30 Day Paleo Challenge

Well, the Paleo Workshop last Friday night was a success and everyone is gearing up to start the challenge officially on Sunday, October 10th. I figured I'd open up my blog page as a place where we can all connect with each other for the next month or so. If you have a question, comment, idea...if you need support or just want to talk...we can use the comments section of the blog. that way it's all in one place. Now it might not be a blog sensation. most days it will be cut and dried and too the point. but it should serve it's purpose!

My goal is to post a little something every day, just so we can have a fresh comments suggestion to start in on. Hopefully will make it easier to keep track of stuff also.

To begin, here's an email I got today with a bunch of good questions. I'm sharing the original email and my responses.

EMAIL RECEIVED

Hi Jenn,

I wanted to send you an email because FB email seems to cut me off!

So, first and foremost, thank you, thank you, thank you for hosting the Paleo informational on Friday! It was super informative, and goes great with the book.

I have some questions for you. My main goal is weight loss- as you know by now.

1)I've read less than 6 eggs per week for weight loss - true? If so, I need another breakfast suggestion. I'm currently sauteeing veggies, meat, and throwing an egg on it. But, later in the day, I'll have an egg as a snack.

2)Veggies - steamed vs. stir fried? My guess is stir fryed might be a healthier Paleo option, depending on what you stirfry it with; because steaming takes out nutrients?? However, if you don't know what it's being stirfried in, steamed might be the better pick @ restaurants... si or no?

3)You mentioned not to cook with olive oil because it becomes carcinogenic when heated - however, checking out your blog, you cook with olive oil. 'splain please?! I only ask because I cook with olive oil all the time!

4)Pork Loin. Should I slather oil on a pork loin, then spice it up? Or, just add spice and cook? Does it matter?

5)You mentioned < 4oz nuts / seeds daily for weight loss. Is this separate from my healthy fat intake? For example, if I eat 4ozs of almonds, should I skip the avocado that day?

I know you're super busy, and I appreciate any feedback you can give me, when you have time to give it! I've read your blog too. I saw the Galeo's dressing! I love that stuff. It's probably not the best choice for the 30 day challenge, however, it's good to know that I can eat some of that with my salads! YUMM!

Thanks again Jenn for all that you're doing and all that you continue to do!

You rock!

MY RESPONSE

Let's see! first: you're welcome! :)

OK...

1) I agree with the egg bit. I would go with 1 whole egg and 2-3 egg whites instead. I buy the following because it just saves me a hell of a lot of time, and because I'm not wasting the yolk: http://www.eggwhitesint.com/store.php?crn=66.

...and regarding other breakfast selections. The biggest thing you're going to have to learn to do is stop thinking of breakfast, lunch, and dinner as totally separate beasts. We don't eat the majority of things people consider breakfast food, so we have to re-classify breakfast foods. Me...I love eggs, so I don't have a problem eating them every morning. You can have sausage and bacon instead...traditionally thought of as breakfast far, yes...but probably something you want to limit if you're goal is weight loss. I'm just as likely to have steak or chicken or whatever meat I have in the fridge instead. Most mornings I eat 1 egg and three egg whites cooked with hot peppers, an apple (cause berries are out of season and getting more expensive), and either some almond butter and cinnamon on my apple, or about 6-8 almonds, if I'm eating in the car. then on the weekend I tend to maybe do steak and eggs with mushrooms and asparagus or something a bit fancier, like making a frittata or an omelet (no cheese). the first thirty days may be easier to get through if you find one of two things that work for you, and just stick with them. trying to do too many fancy recipes or different things might be too much to take on at the beginning. and while there are paleo versions of baked things, I think it's better to not use them at the beginning and give your taste buds a chance to get used to the bulk of the food you'll be eating...ie, the meat and veggies.

if you do a google search on paleo breakfast ideas, you'll find a lot of stuff. this link is specifically to a thread of paleo breakfast ideas not using eggs. :) http://forum.lowcarber.org/archive/index.php/t-257982.html


2) if you steam them in the microwave with a tiny bit of water, you don't loose the nutrients. that's what I do with my brocolli, cauliflower, etc. Stir frying is fine...I just use a little bit of Pam when I do it. so either or. :) In a restaurant, go for steamed, if possible. and make sure you say PLAIN. no oil, no butter, no nothing. you can ask for a little olive oil on the side if you want. I usually just use lemon juice.

3) I just learned the bit about olive oil being bad to cook with recently. :) I use pam for almost everything, and then dress with olive oil at the end for flavor now. if I need to cook with more than pam, I use coconut oil or grapeseed oil. flaxseed is another I use cold, for dressings, not cooking with.

4)Pork loin...slather...lol!!!! you'll find that a tbs or so of olive oil will cover a huge 10 pound loin. you just want a thin coating on the top because it makes it brown up nicely, plus it holds the spices on.

5) Limiting your nut/seed intake to 4 oz a day for weight loss: this is including the 4 oz as part of your daily fat intake. Another thing to limit for weight loss is your nut butter intakes. they count into that nut/seed total too. :) So for example...for breakfast, you might have 1/4 of an avocado, lunch might be 2 tbs of seeds on your salad and 1 tbs olive oil in your dressing, dinner might be another tbs of olive oil on your veggies. that's probably a good 50-60 grams of fat right there. it really doesn't take much!

and yes...the miso dressings are good, but not recommended for the challenge because they are soy based. but afterwards, it's nice to know there's a salad dressing you can use as a treat now and again without being totally bad! right now I'm living on that dressing I posted last week: equal parts lemon juice and dijon mustard, minced garlic, a bit of olive oil, and some coconut milk. whisk together. nommmmmmy!!!! of course, I add crushed red pepper too! :)