What Do I Want To Do With My Life? Pretend You Had 3 Months To Live

Quick Healthy Cooking Tips: Day 1

Weight Loss, Recovery, and the Power of Paleo

I’ve been on a blogging hiatus for almost 3 months now. Why? Well, a lot has been going on in my life. As a corps member at Teach For America, I’ve moved across the country (New York to California) by car. It took about a week, and fast food combined with fatigue was not a helpful way to keep myself on the Paleo track. Needless to say, I strayed with dairy and some other forbidden foods such as corn and rice.

The difference I felt in health was incredible. After being on the Paleo diet for the previous 6 weeks, the non-Paleo foods hit me like a pile of bricks. Brain fog came back, and it came back with a vengeance. I had gas almost every night of my trip, and had difficulty sleeping. Mood swings were extremely common, and stress was at some of the highest levels I’ve ever had it. So much so, that when I got to San Francisco, I found two gray hairs on my head.

Once arriving in California, I stayed in San Francisco for one week for our Teach For America Induction. It was an inspiring week, but once again the dining hall food was cooked in all kinds of vegetable oils, and frozen yogurt runs were commonplace. I knew it wasn’t what I should be doing, but I figured, what the hell? Why not?

Why not? I got to Institute in Los Angeles a week later, which is our 5 week intensive summer training to be teachers. I continued to eat terribly and my symptoms got worse. My mood swings were horrific, and there were times I felt like I would have to leave the program. I was constantly exhausted and grumpy. And once again, the food was horrific. The eggs were cooked with milk and margarine. All the meats were drowned in vegetable oil, and almost everything on the menu was filled with our friend Mr. Gluten. There were times where I felt like my legs were going to collapse out from under me while standing in a session. I had to take control of things.

The last week of institute, I said fuck it. I decided to suck up the cost of buying food and eating plain things to get my health back in order. And so I went to Trader Joe’s, and picked up the staples that would feed me for the next week: Canned chicken and raw almonds. I cut out dairy completely (yes, that means frozen yogurt *sigh*). I refused to eat at the dining hall. I ate out at Chipotle and got their chicken salad 4 times. For lunch, I would eat a chef salad given to me by the school and take out the cheese.

Within 2 days, my brain fog was gone. I started feeling better. I didn’t have to sleep as much to feel rested. My outlook on things became optimistic. I had energy. It was like magic for me, and it showed me the power of Paleo and what it can do in such a short period of time.

I’ll be back to blogging as soon as I get set up in my apartment in San Francisco (which should be by next week, as Institute finished today). I can’t wait to cook my own food and know what’s going into my body. I can’t wait to have the energy to exercise and live a healthy life once again. If I felt this good again after just one week, I can’t imagine what this is going to do for me over six months, a year, or more. Never underestimate the power of food; it can be the key to your success or failure in anything you do.

Mark Sisson, Crossfit, and Eating Paleo in NYC Meetup

I get more and more excited about what I would call the Paleo/Primal movement every single day, and this week was no exception. On Wednesday night, I attended a Meetup with Eating Paleo in NYC, led by John Durant who is a soon-to-be author and blogger at hunter-gatherer.com. The Meetup was at CrossFit NYC, which was my first trip to a CrossFit gym. It wasn’t the most impressive sight, but I wouldn’t expect it to be. I would have liked to see a workout, however by the time we all got into the gym (there was about a 150 person line) the workouts were all finished for the day. To tease me even more, CrossFit NYC is giving Eating Paleo in NYC members two free workouts next month to get them started, just when I’ll be making my move out to San Francisco to start at Teach For America. Come on, man! Oh well, there is no shortage of CrossFit gyms in northern California, and I fully intend on checking one out as soon as I get to the Bay for good in early August.

Waiting in line outside CrossFit NYC to see Mark Sisson

Before I made the trek over to CrossFit NYC, though, I met up with a few friends who live in the city at a small Italian restaurant called Bianca. Since I’m relatively new at eating out Paleo, I made sure to check the menu online before I went just to make sure I would be able to eat a meal that stayed inside the Primal/Paleo guidelines.

I decided to get the Pollo Al Balsamico, and it was absolutely amazing. I’ve eaten out probably about 8 times since going strict Paleo in the beginning of May, and I have to say I’ve found it much easier than I thought it would be and almost…refreshing. Sticking to conventional wisdom, I always stayed away from steak and anything that looked like it may have an ounce of fat on it, and it’s made my restaurant experiences uncomfortable to say the least. I would always get something I didn’t really want, be hungry after spending $15-$25 on the meal, and my stomach would automatically hate me for at least 12 hours after the meal. I don’t know about you, but that’s not the kind of experience I want to be paying for.

Anyway, it was essentially fresh, tender chicken with spinach greens smothered in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Now, a month ago I would have been, for lack of a better term, scared of the amount of fat in the olive oil and the “only” 85% lean chicken breast and legs, but lately I’m like a kid in a candy store. The other night I ordered a steak at a restaurant, the next morning I ordered eggs and bacon, and now this. These are all things I would have sworn were the root cause of all my stomach issues, but what I didn’t realize was I would always supplement these dishes with some kind of wheat. Whether it was pasta, bread before or during the meal, or flour tortillas, I finally realized that it wasn’t the red meat or the high amounts of fat that was making me want to curl up in a ball and die; it was what I was eating with it. How do I know this, you ask? Simple. I cut out the wheat products, and it stopped. I felt great after every meal, energized from the nutrients the food gave me.

I did have one problem at Bianca, however. Since I’ve been on this whole Paleo/Primal “discovery”, I haven’t really told any of my friends about the changes in my diet. I’ve told them that I can’t eat wheat anymore, but I’m hesitant to tell them about Paleo because I simply feel like they just won’t understand.

I got dinner with two friends, and because they were curious as to what my “meeting” was at 8 p.m. that night, I had to tell them. One friend gave me a strange reaction to my commitment to this new lifestyle I was so excited about. He kept calling it “random” but said that it made sense. Still, I could tell he did not completely understand, which is understandable on my end. Nonetheless, it was still a little uncomfortable.

My other friend who I got dinner with was not only excited about it, but she wanted to know more. She is currently enrolled in culinary school and has a fantastic blog including some delicious recipes (you can check it out here), and she kept asking me about what foods are Paleo and what food aren’t and how she could implement those ingredients in her dishes. The difference between my two amigos was stark, but I guess that’s how it goes. A day in the life of a Paleo believer (sigh).

Anyway, back to the whole reason I made the trip down to NYC in the first place: to meet Mark Sisson! In case you don’t know Mark, he is the author of the book <a href=”The Primal Blueprint: Reprogram your genes for effortless weight loss, vibrant health, and boundless energy ” target=”_blank”>The Primal Blueprint and blogger on www.marksdailyapple.com. I had just finished his book when I heard that he would be speaking in the city, and I had to make the trip down to see him.

Mark Sisson speaking at CrossFit NYC!

The night did not disappoint, as over 200 people crowded inside CrossFit NYC to hear Mark speak and to participate in a Q&A afterwards. I met some fantastic people and realized that this really is a movement, and that a Paleo/Primal lifestyle has literally changed thousands of people’s lives. It was an inspiring, informative night, and I even got to meet Mark and snag a picture with him.

Mark and I - the guy is RIPPED.

The one question I was able to ask during the Q&A was how I could implement Primal nutrition into my classroom and my school as a whole next year, and surprisingly, Mark did not have an answer. John Durant gave a few tips and some others in the group had some insight as well, but I know it’s going to be an uphill battle to bring this revolutionary (or evolutionary – get it?) idea into the public school system and help combat the poor attention spans, manic-depressive energy levels, and ADHD rates that plague our nation’s students. That is what I hope to do starting in just three weeks as a Teach For America corps member, and hopefully we can get the word out to create a happier, healthier future generation for our country.

For more ideas, recipes, and other news, check out Primal Toad’s Primal Cave #4, giving exposure to new Primal bloggers here. He is a 23-year old who is already one of the most active advocates for the Primal/Paleo lifestyle, and a great resource in the community. Enjoy!

Primal Progress – 2 Week Transformation

It’s been two weeks since I decided to make the change to 100% Paleo/Primal eating, and the changes have been nothing short of incredible. I had been gradually making changes to my diet for the past 9 months, but nothing as dramatic as this. Here is a brief summary of the differences I’ve observed since eating the way we were born to eat:

• Body fat loss with NO EXERCISE – Yeah, you heard me. The circumstances in my life for the past two weeks have not allowed me to work out at all. Yet I’ve dropped 6 pounds (I’m convinced some of that is reduced inflammation) and 2% body-fat (11.6% to 9.6%) in just 14 days. Did I mention I couldn’t exercise?
• I’m not hungry all the time – My parents used to call me a “bottomless pit” at
  

  My bottomless pit was hilarious to my friends (as I demolish 3/4 of a cake in this picture) but way less hilarious to my digestive system shortly after (photo not shown...you're welcome)

  dinnertime, because I would finish our meal (usually of white pasta, bread, and HFCS-laden tomato sauce) and continue eating for an hour or more after the meal. I would chow down on cereal with milk, english muffins, bagels, and the occasional Kashi GoLean! $*&# your brains out bar. In the past 2 weeks, however, I actually feel satisfied. I’m not hungry throughout the day, I feel GREAT after meals (food actually gives me energy like it’s supposed to), and I don’t feel bloated and swollen after eating. Strange.

• My skin has cleared up – I’ve always had relatively clear skin, with the exception of some rough red dots on the back of my arms. I’ve always attributed it to dry or cold air, but if the improvements I’ve seen in the past 2 weeks are not some magic wizard playing tricks on me, the skin condition was clearly due to my diet. My skin has become clear, with almost no dots whatsoever. I think we may be onto something…
• I’m thinking and speaking more clearly – For any of you who have ever experienced “brain fog”, you know the feeling of not being able to concentrate on your current tasks, losing focus, and for me, even getting lost in your own conversation. I would literally start making a point and forget where I was going with it. I would raise my hand in class or make a point to a friend, start talking, and then be struck with this extremely embarrassing situation that made me look, intellectually, like a senior citizen that escaped from bingo night. In the past two weeks, I have not experienced one bout of brain fog. I have been fully present in my conversations, able to focus and comprehend things better, and I even sound more intelligent when I’m talking (yes, I’m tooting my own horn). The need for “um’s” or long pauses has decreased to almost nothing because my mind is actually working. And finally…
• I’m happier – Maybe it’s because my stomach hasn’t hurt in the past 2 weeks, the longest span I’ve ever gone without pain since I can remember. Maybe it’s because food is actually giving me energy instead of wiping me out. Maybe it’s because I’m not always thinking about food and how it has complete control over me. Maybe it’s because I’m eating satisfying, wholesome meals that my body was meant to eat. Or maybe it’s all in my head. But I doubt it.

The healing process from ingesting grains can take years, but many people see significant changes in just the first few weeks as I have. I’m excited to continue seeing positive changes in my body and my mind as I continue on this Paleo/Primal journey and begin exercising again in just a few short days. 

My experiences are not unique. There are thousands of cases of people doing the same things as I have and having very similar (and even better) results. I can’t recommend this lifestyle change enough to anyone who has any type of ailment, disease, or disorder. If it doesn’t work, you lost 30 days of eating foods you may enjoy. But if it does, you could literally change your entire life. I am.

Cereal vs. Bacon & Eggs – Who Wins?

I figured the best way to start this post was to put a picture up of my breakfast that has been a delicious staple in my diet since going Primal – Turkey Bacon & Eggs. This bad boy shown above was whipped up in less than 10 minutes and is absolutely delicious. It’s made up of:

• 3 extra large eggs (free range)
• 3 egg whites
• 2 tbsp Fresh Salsa
• 2 pieces Applegate Farms Turkey Bacon (Nitrate Free)

It’s funny, because in my days in high school and throughout college, this is the kind of breakfast that I would be absolutely petrified of. No, I didn’t think it was going to get up and stab me, but I honestly felt nervous about gaining weight and “clogging my arteries” when I would sleep at a friends house and wake up to their parents cooking bacon and eggs for us. I would hate going out to restaurants because I knew I would be forced to eat something high in fat, which would inevitably lead to weight gain and the loss of my six-pack that I spent 12+ hours a week in the gym and on the court/field carving to perfection.

Not only have I recently learned how untrue this is, but I’ve actually learned how nutritious these foods can be. It’s interesting that this morning I was thinking of why cereal didn’t smell good like bacon and eggs. I wonder why!? MAYBE because cereal has no nutrients and nature did not intend humans to be enticed into eating CEREAL.

I also used to think that a heaping bowl of cereal would keep me lean because it had little to no fat. Frosted Flakes were flawless in my

They're G...onna make ya feel like $%^#!

mind (zero grams fat and 110 calories per serving? I’ll take it!) What I didn’t know is that the serving size for these little a******* is that their serving size is 3/4 cup, which could essentially feed a hamster who is “cutting”. I decided to do some measuring one day and found that my mound of cereal that I created each morning was 4 times that amount. Suddenly, that 110 calories turns into 440 calories, 108 grams of carbs, and 44 grams of sugar. Add a cup of “healthy” skim milk, and you’ve got yourself a whopping 530 calories, 120 grams of carbs, 56 grams of sugar, and an insulin spike that will foster a loud reaction similar to, “I’M READY FOR SCHOOL MOM!!!! I’M READY I’M READY YEAHHHH!!!!” Once silent reading starts at 9:15 though, you can’t even muster up the energy to power through 6 pages of “Holes”.

If that same kid ate the breakfast I ate this morning, he would have eaten more food, would have felt more full, would have sustained energy levels, and would not feel bloated, gassy, or feel a “brain fog”. In fact, according to FatSecret.com (which is a fantastic website that I cannot recommend enough), this meal that is pictured at the top of this post contains fewer calories, MUCH fewer carbs, MUCH fewer sugar, and WAY more protein. Here is a summary from the site comparing my old bowl of Frosted Flakes vs. my new and improved morning chow:

VS.

Are you kidding me?!?! All that food in 431 calories?!?! No f*$&%^ way.

Yes, way. And this precise formula (which, if you calculate caloric percentages, is 51% protein, 42% fat, and 7% carbs) is what I have been using to fuel my Primal lifestyle, maintain and increase muscle mass, to have sustained energy levels, to rarely be hungry, and for all you people out there concerned with vanity (I admit, I certainly am), I’ve used this to get all shredded up (I am now at sub-10% body fat). This is a foolproof formula to fuel your body with the nutrients you need to have the energy to do the things you have to AND the things you want to. Pretty crazy how all this is possible, right? Especially with a meal that people tell you is bad for you. Chomp on that, kids.

Ground Turkey w/ Peppers & Onions and Spaghetti Squash

Yummmm. This was my first meal I made post-Celiac diagnosis, and it was a good one indeed. Paleo requires a little more time in the kitchen (this meal took me about 45 minutes from start to finish) but the health benefits and the delicious flavors and smells are totally worth it.

Tonight I made ground turkey with peppers & onions, and I had a spaghetti squash in the fridge that I wanted to try as well. Why not pair them up? Here are the ingredients for my delicious Paleo dinner:

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (first cold pressed)
• 1 pound lean ground turkey
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 2-pound spaghetti squash
• 1 cup lettuce

It was my first time cooking spaghetti squash, so I had to do some fishing on the internet to figure out just how to cook the thing. There are many ways to do it, but this is what worked for me.

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
• Slice spaghetti squash in two equal halves
• Scrape out the seeds and “goo” inside
• Pour 1/2 tbsp olive oil in each side (you can add salt/pepper if you would like as well to taste)
• Place the cut open sides facing down and cook for 35-40 minutes

Finished spaghetti squash!

Once finished, let the spaghetti squash cool for about 10 minutes. Then, take a fork and rake out all the good stuff. I was amazed by this because I had never done this before, and how it came out like magic. It looked like pasta, had the consistency of pasta, and tasted (in my mind) even better.

While all this was going on in the oven, the easy part was cooking the diced onion, pepper, and turkey. In a pan on medium heat, I cooked everything together for about 20 minutes, until the meat was thoroughly cooked.

When everything was finally put together, it was delicious. I generally eat a lot of food as an athlete and very active guy, but this much food will still go a long way for me. Funny thing about eating Paleo foods…they actually fill you up! My parents always used to call me the “Bottomless Pit” on nights where after dinner I literally could not stop eating. I would eat my regular meal, which not surprisingly looking back on it was usually comprised of pasta, and then just never be able to stop. I would have English Muffins with jelly, whole wheat bagels, frozen yogurt, yogurt and granola, and still be wanting more! The craziest part is, I would eat about 3/4 to a full pound of pasta for dinner right before that. Talk about an unfavorable insulin response!

Eating Primal foods, I have been able to fill up on every meal. My blood sugar levels simply don’t go on that roller coaster ride that they used to, and the leptin in my body (the chemical that tells you that you’re full) is actually working again. It sounds weird, but it’s almost an empowering feeling to leave the table satisfied for once. Not bloated, not feeling like I can’t breathe, not gassy, just thoroughly satisfied and energized from the food you just ate. Isn’t that how it should always be?