Fresh Cracked Pepper

Today marks two full weeks of Paleo eating in the bag. As I begin Week Three, I can’t help but look back over my accomplishments, failures, and more lessons learned.

The thing that stands out most is how much my running has improved. Two long runs on this diet and no belching issues at all. I know I can’t jump to conclusions yet, but this seems like a victory worth celebrating … for now. I’ve also managed to resist popcorn, oatmeal, Chobani yogurt, and Mark’s unbelievable lattes.

As for the failures? Well, I haven’t been following my coach’s meal plan to the T. Lunches of “poached Halibut on a bed of julienne carrots, zucchini and leeks” have been losing to my day job, a busier-than-usual freelance plate, and this recent string of gorgeous summer days. I haven’t been getting in all the “Recovery Homebrew” smoothies included in my plan, which is probably leading to the onset of major munchies which usually hits at about 9 p.m. To satiate myself, I chow down on almond (which as I’ve recently learned from Nell, isn’t a good idea!)

The site of the cheating

And then there was Friday, Mark’s birthday, my first official “cheat night.” No, it wasn’t a night of marital infidelity. I decided that spending money on a meal out just wasn’t smart if I couldn’t enjoy any of it, and settled on Searsucker, a top-chef finalist’s trendy new San Diego spot. Partly because it looked good, partly because it was downtown, kind of a novelty for us North County dwellers. We had their “carb-free” crabcake, artichoke hearts with Gruyere and tomato, and short ribs as appetizers, then shared the Mexican-inspired tongue and cheek (yes, literally), and duck breast with confit. On the side, an arugula, prosciutto, mozzarella, and tomato salad. So yes, it was Paleo only insofar as there was meat, though it was fattier than the diet prescribes. Vegetables were lacking (our choice, those are a la carte), and though grains weren’t featured, there was a significant amount of cheese. (Overall, we were a little disappointed by the food. It was OK, but nothing worth raving about.)

I paid for it the next morning on my 40-mile bike ride, during which my gut rebelled, and I had trouble absorbing water. It’s hard to know if it was eating the prohibited foods, or just eating and drinking a wee bit too much.

New Encinitas Whole Foods

I’ve learned a bunch, too. Like that the best kind of deli meats are known as whole cuts, as opposed to the “sectioned and formed” meat products (gross!) or processed meats. Thankfully, Whole Foods just opened a mile from our apartment, and their Applegate farms oven-roasted chicken and turkey breasts are just excellent…especially when paired with some walnuts and pear. (New favorite!) I never really ate deli meat to begin with, but now that I need to be having so much meat, it’s just so easy to turn to.

This article by Phil Lempert outlines what to look for in deli meats, the main issue being sodium nitrite, which is also used alone or with sodium nitrate to fix the color in meat products. (Um, really?) During cooking, however, “nitrites combine with amines naturally present in meat to form carcinogenic N-nitroso compounds,” Lempert says … compounds that are known carcinogens associated with all kinds of cancer. (See the original article for more information on a study done in Sweden.)Another thing I’ve noticed is that I’m craving dairy far more than I am grains. A cold, creamy lick of frozen yogurt or a rubbery slab of mozzarella have tempted me many times over these past few days.

I’m starting to draw conclusions already about this way of eating, which I fire at Mark in small doses through the day. “So I was thinking, about this diet…” The man patiently indulges me every time, as we weigh the pros and cons, what seems to make sense and what seems ridiculous. I am really enjoying trying Paleo out, but I’m not sure I could eat this way for the rest of my life. I read a quote recently in Outside about putting “life in your years,” not just “years on your life.”

Paleo thus far has taught me to be more creative in the kitchen. It wasn’t that I was bad at this before, but over the past year I’ve lapsed. Paleo has helped me make friends with not only a ton of interesting new veggies and greens (rapini, chard, Japanese sweet potato), but methods by which to cook them. The best part of all of this so far is learning that dinner actually comes together more quickly and with less stress than when I used to scour blogs and cookbooks for exotic-looking recipes.

Posted in nutrition, Paleo Experiment
Tags: paleo, paleo diet, searsucker restaurant, searsucker san diego, the paleo experiment, whole foods encinitas

My second Paleo Experiment-induced trip to Costco on Sunday ended in me taking home a five-pound top sirloin. I purchased it with the intent of making my own homemade (read, additive and sodium-free) healthy roast beef. I’ve never been a big fan of deli meats, and up until trying this new way of eating didn’t really eat much beef at all. But that, along with many other habits and tendencies, has all changed over the past week.

As the days go on, some of the “symptoms” of going Paleo continue to lessen or disappear. Namely, strange stomach pains, a dry mouth, and periods of mental fogginess. Everything seems pretty much back to normal now, with the addition of new energy, better sleeps, and a pretty consistently positive mental outlook.

It’s always so hard to know with these things which are caused or related to a certain factor (here, the diet), or whether they would’ve happened anyway. That’s the complication with the Paleo way of life. Die-hards claim a lot for it, but could many of those “improvements” be due to them incorporating new and fresher veggies and fruits into their diets?

See the above salad. I would often eat salads for lunch at work, but this new diet prompted me to add some turkey and roast beets (which I blasted under the broiler with garlic and olive oil for 30 minutes, skins and all). The turkey was an early-Paleo Experiment slip-up. It’s deli-style, and even though the ingredients are only “turkey, turkey broth (containing less than 2% salt and vegetable oil),” it’s probably not the best. The black flecks on there aren’t pepper, they’re roasted hemp seeds: delish.

Another thing was red about my day besides the beets? The roast beast.

Yes, you read that right. The roast beast. With apologies to any sensitive vegans out there (though they surely would’ve stopped reading by now, so I have nothing to worry about), it is rather pleasant to say “roast beast.” It’s from How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and I’ve always found the expression hilarious.

The beast in this case was that five-pound hunk of Paleo protein procured from that grocery store where couples like us should really not be shopping. (Costco). We cut it in half and froze the other 2.5 pounds, and then followed Saveur‘s sandwich issue instructions for DIY roast beef: season the tied roast with salt and pepper, sear in a cast-iron skillet until the edges are browned, and then bake at 225 degrees Fahrenheit for three and a half hours. Take the temperature to make sure the interior reaches 130 degrees, cool, slice, and you’re done!

By slow-cooking the meat at such a low temperature, you retain that nice even pink color. Who wants brown-grey roast beast? Not this Who. Mark reported that it’s not really thinly-cut enough for a good sandwich, which makes it even more Paleo-friendly than it already was.

Tonight, post “Andrew” yoga, I had 100 grams of this served with sauteed spinach and some of Mark Bittman’s Spiced Melon Balls? (For this simple summer appetizer, simply mix the balls from a whole cantaloupe plus one whole honeydew with the juice of half a lime, ½ tsp. salt, 1 tsp. ground coriander, 1/4 tsp. cayenne, and 1 Tbsp. finely chopped cilantro.)

5 Lessons from Today:

1. Don’t add coconut oil to a smoothie with frozen ingredients in it. It will turn to a grimy, greasy slop.

2 .If you’re going to eat roast beast often, invest in an electric meat slicer or marry a butcher.

3. When you go Paleo, it won’t be long before your co-workers start calling you a cavewoman.

4. Roasted seaweed, nuts, or hemp seeds work well when you’re craving popcorn or pretzels.

5. Choose your cheats wisely: I haven’t “caved” (ha ha) often, but tonight am giving in to Stone’s BELGO Anise Imperial Russian Stout while I watch the season premier of Weeds. Hey, it’s not easy being a cavewoman.

Posted in high protein, nutrition, Paleo Experiment, technique
Tags: hemp seeds, homemade roast beef, paleo diet, roast beets, stone brewing BELGO imperial russian stout, the paleo experiment

First of all, I MADE IT A WHOLE WEEK! Woot woot! (Or maybe that should be “grunt grunt,” given that this is a Stone Age diet and all.)

So apparently I won’t have to take on my Paleo experiment alone. I’ve dragged my husband into it with me. Well, not exactly, but he’s pretty content meeting his grain and dairy intake in the mornings with a bowl of cereal, but after that, it’s been fairly easy to convince him that slabs of flesh and piles of spinach can constitute good eats.

He arrived home Friday afternoon, and after a day of refueling with yams, I was excited to head to the grocery store and pick out some nice red meat. Performing his caveman-like duties, Mark seared the meat in the cast iron skillet while I sauteed some zucchini and cherry tomatoes for a side.

I already talked about Saturday’s delicious mussels, so I’ll move on to yesterday’s meal. After my 10-mile run (with no GI problems to report!), we headed to the Leucadia Farmer’s Market for the first time in ages. There, among the herbs and hippies, I discovered some purple-skinned yams called Japanese sweet potatoes. Even when the only starch I’m really allowed is yams, I’m a slave to variety.

As per my coach Nell’s cookbook, I sliced the large yam into 1/2-inch pieces, and tossed it with 1 Tbsp of chopped basil and 2 Tbsp of olive oil. I threw in some paprika, as well, and then broiled them on a rimmed baking sheet for about 15 minutes. I used to bake yam fries, but broiling is a much faster way of doing it and yields a crispier crust. We ate the fries with a batch of homemade “Paleo” mayo (eggs+olive oil) that turned out a little runnier than we would have liked.

With our yam fries, we had seared grass-fed steaks that were oh-so tasty. Who needs a grill? (Actually, I really want a grill.) I am embarrassed to admit that it was my first time trying grass-fed steak at home. Prior to going Paleo for a month, we didn’t really buy and cook a lot of meat, let alone pricey steak, but this month it’s all about the “why not?”

I also tried Nell’s recipe for Rappini, or Broccoli Rabe. Basically, you take a half bunch of the greens, coarsely chop them, and put them in a pan with 1-inch of water. You then steam them for 5 minutes, drain off the water, and mix them up with the juice of half a lemon, one Tbsp of olive/walnut/flaxseed oil mixed with fresh basil, and a handful of chopped sundried tomatoes and raisins. It was a very nice accompaniment to the full-flavored steak and the starchy yams.

In other news, I managed to resist all the samples at Costco, as well as the peanut butter filled pretzels that our friends brought to the beach. I think this “diet” is turning out to be more of a mental exercise than a physical one. I’m continually surprised by my own willpower. I’m usually the type of person who can put away two baskets of tortilla chips at a Mexican restaurant before the food is even delivered. Over the past week, I’ve had to learn to just not want things. It really is amazing how if you put your mind to it, you can overcome things that used to be daily pleasures.

One pleasure I won’t give up, however, is wine. And last night I cheated a little more (in the name of celebrating one week) by adding a Pink Lady to the mix — which could very well be my new favorite summer drink. And while I’m not really allowed tonic water (sugar sugar!), if I’m allowed energy gels on bike rides, I can justify one or two of these little evening indulgences every once in awhile.

Right Nell? (wink wink)

Pink Lady

2 oz gin

tonic water (Whole Foods’ 365 brand sweetens theirs with cane sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup)

Angostura bitters, to taste

Fill a rocks glass with ice. Add gin, tonic water, and 6-8 shakes of bitters. Enjoy!

Posted in Paleo Experiment
Tags: angostura bitters, broccoli rabe, grass fed steak, japanese sweet potato, paleo diet, pink lady, rappini, seared steak, the paleo experiment

Still going strong on with my Paleo Experiment here. On Friday, Day Five, I headed down to La Jolla Cove at 6:30 am to meet up with some Tri Club friend for a swim. I usually only swim there in the evenings, so the clear morning conditions were a real treat. I saw two sting rays swim by underneath me (rather eerily), and a school of silvery fish not swimming per se, but sorta just hanging out.

We all headed to the Pannikin in La Jolla afterwards, where I managed to resist the fresh muffins and scones sitting on our table. Their coffee was better than it is at the one near our house, so that was another treat. Everyone else headed off to work, but I was taking the day off to pick Mark up from the airport, so I headed back down to the water to go for a run. Nell had me doing hills on the treadmill, but I opted for the real thing instead.

After my run I ate mashed-up yam in my car. Tasted a bit like baby food (gotta work on that!), but otherwise it nailed my carb craving pretty well. I’ll be eating lots of yams, so I’d better get used to it.

It’s great to have Mark back, not only for obvious reasons, but to help me eat though the massive boxes of grapes and cherry tomatoes (Costco!) I’ve been eating since Monday. Having him here will help me be able to mix things up a bit. Friday night we bought some steak, and yesterday, before heading out to one of the strangest movies I’ve ever seen, we got some mussels from the little market by our house. I steamed them with onion, garlic, and white wine, and served a perfectly ripe avocado alongside. (Not to mention finishing off those “tomatoes of the week,” too!)

Possibly the biggest miracle so far is resisting popcorn. Thankfully, movie theater popcorn is gross anyway, but I usually make mine at home and smuggle it in. This time, the only smuggling was of the fruit and trail-mix variety.

I still feel energetic, despite a bonking a little on my 2.5 hour ride Saturday–but that could’ve been my strong riding partner, not my lack of dairy and grains! My muscles have felt a little more tired-out than usual, but also, that’s not necessarily from the way I’m eating. I’m sleeping soundly, my mood is cheery, and I’m feeling good.

This morning I’ll tackle my first run of any significant distance on this diet (10 miles), and tomorrow it’s onto Week Two!

Posted in nutrition, Paleo Experiment
Tags: paleo, paleo diet, the paleo experiment

Day Four’s in the bag. To be honest, I’ve only craved dairy a few times, and grains not once. Some of the transition issues, which shall remain nameless, have dissipated. I still have a bit of a dry mouth, despite drinking lots of water.

And I’ve learned a few things, too. For one, the yolks from hard-boiled eggs, whisked into olive oil and lemon juice (vinegar, sadly, is not allowed) make a great excuse for a “creamy” salad. I was supposed to have bison and greens tonight, but I had a few things that needed to be used kicking around, so whipped up this uber-colorful salad. Romaine, spinach, grapefruit, peppers, a boiled egg, shredded chicken, red onions, Craisins, and my new favorite dressing–which you’ll see on the second picture. It was so big I didn’t have a plate large enough.

Another thing about this new way of eating: you appreciate variety and “treats” a whole lot more. I will be glad when my massive Costco bag of spinach is gone and I can try some Swiss chard. Crunchy cravings are satisfied by almonds and carrots. A small glass of wine (technically a cheat item but OK’d by my coach for special occasions, which I deemed Day Three and Four of my experiment. Uh, oops?

I have a TON of energy. Almost jittery energy, which I’m not sure is good or bad. On my mid-day bike ride today, I was pretty hyped-up, but I’m not sure if this is because of increased coffee consumption or the merits of Paleo eating. I find I am craving more than the usual one cup a day of coffee. This could be because of the lack of simple carbs, or the fact that our office now has a proper coffee maker.

I know, I know. Four pictures of a salad? I finally dragged out the good camera for this one, straying from the usual dim light and shaky hand iPhone photos. A woman will do crazy things when deprived of popcorn, Chobani, and her husband (for the past month, too!)

Another thing I’ve learned is that gimmicks are sometimes cool. Like these produce bags from my mother-in-law. They actually work! My cilantro and romaine have stayed crisp longer than I care to publicly admit. As for that family-of-eight sized bag of spinach from Costco? Maybe I don’t want that to stick around forever (though it is fantastic wilted in coconut oil. Paleo for a month will teach you some crazy things!) Off to bed. I bumped the early-morning swim I planned for today to tomorrow, so it’s up and at ‘em at 5:30.

But first, one last sip of red wine.

Posted in improvised, nutrition, Paleo Experiment, salads
Tags: craisins, egg yolk salad dressing, grapefruit salad, paleo diet, red wine, spinach salad, the paleo experiment

As you may have read by now, from June 20 (Monday) until July 20, I’m turning freshcrackedpepper into a journal of my Paleo eating experiment. If you want to learn more about the thinking behind this approach to food, check out my coach Nell’s blog, or The Paleo Diet.com. (It also goes by other names, like Primal, Stone Age, Caveman, etc.) I’m trying it to see how I feel sans grains, gluten, and dairy.

Today was Day Three. My co-workers seem to be the ones bearing the brunt of my strange new ways. This morning, one of them went to heat a beverage up in the microwave, and voila! there was my breakfast, waiting for me to come back and get it. It was leftover dinner from last night: spinach, chunks of cooked salmon, and halved cherry tomatoes sauteed in coconut oil. Let’s just say he didn’t have the most positive things to say about it!

lunch: stewed "salsa" chicken over spinach and romaine, cherries, kombucha

I slipped a little today, not in terms of what I ate, but in not weighing portions exactly or eating the specific things Nell prescribed. She said substituting is OK, however. Her plan is just a guideline, and as long as my creativity falls within the Paleo confines, it’s all good. Chicken or salmon. Mango or melon.

The marine layer, or “June gloom” stuck around all day today, instead of “burning off” (the cool thing to say if you live by an ocean). Consequently, I felt a little gloomy myself. Came home, entertained the cat, patched some bicycle tubes, and texted a friend to see if she wanted to go walking on the beach. She was heading out for dinner with her husband and some friends I happen to know, so invited me along.

My first meal out on Paleo. Yikes! Would they think I was crazy? Would I have to answer a million questions? When I found out we were going to a place called the Greenery Raw Cafe in Leucadia (where we used to live and which I’ve been wanting to try for months), I was relieved. And I was right: There wasn’t any meat, unfortunately, but almost everything else was A-OK. (Or maybe that’s P-OK).

the curry

I scarfed down some turkey breast before leaving, just in case. When it came to mealtime, I got to try the Creamy Spinach Salad, whose “cream” is blended pine nuts and garlic. It was surprisingly good! I ordered the Vegetable Curry (above–it was dark in there, hence the awful iPhone photos!) It featured broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini and avocado in a creamy curry sauce made of macadamia and pines nuts. Mmmm!

I also got to try the Spaghetti and Veggie-Walnut “Meat”balls, which were served over noodles made entirely of zucchini, and marinara sauce. And, their Pad Thai. I was impressed at how well they preserved the flavors of the “original” meals, or how you’d expect them to taste at a “normal” restaurant. So vibrant-tasting, though, and great for summer, as they’re all served room-temperature or cold.

spaghetti and "meat"balls

My only stumble was the burger, which I only had a few small bites of. I checked the menu and oops–sprouted buckwheat! I didn’t feel too badly, however, as I’ve been 100 percent successful thus far. My analytical friends went on to discuss what grains and vegetables would’ve actually been around before agriculture, and what it would be like to really have to hunt and gather for our food. There was talk of urban chicken-keeping and wild potatoes and whether the cavemen had spices like curry.

Probably not. But this is the “modern” take on Paleolithic eating, not an exact replica. If that was the case, I’d have withered up by now. Off to bed–I’ve got an early swim and then a potential Triathlon Club Aquathon race, if I have a productive enough day.

the buckwheat culprit!

Posted in Paleo Experiment
Tags: nell stephenson, paleo diet, the paleo experiment

Um, because that’s all I’m eating? No, not really. But I guess if I do want my co-workers to come and chat with me every once in awhile, I should wash my plate pronto. Oops.

Two days down. I know, I shouldn’t be counting yet, but I can’t help but feel that two days is a marker of sorts. One day, anyone can do. It’s a flash in the pan. Heck, people fast for full days (and even longer). Maybe by the time I’ve done a full week I’ll have a different perspective, but as I near the end of my second full day eating Paleo, I can honestly say, it’s not that bad.

No, I’m not at the THIS IS THE MOST AMAZING THIS EVER! stage. I imagine that will come eventually, given the comments already left on my first Paleo post. (What gives? I go on a blogging hiatus and then crack out an entry on eating Paleo and suddenly readers come out of the woodwork? Fine by me!) Nope, I’m still at the humble “I can do this for a month,” stage.

My first Paleo breakfast--sorry for the blur, it looked fine on my phone!

I’ll be candid here: this way of eating is a ton of work. I spent the better part of Sunday night preparing my fridge, and after a 6 am Masters swim Monday morning, spent at least an hour preparing my breakfast, and snacks and lunch for the day. But I don’t think the time element is unique to Paleo. If I was getting meal plans from any coach, it would involve extra time. I actually welcome this change in my life. Before this experiment, I was too haphazard about eating, and would often just grab a can of sardines and a banana and call that “lunch.” I think this project will teach me, at the very least, how important it is to set aside time each evening to plan out your next days’ sustenance. Especially if you’re an on-the-go triathlete who doesn’t like to spend a lot of money buying lunches or eating out.

So, Monday. Poach salmon while I unpack my swimming stuff and check my email. Steam kale on a steamer above the poaching water. Chop up tomatoes, sprinkle with flaxseed and olive oil. Voila! Sure was a lot more colorful than my usual toast or oatmeal. Then I grilled some chicken. 75 grams for morning snack (with red grapes and walnuts), half a breast for lunch (with spinach and more grapes, flaxseed and walnut oil), and 100 grams more for afternoon snack (with avocado and carrots). Dang, that’s a lot of chicken.

The only non-Paleo foods I'm allowed

I’ve learned already that I’m going to end up improvising and substituting a little here and there. Grapes, because I bought a huge box at Costco, instead of the prescribed cherries or apple. Kale, because I have it, rather than chard. There’s only so many different fruits and greens a girl can keep in her house before going bad. (It’ll be easier when Mark gets back and can help me eat all this stuff.) I’m also going to end up adding a lot more spices, onions, and garlic than my coach has in the prep. I know she’ll be OK with this, given the recipes in her awesome cookbook. I figure that for now, she’s kept it pretty simple so as to not overwhelm me. It’s enough having to weigh out pieces of fish and handfuls of nuts, and measure spinach. I’m sure that after a few days, I’ll get better at “eyeballing” things and listening to my body when it’s asking for more.

Day One brought with it a mild headache and some gas. But when you’re on a brand-new diet, it’s hard to tell if those would’ve happened anyway, or if they’re an effect of the foods you’re eating. Maybe my body just has to adjust to all the new fiber and protein I’m throwing its way. By Day Two, both ailments had subsided, but I had a few weird pains in my gut. Again, here’s to honesty!

I had my first pre-workout smoothie this morning, which involves almond butter, banana, water, and egg white powder. Not as good as my usual fruit-and-kefir concoction, but manageable. I couldn’t get the “gel per 25 minutes of activity” prescribed down, however, so fueled my two-hour ride on one and then scarfed down some extra post-ride figs. Unfortunately Mark wasn’t here to soak them in espresso for me.

That’s all for now, folks. Off I go to mix up some egg white powder and banana to fuel my 6 o’clock track workout. Maybe I’ll add some cinnamon and raisins just for fun. Then it’s home to more fish. And kale. And whatever other nuts and fruit I feel like throwing into the mix.

Posted in Paleo Experiment