Tom Woods Goes Primal!

[steph3n]

Haha, yeah, she's an amazing cook, but before going primal, we'd use a teaspoon of raw sugar in tomato sauces to balance the acidity, so she just substituted the stevia for it. She never measures the amount of ingredients she uses, but I deduced that she used about a teaspoon of stevia.

Lesson learned, and I ate the original meal, anyway - it was edible without the squash, it just tasted like sweet sauce and meatballs.

You can also use a couple kernels of fresh sweet corn to balance out the sauce, works really well!

 

[BamaAla]

Just stick with putting the sugar in there; that isn't a lot of sugar and it is spread out over the whole sauce.

 

[Feeding the Abscess]

Just stick with putting the sugar in there; that isn't a lot of sugar and it is spread out over the whole sauce.

Doing it more as a matter of principle, since the gf is proportionately more overweight than I am, and she has a craving for carbs.

On a side note, my energy levels have dropped, and my gym performance has declined. Started adding salt to my vegetables, since I realized I was getting an insignificant amount of sodium in my diet. Makes the vegetables much easier to eat lol.

 

[BamaAla]

Doing it more as a matter of principle, since the gf is proportionately more overweight than I am, and she has a craving for carbs.

On a side note, my energy levels have dropped, and my gym performance has declined. Started adding salt to my vegetables, since I realized I was getting an insignificant amount of sodium in my diet. Makes the vegetables much easier to eat lol.

I see. I'm sorry if I missed it, but how long have you been Primal?

 

[Feeding the Abscess]

I see. I'm sorry if I missed it, but how long have you been Primal?

I've been mostly primal for three months, and more or less completely for two. Still have the occasional half cup of oatmeal with butter/protein/cinnamon, but my daily carb intake very rarely exceeds 50g a day. I've lost a little over 40 pounds in these 3 months, but the strength loss is recent - I had actually gained strength in the first couple months. The strength gain was surprising, since I was consistently lifting heavily before switching the diet.

 

[BamaAla]

I've been mostly primal for three months, and more or less completely for two. Still have the occasional half cup of oatmeal with butter/protein/cinnamon, but my daily carb intake very rarely exceeds 50g a day. I've lost a little over 40 pounds in these 3 months, but the strength loss is recent - I had actually gained strength in the first couple months. The strength gain was surprising, since I was consistently lifting heavily before switching the diet.

I hate to hear that. I didn't really feel any stronger or weaker in the beginning, but I did lose about a pound of lean mass from when I began until I started taking my resistance training more seriously. Bear in mind though, I had lost about 10% of my body fat and about 30 pounds in that time. Since then, I've lost another 10% body fat and gained a little over 2.5 kilograms of lean mass and I'm due for another dexa scan soon.

I would have said that you were well past the stage of lethargy and seat of the pants strength loss. Have you checked out MDAs Primal Blue Print for athletes subforum? They have some good stuff over there for folks who are into powerlifting or bodybuilding; that might be able to steer you if you haven't checked it out yet.

 

[Feeding the Abscess]

I hate to hear that. I didn't really feel any stronger or weaker in the beginning, but I did lose about a pound of lean mass from when I began until I started taking my resistance training more seriously. Bear in mind though, I had lost about 10% of my body fat and about 30 pounds in that time. Since then, I've lost another 10% body fat and gained a little over 2.5 kilograms of lean mass and I'm due for another dexa scan soon.

I would have said that you were well past the stage of lethargy and seat of the pants strength loss. Have you checked out MDAs Primal Blue Print for athletes subforum? They have some good stuff over there for folks who are into powerlifting or bodybuilding; that might be able to steer you if you haven't checked it out yet.

That's some pretty sweet progress!

I haven't checked that forum. Appreciate the heads up, I'll give it a look-see and try to find an answer. I suspect it'll consist of eating more starchy vegetables and grabbing ZMA.

 

[specsaregood]

You can also use a couple kernels of fresh sweet corn to balance out the sauce, works really well!

Or just throw a couple baby carrots or 1 chopped carrot in there. Then fish them out when you are all done. Works as well and is primal .

 

[specsaregood]

//

 

[TCE]

my mom started trying to get us to eat spaghetti squash when we were teenagers .. I'm in my 5th decade now and ya know... I've tried it with tomato sauce.. garlic butter.. brown gravy, lemon ginger sauces.. and by itself. Nothing makes it taste good enough to me to want to eat it again.

That's unfortunate. I used to eat pasta all the time and spaghetti squash does it for me. Have you tried making it into a bolognese with a bit of coconut milk and a pound of meat along with some veggies?

 

[opal]

nope.. vegetarian since '94

 

[TCE]

nope.. vegetarian since '94

Gotcha. In that case, I've got nothing. I guess it's a love or hate food. If you like pasta, there's no point in purposely dumping it for something you don't like, primal/carb issues aside.

To everyone: What is a good way to add more vegetables in? I don't actually like vegetables, and I've been forcing myself to eat them because I know I'd be missing out on an untold number of benefits otherwise. I have tried adding Romaine lettuce to a variety of things to make many dishes a "salad." Such as Taco Salad. I toss in vegetables whenever I can when cooking as well, but perhaps you guys have some tricks to sneak them in? Maybe ways to make them taste better? Sweet Potato fries are awesome, by the way, but I know that is a pretty heavy starch food.

 

[BamaAla]

Gotcha. In that case, I've got nothing. I guess it's a love or hate food. If you like pasta, there's no point in purposely dumping it for something you don't like, primal/carb issues aside.

To everyone: What is a good way to add more vegetables in? I don't actually like vegetables, and I've been forcing myself to eat them because I know I'd be missing out on an untold number of benefits otherwise. I have tried adding Romaine lettuce to a variety of things to make many dishes a "salad." Such as Taco Salad. I toss in vegetables whenever I can when cooking as well, but perhaps you guys have some tricks to sneak them in? Maybe ways to make them taste better? Sweet Potato fries are awesome, by the way, but I know that is a pretty heavy starch food.

I never really hated veggies like many do, but I was never a fan. I just forced myself to eat them and tried just about every recipe on Marks Daily Apple. After a few months, I found that I enjoyed most of them; over a year after starting, I really look forward to most veggies. It was a little bit of an acquired thing for me. By the same token, my girlfriend brought in some cherries a few weeks ago and I could barely eat more than 2 because they are so sweet and 85% chocolate has started to become too sweet to me as well. I hate to say it, but it may just come with time.

With that said, early on, I found that greens like kale or collard greens were (surprisingly) more palatable than other vegetables; maybe try to work some of them into your meals. Also, try dipping your veggies in a homemade ranch or blue cheese dressing.

 

[opal]

and for hot veggies.. BUTTER
butter makes everything better

hubby prefers bacon grease and garlic on some veggies - you might try steaming then tossing in that

 

[specsaregood]

//

 

[Acala]

I never really hated veggies like many do, but I was never a fan. I just forced myself to eat them and tried just about every recipe on Marks Daily Apple. After a few months, I found that I enjoyed most of them; over a year after starting, I really look forward to most veggies. It was a little bit of an acquired thing for me. By the same token, my girlfriend brought in some cherries a few weeks ago and I could barely eat more than 2 because they are so sweet and 85% chocolate has started to become too sweet to me as well. I hate to say it, but it may just come with time.

With that said, early on, I found that greens like kale or collard greens were (surprisingly) more palatable than other vegetables; maybe try to work some of them into your meals. Also, try dipping your veggies in a homemade ranch or blue cheese dressing.

I concur. I think the primal diet changes your palate. I never liked salad much, but when I went primal I forced myself. I tried to make them as diverse as possible, challenging myself to see how many different kinds of vegetables I could incorporate. I added things I never ate before like seaweed, fennel, and broccoli sprouts. Now, I LOVE my salad. I gobble it down. I think your body learns where the nutrients are and trains your palate to like the nutritious food.

I also scramble a bunch of vegetables into my eggs each morning - onions, peppers, garlic, chard, kale, whatever I have on hand. The leafy vegetables lose most of their bulk in the cooking so you can add more than you think without turning your eggs into a salad with an egg coating.

And I cook a big pot of beef stew every week to which I add a variety of vegetables.

Consider joining a CSA group. It forces you to find ways to incorporate the flow of vegetables into your diet. And after awhile it will be easy.

 

[jj-]

I've been forcing myself to eat them because I know I'd be missing out on an untold number of benefits otherwise. I have tried adding Romaine lettuce to a variety of things to make many dishes a "salad." Such as Taco Salad. I toss in vegetables whenever I can when cooking as well, but perhaps you guys have some tricks to sneak them in? Maybe ways to make them taste better? Sweet Potato fries are awesome, by the way, but I know that is a pretty heavy starch food.

What benefits? What vitamin or mineral do you get from vegetables that you can't get from fruits, meats, or eggs? I like the taste of fruit better and tend to drink one quart of OJ per day, and some fruits. I don't think you'll miss out anything. I should mention though that it doesn't seem a good idea to mix PUFAs and fructose. I can only consume practically unlimited amounts of fruit or fruit juice when I don't consume any significant source of polyunsaturated fats.

 

[TCE]

I never really hated veggies like many do, but I was never a fan. I just forced myself to eat them and tried just about every recipe on Marks Daily Apple. After a few months, I found that I enjoyed most of them; over a year after starting, I really look forward to most veggies. It was a little bit of an acquired thing for me. By the same token, my girlfriend brought in some cherries a few weeks ago and I could barely eat more than 2 because they are so sweet and 85% chocolate has started to become too sweet to me as well. I hate to say it, but it may just come with time.

With that said, early on, I found that greens like kale or collard greens were (surprisingly) more palatable than other vegetables; maybe try to work some of them into your meals. Also, try dipping your veggies in a homemade ranch or blue cheese dressing.

I will be going back over the MDA recipe list. I can concur with some of your theory, because back when I started primal, I didn't even like romaine lettuce, but since then, it has really grown on me. I did try kale and that one might take some time to get used to. Collard greens I will definitely try this coming week.

Start with some good greens, romaine? you can do better than that. go get some arugula or fresh spinach and try that for making things into a "salad" for a while. both are going to be more exciting and healthier than romaine. of course making a soup or stew is always the easiest way to sneak in more veggies, you can throw carrots or celery into most of those pretty darn easy.

Last week I made some meatballs that were stupendous. I mixed up a 1lb of grassfed beef along with 1 egg, 2 cups of chopped fresh spinach, a chopped handful of dried tomatos and a fair amount of parsley. btw: parsley is not just a plate decoration, it goes well chopped up and added on top of lots of stuff, especially anything with tomato. And its super-duper healthy: http://health.learninginfo.org/parsley.htm I like the curly stuff, the wife likes the flat version but both are good addons to many meals.

Yeah as opal said, butter and bacon grease certainly doesn't hurt vegetables -- I'd add that olive oil doesnt' hurt them either.

For me, romaine lettuce was a big step, but I am ready to upgrade. That is pretty much what I've been doing and I continue to up the veggie content that I "sneak" in week after week. It really bulks up dishes. On the bacon fat front, how does one accumulate and store it? Is it simply a matter of cooking bacon in an oven and taking all of the remaining grease on the cooking sheet and transferring it to a cup in the refrigerator?

I concur. I think the primal diet changes your palate. I never liked salad much, but when I went primal I forced myself. I tried to make them as diverse as possible, challenging myself to see how many different kinds of vegetables I could incorporate. I added things I never ate before like seaweed, fennel, and broccoli sprouts. Now, I LOVE my salad. I gobble it down. I think your body learns where the nutrients are and trains your palate to like the nutritious food.

I also scramble a bunch of vegetables into my eggs each morning - onions, peppers, garlic, chard, kale, whatever I have on hand. The leafy vegetables lose most of their bulk in the cooking so you can add more than you think without turning your eggs into a salad with an egg coating.

And I cook a big pot of beef stew every week to which I add a variety of vegetables.

Consider joining a CSA group. It forces you to find ways to incorporate the flow of vegetables into your diet. And after awhile it will be easy.

This is definitely something I am going to start doing more. Eggs seem ripe for becoming a vehicle for vegetables. Thank you for the tip. Would you mind sharing what ingredients you use in a beef stew and how to prepare it? IE: Do you use ground meat, beef chuck, etc? And in what order is everything added to the pot?

What benefits? What vitamin or mineral do you get from vegetables that you can't get from fruits, meats, or eggs? I like the taste of fruit better and tend to drink one quart of OJ per day, and some fruits. I don't think you'll miss out anything. I should mention though that it doesn't seem a good idea to mix PUFAs and fructose. I can only consume practically unlimited amounts of fruit or fruit juice when I don't consume any significant source of polyunsaturated fats.

My reasoning comes from this. Nutritionists all across the landscape disagree on pretty much everything. If there is a diet out there, one can easily find a group of nutritionists who believe that diet is the best in the world. However, I would argue that one aspect that brings them all together is their insistence that vegetables are a must. The more the merrier. Is it possible vegetables aren't as important as they are made out to be? Sure.

 

[pochy1776]

What the taught me in School

Carbs dont make you fat

eating too much fat makes you fat

Carbs make you REALLY ghungry, therefore you eat fat. Fat makes you full.

For some, eating a moderate amount of Fat is good. For others, not so damn much. The paleo Diet thinks ALL humans are eligible and genetically capable of this diet. This is simply not true. Everybody's body is different. Asians tend to have a larger carb tolerance while whites have less.
So, figure out what your diet is. Talk to a Nutritionist or your friendly neighborhood Family Doctor.

 

[BamaAla]

I will be going back over the MDA recipe list. I can concur with some of your theory, because back when I started primal, I didn't even like romaine lettuce, but since then, it has really grown on me. I did try kale and that one might take some time to get used to. Collard greens I will definitely try this coming week.

*snip*

On the bacon fat front, how does one accumulate and store it? Is it simply a matter of cooking bacon in an oven and taking all of the remaining grease on the cooking sheet and transferring it to a cup in the refrigerator?

This is definitely something I am going to start doing more. Eggs seem ripe for becoming a vehicle for vegetables. Thank you for the tip. Would you mind sharing what ingredients you use in a beef stew and how to prepare it? IE: Do you use ground meat, beef chuck, etc? And in what order is everything added to the pot?

*Snip*

I hope you find a way!

For the bacon grease: let it cool for a little bit and strain it into a mason jar or whatever else you might want to put it in. Some folks claim you have to put it in the fridge, but I never have and I'm still here. Best of luck!