as usual, the heretics (not Stan) take a core idea, turn it inside out and radicalize it, and make EVERYBODY look like a nut. Just look at paleos and Mormons....
Sounds as though an inquisition might be overdue? Can't ride the Paleo bus if you aren't actually Paleo? Perhaps the poster child of not-really-paleo should be Kresser, whose Personal Paleo Code says it's just fine to eat and behave in not-paleo fashion if you feel okay doing it?
(Actually, Stanton wrote a really good post a long time ago, about that "i feel okay so why not" point of view. Short version: you feel okay NOW, but ....)
The attention-whores and ass-clowns are what will ruin Paleo, not the errors Cordain made when drawing his first conclusions. I can certainly relate to P-North's opinion -- some of the people out there who are associated with the primal banner (even though many have renounced the label) are what make this WOE and lifestyle unpalatable to "outsiders." Because some people want their cupcakes, they're eager to prove that cupcakes aren't so bad after all.
I realize i may sound like the pot calling the kettle black. I experiment with non-paleo "foods" and i have no intention of giving up alcohol. I "cheat" with regularity. But i fully realize and publicly proclaim that it IS cheating. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that a diet bereft of grains, industrial seed oils, fructose and dairy (AND alcohol) is head-and-shoulders above the Perfect Health Diet in ... healthfulness.
Falling off the paleo-wagon from time to time is "only human." Making a virtue of it is just stupid.
Sounds as though an inquisition might be overdue? Can't ride the Paleo bus if you aren't actually Paleo? Perhaps the poster child of not-really-paleo should be Kresser, whose Personal Paleo Code says it's just fine to eat and behave in not-paleo fashion if you feel okay doing it?
(Actually, Stanton wrote a really good post a long time ago, about that "i feel okay so why not" point of view. Short version: you feel okay NOW, but ....)
The attention-whores and ass-clowns are what will ruin Paleo, not the errors Cordain made when drawing his first conclusions. I can certainly relate to P-North's opinion -- some of the people out there who are associated with the primal banner (even though many have renounced the label) are what make this WOE and lifestyle unpalatable to "outsiders." Because some people want their cupcakes, they're eager to prove that cupcakes aren't so bad after all.
I realize i may sound like the pot calling the kettle black. I experiment with non-paleo "foods" and i have no intention of giving up alcohol. I "cheat" with regularity. But i fully realize and publicly proclaim that it IS cheating. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that a diet bereft of grains, industrial seed oils, fructose and dairy (AND alcohol) is head-and-shoulders above the Perfect Health Diet in ... healthfulness.
Falling off the paleo-wagon from time to time is "only human." Making a virtue of it is just stupid.
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
nuke the devils ... i mean vegetables!
My preferred morning routine -- even on vacation -- is to read the blogs while drinking my first cup of coffee in bed. Even though i don't list Primal Docs in my collection, i frequently go there from TheLowCarbDiabetic site.
This morning i see http://primaldocs.com/opinion/11-tips-to-remove-toxins-from-your-life/ -- okay! Let's see what they recommend that i'm not doing already! :-) ...One jumps straight out. Microwaving broccoli has been shown to reduce the amount of antioxidants contained there. The primal docs recommend eschewing the nuke.
Here's a LOL moment. Those of us who have FODMAP troubles just maybe WANT to reduce the amount of active phytochemicals in the vegetables we eat! Cooking brassicas reduces the goitrogenic properties -- so here we go! Instead of lightly steaming, perhaps a good stout cooking in the nuker could make these VLC condiments less distressing?
NOT the message they meant to give me, but interesting nonetheless....
This morning i see http://primaldocs.com/opinion/11-tips-to-remove-toxins-from-your-life/ -- okay! Let's see what they recommend that i'm not doing already! :-) ...One jumps straight out. Microwaving broccoli has been shown to reduce the amount of antioxidants contained there. The primal docs recommend eschewing the nuke.
Here's a LOL moment. Those of us who have FODMAP troubles just maybe WANT to reduce the amount of active phytochemicals in the vegetables we eat! Cooking brassicas reduces the goitrogenic properties -- so here we go! Instead of lightly steaming, perhaps a good stout cooking in the nuker could make these VLC condiments less distressing?
NOT the message they meant to give me, but interesting nonetheless....
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
amen
Reading the entire Hyperlipid archives is an enriching, enlightening experience. THIS:
Amen. Thank you, Peter!
"I think that one of the things which has struck me about LC eating is the whole raft of uncontrolled variables involved. On the average LC diet is it the drop in glucose, fructose, gluten or fibre which produces the metabolic improvements? Are the effects direct or mediated through the intestinal microbiota? What about the addition of bulk fat, mostly saturated? Or the avoidance of trans fats if LC also involves a switch to eating real food? What about the increase in both cholesterol and choline intake if you go for a high egg intake."
Amen. Thank you, Peter!
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
gumbo: soul food, no matter what kind of diet you're on!
I broke my fast around noon today with some of the gumbo I made yesterday.
My gumbo is not EXACTLY traditional.... Anyone who knows my dietary interests nowadays will be amused by the fact that the concoction I make now is based on a version that came out of Dean Ornish's old "Eat More Weigh Less" cookbook! Yes, about twenty years ago I too had been brainwashed by low-fat vegetarian propaganda! My best friend at that time was the woman who introduced me to esoteric philosophy, which suggests that vegetarianism promotes good karma and better psychism.
DO's recipe, of course, uses lots of vegetables and veg bouillon cubes, and tofu to provide a reasonable amount of protein. Needless to say the last two additives are where that recipe and mine differ most.
I finely-chopped a good-sized onion and sautéed it in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. To this I added three sliced carrots, three sliced celery ribs (should have used more, but it was okay anyhow), 1 1/2 bell peppers cut in dice (because that's what I had to use up), two small zucchinis cut in half-moons, a tablespoon or two of minced garlic, a bag of sliced frozen okra, a can of tomatoes, and the rest of the bunch of Italian parsley in the fridge (which needed using). To this, I added a package of frozen crawdad tail-meat, a bag of frozen small shrimp (12 oz. or so), two chicken breasts sliced into spoon-sized morsels, and a couple of quarts of bone broth I had in the freezer (I had lamb and beef handy). About a tablespoon of Tony Cachere's "more spice" (i.e. less salt-to-cayenne balance) creole seasoning gave the degree of heat that J and I like.
There is no single definitive recipe for gumbo, you see! I have a copy of the Original Picayune Creole Cook Book that was printed around the time of the Great War (looking backward nostalgically), in which there's an entire chapter of just Creole Gumbo recipes -- nine of them! There's Gumbo Filé, Turkey Gumbo, Squirrel or Rabbit Gumbo, Okra Gumbo, Crab Gumbo, Oyster Gumbo, Shrimp Gumbo Filé, Green or Herb Gumbo and Cabbage Gumbo. Some are simpler and some more numerous of ingredients. Some have chicken, some beef, sausage, veal, or oyster-liquor and water as their soup base in various combinations; some have a roux and some don't.
Gumbo, to me, is one of the few soup/stews which are good year-round -- and why wouldn't it be, considering the wide variety of ingredients appropriate! What I put in depends on what I have in the fridge. These days, of course, I usually make mine higher in fat and lower in carby ingredients (I never use roux), but the one I made yesterday was pretty low-fat, only because I expected to be eating/drinking higher carb (oh, that king cake...) -- and we know that it's when high-carb and high-fat MEET that we have the most trouble!
It turned out DELICIOUS. Since I used crayfish (first time for me), I left out the Andouille sausage that I usually include. It's therefore more seafoody and lighter than most of my renditions, but all the more reminiscent of N'Orleans.
The peppery goodness of it makes it appropriate for a warm summer evening, as well as a cold snowy winter one. With every day that passes the leftovers get tastier, even though the vegetables kinda disintegrate ... which makes the soup thicker and less broth-like as time goes by.
For the record: people think that the okra makes this stew "slimy" but that's absolutely NOT TRUE. If you slice fresh okra to put in it, there is a sliminess to them, but it doesn't survive cooking! If you eat someone's gumbo and there's a "stringy" or "slimy" texture, that means they don't know how to use filé powder correctly! The OPCCB informs us that this stuff should NEVER be put into the cooking pot, but added to the bowl or tureen at the last minute, and never re-heated. ...THAT is why traditional recipes are so much better when taken from a period source, not from an ignorant modern transcriber! ;-)
My gumbo is not EXACTLY traditional.... Anyone who knows my dietary interests nowadays will be amused by the fact that the concoction I make now is based on a version that came out of Dean Ornish's old "Eat More Weigh Less" cookbook! Yes, about twenty years ago I too had been brainwashed by low-fat vegetarian propaganda! My best friend at that time was the woman who introduced me to esoteric philosophy, which suggests that vegetarianism promotes good karma and better psychism.
DO's recipe, of course, uses lots of vegetables and veg bouillon cubes, and tofu to provide a reasonable amount of protein. Needless to say the last two additives are where that recipe and mine differ most.
I finely-chopped a good-sized onion and sautéed it in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. To this I added three sliced carrots, three sliced celery ribs (should have used more, but it was okay anyhow), 1 1/2 bell peppers cut in dice (because that's what I had to use up), two small zucchinis cut in half-moons, a tablespoon or two of minced garlic, a bag of sliced frozen okra, a can of tomatoes, and the rest of the bunch of Italian parsley in the fridge (which needed using). To this, I added a package of frozen crawdad tail-meat, a bag of frozen small shrimp (12 oz. or so), two chicken breasts sliced into spoon-sized morsels, and a couple of quarts of bone broth I had in the freezer (I had lamb and beef handy). About a tablespoon of Tony Cachere's "more spice" (i.e. less salt-to-cayenne balance) creole seasoning gave the degree of heat that J and I like.
There is no single definitive recipe for gumbo, you see! I have a copy of the Original Picayune Creole Cook Book that was printed around the time of the Great War (looking backward nostalgically), in which there's an entire chapter of just Creole Gumbo recipes -- nine of them! There's Gumbo Filé, Turkey Gumbo, Squirrel or Rabbit Gumbo, Okra Gumbo, Crab Gumbo, Oyster Gumbo, Shrimp Gumbo Filé, Green or Herb Gumbo and Cabbage Gumbo. Some are simpler and some more numerous of ingredients. Some have chicken, some beef, sausage, veal, or oyster-liquor and water as their soup base in various combinations; some have a roux and some don't.
Gumbo, to me, is one of the few soup/stews which are good year-round -- and why wouldn't it be, considering the wide variety of ingredients appropriate! What I put in depends on what I have in the fridge. These days, of course, I usually make mine higher in fat and lower in carby ingredients (I never use roux), but the one I made yesterday was pretty low-fat, only because I expected to be eating/drinking higher carb (oh, that king cake...) -- and we know that it's when high-carb and high-fat MEET that we have the most trouble!
It turned out DELICIOUS. Since I used crayfish (first time for me), I left out the Andouille sausage that I usually include. It's therefore more seafoody and lighter than most of my renditions, but all the more reminiscent of N'Orleans.
The peppery goodness of it makes it appropriate for a warm summer evening, as well as a cold snowy winter one. With every day that passes the leftovers get tastier, even though the vegetables kinda disintegrate ... which makes the soup thicker and less broth-like as time goes by.
For the record: people think that the okra makes this stew "slimy" but that's absolutely NOT TRUE. If you slice fresh okra to put in it, there is a sliminess to them, but it doesn't survive cooking! If you eat someone's gumbo and there's a "stringy" or "slimy" texture, that means they don't know how to use filé powder correctly! The OPCCB informs us that this stuff should NEVER be put into the cooking pot, but added to the bowl or tureen at the last minute, and never re-heated. ...THAT is why traditional recipes are so much better when taken from a period source, not from an ignorant modern transcriber! ;-)
lent begins -- do we care?
Reading Charlotte Bronte's "Villette" gave me an interesting slant on some aspects of Roman Catholicism. The Bronte girls got a good part of their educations in Belgium, and a first-hand look at the older religion from the perspective of Anglicanism, its direct descendant (which they find very different, but which actually has a lot in common).
The Catholic teachers and schoolgirls in Villette enjoyed many church festivals which provided holidays and breaks from what was otherwise a rather tedious and unchanging lifestyle -- developed and made traditional by all the centuries of "dark-age" and medieval life. The RC church did this PURPOSELY. All the pleasant, fun, memorable events of life were centered on holy days, thus centered around the church. LIFE was centered around THE CHURCH.
The church may be corrupt but it ain't stupid. Jesuits have the reputation of having been astute psychologists before the concept of psychology even crystalized! In the winter all over Europe (even the warmer places), there was a steadily decreasing supply of the kind of food people preferred to eat. The darkness (before glass windows), the dearth, the cold, the depressive aspects of late winter.... How can we use this to our advantage...?
We can make a virtue of necessity! :-) We can take our "Jesus' life story" of x number of days of misery, and tell our people to mimic it, to voluntarily suffer for the sake of their souls' health! YES! By the time Easter comes, springtime will usually have sprung, and the fasting ends with feasting on the new milk, butter, eggs, and spring greens and lamb.
At least this is how I interpret the phenomenon....
Mardi Gras, as I suggested yesterday, is the "holiday" which has no other rationale than to feast -- be indulgent with everything a good Catholic should be giving up for the next six weeks. People were intent upon using up everything that would probably go bad before Easter Day arrived. Parts of Europe created the tradition of pancakes on Shrove Tuesday because making pancakes uses up your eggs, butter, sugar, etc -- and they're great with bacon, sausage, ham and other meatstuffs which were supposed to be off the menu for a month and a half! (Later reformations by the Church loosened up what was allowed, until only Fridays became no-meat days ... probably when modernization of production and transportation allowed greater availability? ...or am I being too cynical?)
Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lenten season. I AM fasting this morning, but only because of my feasting behavior of yesterday afternoon. ;-) I often find it therapeutic to follow a carb-fest with a recovery period for my body to readjust to fat-burning. Later this afternoon, when the weather gets as warm as expected, i'll probably go out and walk the dog so as to normalize my glucose-insulin-glycogen metabolism to the best of my ability. A little fasting, a little "forced" activity (Lenten hardship?) ... I don't think that does much for the SOUL, but it's definitely got value for the body.
I may even end up eating fish every Friday, but it will have nothing to do with privation and self-denial -- it's because I really enjoy eating fish, and all the parish churches of St. Louis have big signs outside promoting their fund-raising "fish fry events" which will remind me to go home and cook something a lot more tasty and health-conscious. I found a recipe for low-carb batter which turned out pretty good! A few tweaks, and look out Long John Silver!
The Catholic teachers and schoolgirls in Villette enjoyed many church festivals which provided holidays and breaks from what was otherwise a rather tedious and unchanging lifestyle -- developed and made traditional by all the centuries of "dark-age" and medieval life. The RC church did this PURPOSELY. All the pleasant, fun, memorable events of life were centered on holy days, thus centered around the church. LIFE was centered around THE CHURCH.
The church may be corrupt but it ain't stupid. Jesuits have the reputation of having been astute psychologists before the concept of psychology even crystalized! In the winter all over Europe (even the warmer places), there was a steadily decreasing supply of the kind of food people preferred to eat. The darkness (before glass windows), the dearth, the cold, the depressive aspects of late winter.... How can we use this to our advantage...?
We can make a virtue of necessity! :-) We can take our "Jesus' life story" of x number of days of misery, and tell our people to mimic it, to voluntarily suffer for the sake of their souls' health! YES! By the time Easter comes, springtime will usually have sprung, and the fasting ends with feasting on the new milk, butter, eggs, and spring greens and lamb.
At least this is how I interpret the phenomenon....
Mardi Gras, as I suggested yesterday, is the "holiday" which has no other rationale than to feast -- be indulgent with everything a good Catholic should be giving up for the next six weeks. People were intent upon using up everything that would probably go bad before Easter Day arrived. Parts of Europe created the tradition of pancakes on Shrove Tuesday because making pancakes uses up your eggs, butter, sugar, etc -- and they're great with bacon, sausage, ham and other meatstuffs which were supposed to be off the menu for a month and a half! (Later reformations by the Church loosened up what was allowed, until only Fridays became no-meat days ... probably when modernization of production and transportation allowed greater availability? ...or am I being too cynical?)
Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lenten season. I AM fasting this morning, but only because of my feasting behavior of yesterday afternoon. ;-) I often find it therapeutic to follow a carb-fest with a recovery period for my body to readjust to fat-burning. Later this afternoon, when the weather gets as warm as expected, i'll probably go out and walk the dog so as to normalize my glucose-insulin-glycogen metabolism to the best of my ability. A little fasting, a little "forced" activity (Lenten hardship?) ... I don't think that does much for the SOUL, but it's definitely got value for the body.
I may even end up eating fish every Friday, but it will have nothing to do with privation and self-denial -- it's because I really enjoy eating fish, and all the parish churches of St. Louis have big signs outside promoting their fund-raising "fish fry events" which will remind me to go home and cook something a lot more tasty and health-conscious. I found a recipe for low-carb batter which turned out pretty good! A few tweaks, and look out Long John Silver!
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
happy mardi gras! laissez les bons temps rouler!
Since becoming "infected" with New Orleans, Mardi Gras has joined Halloween as a favorite holiday with us! It's unique in that its only raison d'etre is to be self-indulgent!
We had originally planned to have friends over for the evening, but that fell through. We're going through with most of the original menu, though -- oyster ceviche, gumbo and [i shame-facedly admit] king cake. J sent off for the cake from the BEST baker in Louisiana (his friends insisted it is, anyway), so we'll be sharing it with the neighbors, whether or not they dine WITH us.... There was to have been a baked-oyster course too, but we'll be having those tomorrow, instead.
So today becomes the semi-monthly carb-splurge! If i have any Hurricanes at all, they'll be my newly-crafted version using sugar-free fruit syrups instead of juices. I won't be including rice with the gumbo (i was going to indulge my guests -- J and i eat ours "neat" when i usually make it). But i WILL have a little bite of the cake! We ordered it with a cream-cheese filling, and i NEED to taste it, anyway.... ;-)
Since reading Jan Kwasniewski's "Homo Optimus" i'm interested in giving his Optimal Diet a try, and it recommends a higher carb allowance than my usual. There's a trade-off -- some carbs for a reduction of protein -- which i suspect might work pretty well for all but the most carb-intolerant. The trick, i suspect, is knowing what carbs one tolerates well, and which are individually problematic! I think i could work -- i'll report back later, of course.
In the meantime -- ENJOY THE HOLIDAY!
We had originally planned to have friends over for the evening, but that fell through. We're going through with most of the original menu, though -- oyster ceviche, gumbo and [i shame-facedly admit] king cake. J sent off for the cake from the BEST baker in Louisiana (his friends insisted it is, anyway), so we'll be sharing it with the neighbors, whether or not they dine WITH us.... There was to have been a baked-oyster course too, but we'll be having those tomorrow, instead.
So today becomes the semi-monthly carb-splurge! If i have any Hurricanes at all, they'll be my newly-crafted version using sugar-free fruit syrups instead of juices. I won't be including rice with the gumbo (i was going to indulge my guests -- J and i eat ours "neat" when i usually make it). But i WILL have a little bite of the cake! We ordered it with a cream-cheese filling, and i NEED to taste it, anyway.... ;-)
Since reading Jan Kwasniewski's "Homo Optimus" i'm interested in giving his Optimal Diet a try, and it recommends a higher carb allowance than my usual. There's a trade-off -- some carbs for a reduction of protein -- which i suspect might work pretty well for all but the most carb-intolerant. The trick, i suspect, is knowing what carbs one tolerates well, and which are individually problematic! I think i could work -- i'll report back later, of course.
In the meantime -- ENJOY THE HOLIDAY!
Sunday, March 2, 2014
barley bread shock
As a friend in Texas used to say -- WHOA! :-)
Yesterday I made a loaf of barley bread from the Bob's Red Mill site. Now, bearing in mind it wasn't a sourdough-based recipe, which may have made some difference in the rye and wheat loaves by converting some of the carb to acid, it REALLY did the ol' blood-sugar-spike thing! A full 20 points higher than the other gluten-grains I tried!
I didn't even like it as well, though my husband did. Even though the barley flour contained "no" fat, it had a smell that I associate with rancidity. I'm willing to eat evil things from time to time, but only if they're luscious.
All this is going to make it VERY easy to avoid barley-flour products. However, I do still like pearled barley in soup. I guess i'm going to have to run a similar test on intact-grain barley as compared with rice.
Yesterday I made a loaf of barley bread from the Bob's Red Mill site. Now, bearing in mind it wasn't a sourdough-based recipe, which may have made some difference in the rye and wheat loaves by converting some of the carb to acid, it REALLY did the ol' blood-sugar-spike thing! A full 20 points higher than the other gluten-grains I tried!
I didn't even like it as well, though my husband did. Even though the barley flour contained "no" fat, it had a smell that I associate with rancidity. I'm willing to eat evil things from time to time, but only if they're luscious.
All this is going to make it VERY easy to avoid barley-flour products. However, I do still like pearled barley in soup. I guess i'm going to have to run a similar test on intact-grain barley as compared with rice.
Saturday, March 1, 2014
T. Colin Campbell is a FUCKING LIAR
I can't believe that responsible individuals like Andreas Eenfeldt even mention assholes like Campbell, let alone print a big bright photograph worthy of the shiny pages of a BS magazine -- is he merely trying to get traffic and controversy on his blog? That's the only reason I can possibly imagine....
The eponymous idiot has a book out claiming that the lack of grains in one's diet causes the BIG C! OOOOH! All those celiacs who pretend that wheat actually makes them SICK must be wrong! Get thee to a granary -- GO!
[snicker...]
The eponymous idiot has a book out claiming that the lack of grains in one's diet causes the BIG C! OOOOH! All those celiacs who pretend that wheat actually makes them SICK must be wrong! Get thee to a granary -- GO!
[snicker...]
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)