Gluten-Free Liars, Fakers and Cheats

I am going on a rant here, so bear with me (or not), but something is really starting to piss me off and I want to talk about it.

It started with THIS POST, "Will Everyone Please Eat Gluten? Please..." by Elissa Strauss.

And then THIS ARTICLE came out via Runners World on Twitter.

Now let me preface my rant by saying that I have tremendous respect and compassion for people who have dietary restrictions for medical/health reasons (life-threatening allergy, celiac, lactose-intolerant, gluten-sensitive, etc.).  I am sensitive to the needs of my guests and, when entertaining, will prepare foods that are healthy and I know that they can enjoy without fear, and this extends to my vegan/vegetarian friends as well.  The last thing I want to happen to any of my friends or family is to go home sick from a meal because I know the tremendous vigilance it takes when you suffer from something like this.

I also respect an individual's right to exclude certain foods from their own diet/nutrition/eating plan when it is simply their choice.  And this is an equally tough battle because anyone who makes specific nutrition choices, to some degree or another, has encountered the family member/friend/total stranger who says, "Come on, just one piece/slice/drink/bite of XYZ won't hurt you," when, quite frankly, you know it can/will derail your efforts to keep XYZ off your plate.

I began following a Paleo diet over two years ago as a test for athletic performance.  I quickly discovered that it was a lifestyle that worked for me.  I lost 20 lbs, leaned up, felt amazing and had energy through the roof.  Because I chose to avoid grains, legumes, dairy, processed foods, sugar, soy, etc., however, I always knew that I could have dairy or cake or cookies and it wasn't going to be life threatening.  That doesn't mean that I think any of those things are good for me, which is why I choose not to eat them for the most part. I choose not to eat grains/gluten because I feel better when I don't - and for good reason.  Grains are essentially indigestible and they bind to other good nutrients in your food and prevent them from being absorbed.  Grains cause gut inflammation in most people - and if most people stopped eating grains/gluten they'd probably be amazed at how much better they felt.  I choose not to, not because it's trendy, but because it's healthy for MOST people.

Pardon me, but the writer in the first post I mentioned comes off as a whiny spoiled brat.  I get her point, I truly do, but she's going to have to come to grips with the fact that she has to make some hard choices.  If you have celiac you may not be able to eat out at most restaurants.  You may have to prepare most of your meals at home.  And if you feel that your life/health is in jeopardy, don't eat at a restaurant that doesn't take you seriously. Vote with your dollar and support the restaurants that do.

And, yes, there are Gluten-Free Liars, Fakers and Cheats out there.  You find these individuals in every type of "diet" - vegan, vegetarian, Paleo, gluten-free, macrobiotic, etc.  They are the ones thrive on drama and who will go into a restaurant and drive the servers crazy, make a huge scene at family dinners, or dinner parties with friends.  "I can't/won't eat THAT" they say, or they want to make substitutions, omissions or deletions from every dish they order. Yes, they are assholes, but thankfully they are mostly few and far between.

Don't be THAT guy/girl.  Do your homework.  Go on line and review the menu for a restaurant in advance to see if there are dishes you can eat that don't require extraordinary measures on the part of of the kitchen/chef.  Call ahead and ask if they can accommodate you.  Many times, they are happy to do so.  Be kind to the server when you do go and be patient.  And LEAVE A HEALTHY TIP.  They will be happy to have you return.

And just a short note on the second Runners World post - first of all a study of 37 people is really not conclusive of ANYTHING.  I tried to look up who funded this "study" but it was not available on the website (perhaps the wheat council?).  They are basically trying to say people are probably sensitive to FODMAPs and not gluten, but ironically, they include wheat in the FODMAPs list.  They also say if you omit grains from your diet and you don't need to, you'll suffer from nutritional imbalances.  WHAT?  Grains are one of the most nutrient-poor foods on the planet - you do not need grains for nutrients or fiber.  

Do yourself a favor, ditch the grains, processed and fast foods, and sugar - fill the void with whole foods like vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds.  Meat if you are inclined.  Your gut with thank you for it.  It may seem "trendy" now, but just wait - someday it will be the norm and those with celiac will thank us for supporting the movement.

Random Thoughts Right Now

I'll be cycling to the top at the end of June.

•  I have a coach!  Did I already mention that?  Wait, I think I've written several unpublished posts about that, so it's probably news.  I'm working with Michelle Simmons from Simmons Endurance Coaching on Oahu.  Her slogan is "Find A New Gear."  I'll be writing more on this later, but suffice it to say that in these first three weeks I have definitely found gears I didn't know I had!

• Speaking of gears...have you seen those sports drink commercials where they show the athletes completely dripping with sweat?  I mean, they have sweat glistening from every pore and it's running in rivulets down their necks, arms, torso, legs.  I never believed anyone could sweat that much - that it was all for show.  Well, the trainer workouts I've been doing are producing the exact same results.  I never knew I could work so hard.
  
• I'm training for Cycle to the Sun at the end of June.  I got shut out of the two 70.3's I wanted to do this year (I didn't sign up in time, d'oh!).  So I did the next batshitcrazy best thing I could think of: ride to the top of Haleakala Crater on the steepest paved road in the world.  It's only 36 miles.  With...ahem... 10,023ft of climbing. (At least it's on home turf so I can train for it!)
  
• It appears my plantar fasciitis is waning.  FINALLY.  After a gait analysis and a custom orthotic (plus some leg/glute strength training), pain has gone from an 8 to about a 2-3 and continues to get better.  I'm going to add a little bit of running to the mix and see how it goes. 
  
• Nutrition-wise I'm trying a few new things...trying to get back to 100% Paleo after dabbling with a little high fat dairy for awhile.  Dairy just doesn't seem to work for me - it just adds unwanted weight.  I'm sticking with a higher fat, lower carb regimen and trying to become more fat-adapted for endurance events, so we'll see how it goes.  I'm not sure how well that will translate with all the climbing I'm going to be doing - I might need a little more sugar.

Kahekili Hwy - My new favorite training place.

 Those are my thoughts for now.  More soon...

The Great Coconut Milk Experiment

Coconut.  One of the (many) beautiful things about eating Paleo!  The only difficulty is finding unadulterated coconut products, especially coconut milk.  So, I decided to make my own.

With Bruce's help, we husked two of the three coconuts given to me by my friend and co-worker, Gina.  It has been difficult to find mature coconuts because everyone wants the water these days.  After several false starts, her and her husband provided us with THESE beauties.

We have worked out a trade deal - they give us coconuts, we give them avocados.  I like it!  The picture above shows one coconut with the husk still on, and two without.  Once you husk them you need to use them - they can leak or rot quickly.

These we just perfect - plenty of milky white flesh.

It's not easy getting the meat out of the shell.  If this was a Top Chef quickfire, I would have lost.  I've got to research to find an easier way to do this.

Here is the meat - don't worry about the dark peel - it doesn't impact the taste of the milk.

Put it all in the VitaMix and blend with enough hot water to make a slurry.

The slurry going into the nut milk bag.

Squeeze out all of the milk - use a nut milk bag instead of cheesecloth.  They work great!

The finished product!  It is delicious to drink just by itself over ice, blended into a smoothie, or used for many Paleo recipes that call for coconut milk.

I'm spoiled now, and only want fresh.  The trick will be to maintain a 1-2 per week supply of mature coconuts.  You'd think they'd be all over the place on an island, but apparently they are one of Maui's best kept secrets.

Smoothie Friday: Kiwi Green

It's Smoothie Friday!


Each Friday (for as long as I can keep it going), I'm going to post a recipe for a new Paleo smoothie creation.


Today is "Kiwi Green."


Ingredients:


1C water
1/4 of an avocado
1 small banana
1 orange, peeled
1 kiwi, peeled
2T flaxseed meal
1 scoop egg white protein powder
1C raw spinach
1C ice


Blend on high for 1 minute in your blender.


A couple of notes:

• If you do an sort of cooking, are following a Paleo nutrition plan, like to make smoothies, soups or blended cocktails, do yourself a favor and go buy a Vitamix!  I can't tell you how many cheap blenders I've burned up over the years, and you probably have done the same.  Add them up and you could have bought a Vitamix!  They are a little pricey, but worth every penny AND MORE.  I wish I had discovered them years ago.  Use a Vitamix and say goodbye to chunky, unpleasant smoothies.

• Do you peel your kiwi when you eat it?  I have a friend who eats hers skin and all.  I can't seem to wrap my head around that, but if there's a benefit, I'll do it.  After all, I will throw flaxseed, nuts and other fibrous stuff in a smoothie, but kiwi skin?

Paleo Osso Buco

Yesterday was a huge cooking day in my kitchen.  I got my copy of Paleo Comfort Foods earlier in the week, but I needed a day to myself to fully appreciate it!


There were so many dishes I wanted to make, but I had to limit myself and not get too carried away.  I still made several dishes, though.


The first was the Osso Buco with beautiful beef shanks from Whole Foods.  I was thrilled to find the grass-fed, LOCAL beef from Maui Cattle Company at only $3.99/lb!   I love WF's meat counter.


The meat seared beautifully in my favorite Le Creuset pot.  Then, in went the medley of vegetables - mostly from a couple of different farmers markets.  (Can you tell I like orange kitchen items?).

I finished up the sauce and popped it in the oven to simmer for a couple of hours.  The meat came out tender and the sauce was outstanding.  A very successful first attempt at this dish!


We had the carrot timbales and mashed cauliflower to go along with this colorful and super tasty dish.  Both recipes are from the book as well.  I was going to saute some chard for some extra green, but was too tired from all the other prep, so it didn't get done.


The carrot timbales were a hit - smooth, light and fluffy.  I made the recipe as printed, then read the variations AFTER it was cooked.  Although they were delicious I, personally, would like a little extra kick from ginger or curry next time.

The long cooking time makes this dish more appropriate for the weekend, but you could probably easily throw everything into a crockpot (after searing the meat and cooking the veg) and let it simmer all day for the same results.


Bon Appetit!


P.S. I'm going to write a review for the cookbook, but want to try a few more recipes first.

October Plans and Paleo Comfort Foods!

It's October 1st, and I made a promise to myself to blog every day this month.

One of the things I'm MOST excited about is a new cookbook, "Paleo Comfort Foods," by Julie and Charles Mayfield.  It's FABULOUS!

But I'm too tired to provide details right now - it's late at night and my kitchen is a disaster.  More on what was cooked during my all day "Cooking Fandango" tomorrow!

Paleo "Spaghetti"

Earlier this year I read about Psuedo Paleo "Spaghetti" on Nell Stephenson's blog.  As a lover of zucchini and an owner of a mandolin, this has been a favorite go-to side dish for several months, simply prepared as in her post.

I told some visiting family that we were having "zucchini spaghetti" for dinner last night with our grilled beef filet and purple sweet potatoes and left it at that.  I had fully intended on making the plain version, but decided something a little more special was in order for company so I made this:

Here's the recipe:

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 small onion, thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 Tbsp garlic, minced
1 Tsp red chili flakes
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2 medium zucchini, julienned in long strips (I used one green and one yellow)
Freshly ground black pepper

Warm olive oil in large skillet.  Saute onion and bell pepper until soft.  Add garlic and chili flakes and cook for 2 minutes.  Add cherry tomatoes and cook for approximately 5 minutes, until tomatoes are soft.  Add zucchini and cook until "al dente" - don't cook too long or it will get soggy.  Serve hot.  Finish with fresh cracked pepper.  Makes approximately 6 servings.

FYI, the measurements are approximate - you can add more or less to taste.

It came out so pretty, here's the serving pic:

Bon appetit!