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The Paleo Diet Challenge: Day 18

Some skepticism is definitely lurking in the back of my mind about the benefits of the Paleo diet. I’ve been doing this for over two weeks now, and I haven’t noticed much difference in how I feel. Not much at all.

Like I mentioned a few days ago, when I was exactly two weeks into the challenge, there have been a few changes. The main one — by far — is that I’m not hungry between meals. Otherwise, I feel about the same. Maybe slightly healthier, maybe. That could be from all the salads I’m eating, along with the absence of any bread.

But I have yet to experience any dramatic improvements by eating this way. And I’m started to get a little impatient. I mean, there’s so many blogs touting the amazing results people get by eating this way, like the 12 pages of success stories on Mark’s Daily Apple, for example.

Is this because I need to give it more time? (Patience isn’t always one of my strong suits.)

Is this because I haven’t been strict enough with my plan for the diet, since I’m allowing coffee cream, wine and chocolate in with all the meat and vegetables?

Or is it because the Paleo diet isn’t the amazing cure-all that so many make it out to be?

More on the Paleo diet challenge:
Why I’m doing it in the first place
My plan for the 30 days

The Paleo Diet Challenge: Day 17

Exciting news! I’ve found a Paleo bread that is quite acceptable.

It is a flatbread, though. I have yet to crack the code on Paleo sandwich bread (or a baguette of sorts), except maybe in my dreams. (Sigh.)

So far, I’ve experimented with a couple recipes to work some bread-like food into the challenge, but success has eluded me. The muffins and banana bread both passed through my taste and texture hoops, but the plainer bread I tried, in the hopes of making some toast for breakfast some day, didn’t come close to making it through any kind of hoop at all. Not even off the ground.

I’m starting to think that, perhaps, the key to enjoying any kind of Paleo bread is expectation management. Yep. Like several things in life, lower those expectations a notch or two and you might be pleasantly surprised by how you feel.

That’s exactly what happened with the eggplant-based flatbread I made. Eggplant as a bread, really? Dead simple to make and, even better, I wasn’t even expecting to like it but I did. Much better than I thought I would. It definitely has an eggplant-y flavor, but the texture is chewy and has a graininess that reminds me of a hearty multigrain bread, albeit on the very, very thin side.

No, it’s not what I would pair with peanut butter for breakfast, but it did toast up relatively well to have with a nibble of cheese. It also made a softer, more substantial base for a smoked salmon and cream cheese appetizer that I usually make with puff pastry.

Eggplant Flatbread

Adapted from Make It Paleo by Bill Staley and Haley Mason, where they use it as a base for pizza.

Ingredients

1 medium eggplant
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (10 tablespoons) grain-free 'flour' substitute (flax seed meal, almond meal, coconut flour) - use all of one type or mix it up to equal 10 tablespoons
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F. Cut 2 sheets of parchment paper to fit your pan.
Peel the eggplant and grate. (I used my food processor with the shredding blade.) Transfer the eggplant to a fine mesh strainer and, over the sink, squeeze the eggplant into a ball to drain the liquid out. Transfer the eggplant to a medium sized bowl.
Add the grain-free 'flour' to the bowl and mix to combine. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer the batter to the baking sheet lined with 1 sheet of the parchment, and flatten out with a spatula or your hands until it’s about 1/8” thick.
Bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove from the oven.
Here's where it gets a little tricky: Brush some olive oil on the flatbread, and then place the second piece of parchment over it. Nest a baking sheet (bottom side down) right on top of the parchment, then carefully flip the whole thing over. Slide the flatbread back onto the original baking sheet. Slowly peel back the parchment paper on the top of the eggplant (what used to be the bottom), and brush the top lightly with a little more olive oil.
Bake for another 15 minutes or until slightly brown around the edges. Remove from oven, cool and slice.

More on the Paleo diet challenge:
Why I’m doing it in the first place
My plan for the 30 days

The Paleo Diet Challenge: Day 16

With a number of foods verboten in the 30-day challenge, I’ve found it’s been helpful to think less about what I can’t eat (I bet I know something that starts with “b”…) and shift my thoughts towards all the things that are included.

It’s a good thing that I like vegetables, a lot.

In particular, it’s a good thing I like salads, since the challenge has given me a renewed respect for salad. That’s right, respect for salad. It’s so often relegated to the ‘sides’ category, kind of like it’s comic relief from the main event on the plate. But salads are really fantastic in their own right, especially this time of year when the sun peeks out, and stays, a little longer. And of course, for Paleos, when there’s a sizable amount of protein included.

I particularly like them right now because it doesn’t take a lot of effort to make a great salad, so they’re helping take down the what-am-I-going-to-make-for-dinner anxiety a few notches.

And really, isn’t simpler better when it comes to great salads? Like arugula with just shaved Parmegiano-Reggiano and cracked pepper. Thick spinach leaves with sliced mushrooms and hard-boiled eggs. Ripe tomato slices with only fresh mozzarella and a chiffonade of basil. Grilled bell peppers and zucchini rounds, on their own, served warm or cold. Add some grilled chicken, salmon, beef or prawns and all the Paleo converts would be most pleased.

I’m feeling most calm now, thinking about the simplicity of salads. Maybe I’m getting the hang of this Paleo thing after all.

My Basic Vinaigrette

Yield: 1/4 cup

This vinaigrette is why you never need to buy bottled salad dressing. Homemade vinaigrette is SO much better than what you can get out of a bottle, and the ingredients are all natural. Plus it takes less than 5 minutes to put together. The key is to use fresh, good quality ingredients.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon grainy Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar (see note)
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, parsley or tarragon, finely chopped (optional)

Instructions

In a small bowl, combine the mustard and vinegar.
Add a little salt and pepper, then whisk in the olive oil with small fork. Taste and adjust for seasonings. If the vinaigrette is too tangy for your liking, whisk in a little bit more olive oil.
When you're happy with the seasoning, stir in the fresh herbs and toss over your favorite greens. Keep any extra vinaigrette covered in the fridge for up to a week.

Notes

Use a different acid (vinegar, citrus juice) depending on the type of salad you're serving: A balsamic vinegar gives a heartier vinaigrette, which pairs very well with a grilled steak salad. Fresh lime, lemon, orange or grapefruit juice are lighter and give a tropical vibe to seafood or chicken salads.

More on the Paleo diet challenge:
Why I’m doing it in the first place
My plan for the 30 days

The Paleo Diet Challenge: Day 15

I should have added a fourth item to the not-so-good things about the Paleo challenge: Finding blanched almond flour.

Before a few weeks ago, I wouldn’t have known this was any different from plain old ground almonds. But in checking out some online resources for Paleo baking, I ran across Elana’s Pantry. She’s quick to point out that not almond flours are the same. And, in fact, that blanched almond flour is what you need if you’re looking for lighter textured baked goods. Almond meal is much coarser and leads to a denser texture, which isn’t a problem if you’re making muffins or quick breads. For bread to eat as in a sandwich (or that toast I’ve been on about…) though, you need something finer.

Now you would think that in an urban centre like Vancouver, sourcing blanched almond flour would be a fairly simple task. Unfortunately, none of the stores I tried — including Whole Foods, Galloway’s or a few health food stores — had it.

The one place I did find some was Choices, and it was an astronomical price. I couldn’t bring myself to pay so much for such a little box of almond flour, even if was very fine looking.

I took Elana’s advice, and ordered some online. And so my Paleo baking quest, beyond muffins, will have to wait a little longer.

More on the Paleo diet challenge:
Why I’m doing it in the first place
My plan for the 30 days

Image courtesy of Elena’s Pantry.

The Paleo Diet Challenge: Day 14

Two whole weeks — day 14 of the Paleo Diet Challenge. I’m almost halfway through the challenge, and thought it would be a good time to reflect on the good and no-so-good parts so far. First, the good news.

I’m not hungry at all between meals. I’ve noticed that, in particular, my breakfasts (either eggs and ham, a bowl of fresh fruit, a couple mini Paleo muffins or a few slices of Paleo banana bread) are satisfying and keep me going for hours. And although the lunches I’m eating seem light (as in salad greens with some chicken or tuna), they’re substantial enough to stave off my usual mid-afternoon craving for something sweet. I’ll still maybe have a cup of tea in the late afternoon, but no cookies to go with it. What, no cookies?
I’m sleeping slightly better, and feeling better rested. This is with a regular 3:30am wake-up call from my cat, who likes to start his day outside once the birds start chirping. These days, I’m able to fall right back asleep after letting him out, and when I wake up a few hours later, I feel refreshed instead of my groggy can’t-I-have-just-another-half-hour-in-bed? state.
I feel a little healthier. This is a little more difficult to describe. Perhaps it’s feeling less puffy or bloated, which is probably from the lack of bread in my system. But the skeptic in me is wondering whether this all springs from a confirmation bias — as in, I believe eating a Paleo diet will make me feel healthier, so I feel healthier. Is this all just psychological? Maybe. My weight is exactly the same as it was on day 1. And I haven’t noticed a real change in symptoms of Hashimoto’s that I’m on the lookout for, like increased energy or less sensitivity to cold. My energy is about the same and my feet are still cold. Hmm.

For the most difficult aspects of the challenge, a couple things come to mind:

First, undoubtedly, is thinking constantly about what foods are in- or out-of-bounds. I am getting a better handle on this, but still finding it takes a lot of mental energy to figure out what I’m going to do for dinner so that we forget all about bread, potatoes and pasta.
The next most challenging thing is incorporating protein into every meal, especially when that protein can’t be cheese. It feels like I’m shopping much more often just to keep the house stocked with enough meat and fish.
Finally, eating out can be a drag. It’s striking how pervasive breads and grains are in restaurant menus and avoiding them takes some creativity, especially if you don’t want to have a salad, again.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Mango Salsa

Serving Size: 2

I love fruit salsas with grilled fish, chicken or pork. It adds a punch of color and flavor to your plate, and it's super simple to make.

Ingredients

1 pork tenderloin (1 to 1-1/2 pounds)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tablespoon sea salt (we use Maldon salt)

For the salsa:

2 ripe mangoes, chopped
1 orange or red bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
2 tablespoons red onion, finely chopped
juice of 1 lime
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon cilantro, finely chopped
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

First, make the salsa: Place mango, bell pepper, garlic (if using), and onion in a medium bowl and mix well to combine. Squeeze the lime juice in, then the olive oil and cilantro. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Can be made a few hours ahead of time -- keep covered in the refrigerator.
Preheat your barbecue to high, around 500F.
In a shallow dish, rub the tenderloin with the 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then sprinkle with the salt. Let this stand while you make the salsa.
Place the tenderloin on the grill and sear the first side (about 4-5 minutes), then turn it over and sear the other side (another 3-4 minutes). Move the tenderloin to the top rack (or turn off the burner directly under the tenderloin), close the lid and let it continue cooking with the indirect heat for about 10 minutes.
When the tenderloin is done, remove it from the barbecue, wrap in foil, and let it sit for another 5-8 minutes. Slice crosswise and serve with a few tablespoons of the salsa.

More on the Paleo diet challenge:
Why I’m doing it in the first place
My plan for the 30 days

The Paleo Diet Challenge: Day 13

I’m not sure of it, but I think my taste buds are sharpening up. I feel like they’ve become a little more sensitive, now that I’ve been eating only real, nutrient-dense foods for (almost) two weeks.

Or it could be that I’m just imagining it. What started me down this path was thinking about how dependent I’d become, pre-challenge, on bread and pasta in my diet. These two were ever-present in the house, ready to be called on for fast and simple dishes: toast for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, pasta for dinner. And they both involve pretty minimal thinking to work them into meals.

But seeing bread and pasta in a different, Paleo-tinted light, I thought when it comes right down to it, aren’t these really just fillers? I mean, we don’t eat pasta on its own, ever, even if it’s a filled pasta like ravioli. The thought of a plain bowl of pasta is almost puzzling. Of course it needs a sauce of some kind.

And bread is much the same. It also needs something, like butter, jam, a slice of tomato or cheese or something to go with it. (Peanut butter perhaps? Oh yes, please, that would do nicely.) The one exception I have is for a fragrant, tangy, sourdough bread with a substantial crust, like ones from Terra Breads. But otherwise, bread is pretty bland too, a vehicle for delivering other flavors.

So in the last few weeks, eating a Paleo diet where every ingredient counts, the tastes are so much more flavorful than I noticed before, with no fillers to get in the way. Maybe, post-challenge, the dependence I had on bread and pasta won’t be nearly so pronounced as it once was. A few weeks ago I couldn’t have imagined such a thing.

More on the Paleo diet challenge:
Why I’m doing it in the first place
My plan for the 30 days

Image courtesy of MyPaleoDietBlog, via Google Images.