Paleo Cook Out

Well folks, the half-way point for the Paleo Challenge is around the corner. To celebrate our success thus far and continued pursuit, I am hosting a Paleo Cook-Out at my apartment on:

Saturday March 26th at 12:30pm.

Please use the comments area to confirm attendance. To defray the cost of food, please commit to bringing a protein, side dish or other nibbles to cover yourself and share with others.

Showcase a recipe that you have found, created or altered for the Paleo Challenge.

It will be an afternoon of food, friends and fun!

"Fudge Babies"

This recipe is really simple and absolutely delicious.

1 cup walnuts
1 1/3 cup dates
4 Tbsp cocoa
1 tsp vanilla

Put all ingredients in a food processor (or blender, magic bullet, etc.) and blend. Roll into balls. Enjoy.

If you don't have walnuts, pecans are also delicious. 1 1/3 cups is about 20 dates.

TIP: Make sure to remove the seeds from the dates before putting them in the food processor... its a nightmare picking them out if you don't and you'll notice if you bite down on one.

Late Night Snacking : Don't Do It.

Hey party people. 
We are coming up on the completion of week #2. Hopefully things are doing better for you in an overall perspective. Personally, I find things have become easier when it comes to selection of Paleo chow. I  have noticed that several people have mentioned that snacking is/can be an issue. My solution - don't snack late at night. Easier said than done, I know. 
Listen up, monkeys, let me throw some knowledge at you. 


Not only is it better to not get your late night snacky-snack 'on, but if you are going to snack, it is better to do it during the daytime. A recent Northwestern University study found that eating at irregular times (ie - the middle of the night when the body should be more focused on sleep) influences weight gain. The regulation of energy by the body's circadian rhythms may play a significant role. 

"How or why a person gains weight is very complicated, but it clearly is not just calories in and calories out," said Fred Turek, professor of neurobiology and physiology in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and director of the Center for Sleep and Circadian Biology. "Some factors are under circadian control. Better timing of meals, which would require a change in behavior, could be a critical element in slowing the ever-increasing incidence of obesity."

Simply modifying the time of feeding alone can greatly affect body weight. Mice that were fed a high-fat diet during normal sleeping hours gained significantly more weight (a 48 percent weight increase over their baseline) than mice eating the same type and amount of food during naturally wakeful hours (a 20 percent increase over their baseline). There was no statistical difference between the two groups regarding caloric intake or the amount of activity.

Over a period of six weeks, both groups of mice were allowed to eat as much high-fat diet as they wanted during their daily 12-hour feeding phase. (Much like many humans, mice have a preference for high-fat food.) Since mice are nocturnal, the 12-hour feeding phase was during the day for those fed during normal sleeping hours and during the night for those fed during naturally wakeful hours. Food was not provided during the other 12 hours of their day.

Our circadian clock, or biological timing system, governs our daily cycles of feeding, activity and sleep, with respect to external dark and light cycles. Recent studies have found the body's internal clock also regulates energy use, suggesting the timing of meals may matter in the balance between caloric intake and expenditure.

Remember that the United States and the world battle what has been called an "obesity epidemic."  or as I like to call it, "Fatassness". More than 300 million adults worldwide are obese, including more than a third of American adults. Wait, let me put this in an even brighter light. About 2/3 of the US is considered to be overweight; 1/2 of the US's overweight population can be categorized as obese.

These figures are frightening!

USA Obesity Rates Reach Epidemic Proportions
* 58 Million Overweight; 40 Million Obese; 3 Million morbidly Obese
* Eight out of 10 over 25's Overweight
* 78% of American's not meeting basic activity level recommendations
* 25% completely Sedentary
* 76% increase in Type II diabetes in adults 30-40 yrs old since 1990

OK, OK, that is enough scare tactics. Let's look at it with a different perspective. We use food for energy, right? How much energy do you need to sleep? Not much. The nutrients that you have ingested throughout the afternoon more than suffice for the "regeneration" that occurs while we sleep. I'm sure you've heard that you should eat more during the daytime than night. The problem is that we are too easily consoled by food. How many times have you heard, "I've had a rough day, I need to eat [insert bad for you food] tonight?" or "it was a friend's/coworker's/pet's [insert special occasion] today". 

I'm sorry, have I lost you with a section that reminds you of MadLibs in middle school?

Bottom line, is that it is more an effort of us not sabotaging ourselves and/or giving ourselves a scapegoat for doing the wrong thing. Excuses are easier to make than commitments.


Why am I eating so late at night - do I really need so much [whatever I'm eating] to go to sleep? NO.... many times, we just eat out of boredom or out of habit. I know that it feels good to sugar yourself up, but remember that there are consequences to your actions. 
Ok, if I don't eat this cupcake/pie/random pastry will my friend/coworker/pet be upset with me; will I ruin this person's/being's life by not letting said non-Paleo fare trespass my facehole? NO.... chances are, they/it will continue to flourish. Not eating that pastry does not make you a bad person. It shows you that you are in control and that you are not mindless. 

I am well aware that saying "it can't always be a 'special occasion', guys" is probably not what you want to hear at this moment of your Paleo venture. I'm sure that you want tips and techniques to help thwart off the Snacky Monsta within. Alas, NO... Not just NO, but hell NO.  This posting is not meant to coddle you monkeys. It is meant to remind you to have/show more self-discipline. Part of the Paleo Challenge, is seeing and experiencing what you can/will do if/when you take the reigns. 

Keeping it real,

-The Black Lion

Kale Chips

One bunch of kale

Preheat oven (or toaster oven) to 225 degrees. Tear kale into pieces (uniform is more important than size - but they shrink down, so don't make them too small). Place kale on a non-stick cookie sheet or a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle generously with spices such as sea salt, Old Bay seasoning (delicious!), powdered ginger, garlic salt, or anything you like. Bake for 9-12 minutes or until dark green and crispy - careful not to burn!

I have found that kale chips can help with the late-night munchies. They are obviously NOT potato chips, but they get the job done.

NICE TO MEAT YOU :

Protein Consumption

As a general rule - active people should eat between 1.5 to 2gms of protein per kilogram per day. Any more than that rate of consumption of protein/kg/day, you better be hitting "2-a-days" with tremendous frequency. This amount of protein intake is typically reserved for people that are training for hours a day (Ironman, prize-fighters, etc.). 
The USDA states that one should have about 60gms of protein per day as part of their [2000K cal diet] and this is enough for the average American as they maintain an "active" lifestyle. The average American already consumes enough protein/day to maintain that recommendation. Of course, only about 25% of people maintain an "active" lifestyle.

Why so many quotation marks Manni?
That's a good question, Miss...

 I have been using quotation marks because people that stick to only rec-league kickball games or go for brisk walks several times a week also fall into the realm of "active" according to the so-called experts. I am not bad-mouthing you, rec-league people, but I doubt that playing a game a kickball and then kicking back beers at the pub with your team-mates really is sufficient activity to justify upping your protein/caloric needs. To the walkers, it is great that you go out and try something active, but if you want more, you do more! OK, maybe I am being a bit unfair.... I digress, apologies. 



Where was I?... Oh yeah, Like I said, Paleo should not be taken as a pass for unlimited meat-fests. Your Paleo-centric nutrition is a diverse veggie+meat-fest (or - veggie+legume-fest for Jay and Sumi). 

Like Tristan mentioned, I would also rather err on the side of a bit more protein than not enough. Here are the extremes - A lack of protein can lower all the functions of the body, but if you overload with protein it can put a strain on the body causing a high level of acidity.  This was the main concern with Atkins fanatics; conditions such as acidosis or ketosis. When this occurs our bodies tend to use calcium from our bones and teeth to stop the acids breaking down our body tissues - Calcium is alkalinic.  However, if you are veggie-fying yourself enough and not over protein-ifying, you are good. 

But Manni, I am not drinking Milk, where will I get calcium from?

Damnit! You didn't pay attention to my initial speech, did you. 

I am gonna go take a nap......