Dr. Perlmutter on The Dr. Oz Show

In case you missed this Monday, here is the link to Dr. Perlmutter's interview on the Dr. Oz Show. http://www.doctoroz.com/episode/do-carbs-cause-alzheimers

On the heals of the Paleo movement and "Wheat Belly", the message in "Grain Brain" is not entirely new, but this book is no less important. It will reach a different audience and further spread the life changing message of the dangers of high carbohydrate intake!

Is Your Blood Sugar Trying To Tell You Something?

I posted about this topic earlier HERE, but the information is worth repeating.

Fasting blood glucose of 100-125 is considered pre-diabetic. It stands to reason that even numbers approaching 100 are less desirable than numbers in the 70's and 80's. The vast majority of people with prediabetes do not know they have the condition, according to CDC research. Just 7% of people with prediabetes are aware of their condition. 79 million Americans—35% of adults aged 20 years and older—have prediabetes. Half of all Americans aged 65 years and older have prediabetes.

You can monitor and study how your body is handling sugar with a $15 glucose monitor from WalMart!! http://www.walmart.com/ip/RELION-CONFIRM-METER-PINK/13863717

Aren't you at least curious??

What is prediabetes?
People with prediabetes have blood sugar levels that are higher than normal, but not high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes. They are at higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes and other serious health problems, including heart disease, and stroke. Without lifestyle changes to improve their health, 15% to 30% of people with prediabetes will develop type 2 diabetes within 5 years!!

Lunch Box Winner!!

After several weeks of canvassing the internet for the perfect lunch box system, I have finally made a decision.  Packing a healthy lunch every day for 4 children (5 in two years!) is no easy task for me. I need a system and I need to be organized, and while there are plenty of Bento Box and Laptop Lunch type systems out there, I just can't deal with the plastic. We tried the Laptop Lunch system for my two oldest but there were just too many parts to wash every night and I don't like the way some foods stain the plastic.

So I began my search with these criteria:
1. Stainless steel (won't leach or stain or break down over time).
2. Airtight container to hold yogurt, dips and berry juices.
3. Dishwasher safe with few parts.
4. Flat design to fit inside a backpack.
5. Multiple compartments to allow for variety.

And the winner is.......

www.planetbox.com

I will admit it's a little pricey at $59.99 for the complete "Rover" System, but I have convinced myself and informed the children this will be the last lunch box I will ever buy for them!  I'll follow up in a few weeks to let you know how it's going!

Solving Headache Mysteries

I know several people with young children who complain about headaches. Some on a daily basis.  Folks, headaches aren't "normal" and giving Tylenol or Advil to a child for a daily headache is NOT the solution.  There IS an underlying cause, and it's our job as mother's to figure out what it is.  It costs nothing to eliminate suspicious foods for 21 days and then re-introduce. If the headaches go away and then come back, mystery solved.

Read this mother's headache story!
Wheat Headache

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Dr. Davis

All Natural Skin Moisturizer w/Beef Tallow?

In my quest to find an all-natural skin care product, I came across an article touting the amazing benefits of beef tallow for the skin.  You can Google this if it interests you but here you can see STEP 1: Rendering The Tallow!  First, I procured some grass-fed beef tallow from my local farmer (be sure and ask for "kidney fat"), then I chopped it into chunks, threw it into my food processor and then into the crock pot on Low. Once it turns completely liquid, I'll filter out the solids through some cheesecloth and then mix in some coconut oil, olive oil and my favorite Young Living Essential Oil.  I'm really excited because if it feels half as good on my face as it feels between my fingers, I may really be on to something!

So once the solids became crunchy, I poured the contents of the crock pot through a cheesecloth-lined strainer. While the oil was still warm, I mixed in coconut oil, olive oil and my favorite Young Living essential oil. It was hard to find an exact recipe on line so I winged this first batch with 1 cup tallow, 1 cup coconut oil, 1/2 cup olive oil and 1.5 tsp of essential oil. This is a ginormous batch so I sure hope it's the right combination! Tallow and coconut oil are solid at room temperature so adding olive oil makes it softer and more spreadable. It will be nearly white once it's cooled.

So after the mixture cooled I spooned it into small jars (didn't have those yesterday, otherwise would have done that before cooling!).  The end result??   At room temperature my mixture is too soupy, which means I added too much coconut oil and olive oil.  Since this product is in a glass jar and not a tube, I would prefer it be more of a solid at room temperature, like it appears in the photo.  I used it as a moisturiser at bedtime last night and was very happy with how my face felt this morning so I'm definitely going to try and perfect the formula. Please post if you have any suggestions!!

Eating Low Carb at Applebees

Bleu Cheese Bacon Burger over lettuce with a side of steamed veggies. Perfect!

Beef Brisket Recipe

I have high hopes for this recipe today. Can't wait to see how it turns out!

Sensational Slow Cooked Beef Brisket

Source: allrecipes.com

Course: Dinner-Special

Prep Time: 30 Min
Cook Time: 5 Hr 15 Min
Total Time: 6 Hr 5 Min

Serves: 10

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons sea salt
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 (16 ounce) package sliced fresh mushrooms
• 3 shallots chopped
• 1/4 cup unsalted margarine
• 1 1/2 cups Worcestershire sauce (such as Lea & Perrins®), divided
• 1 (5 pound) beef brisket
• 2 cups red wine
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 clove garlic chopped
• 1 (32 fluid ounce) container beef broth such as Progresso®
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce such as Lea & Perrins®
• 2 tablespoons unsalted margarine thinly sliced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Mix paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, sea salt, and cayenne pepper in a bowl until thoroughly combined. Set spice mixture aside.
3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat; cook and stir mushrooms and shallots until mushrooms have released their liquid, 5 to 8 minutes. Set mushroom mixture aside.
4. Melt 1/4 cup margarine in a large skillet over medium-high heat and stir in 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce. Rub beef brisket thoroughly with spice mixture; place brisket into the margarine and Worcestershire sauce.
5. Brown the brisket well on all sides, about 5 minutes per side. As the Worcestershire sauce cooks into the brisket, pour in more, about 1/2 cup at a time, until 1 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce has been added.
6. Place a rack into a heavy Dutch oven; place the brisket onto the rack. Pour in the Worcestershire sauce pan drippings, red wine, water, garlic, and beef broth. Top the brisket with the mushroom mixture. Drizzle 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce over the mushrooms and top with 2 tablespoons sliced unsalted margarine.
7. Cover the Dutch oven and bake brisket in the preheated oven for 3 hours. Reduce heat to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) and bake 1 more hour. Reduce oven temperature to 225 degrees F (105 degrees C) and bake 1 additional hour. Baste with pan drippings every hour.
8. Let the brisket rest for about 20 minutes before slicing thinly across the grain. Serve with pan gravy.

UPDATE: This recipe is fantastic!!! I used a roaster, left out the cayenne for the sake of the kids but added lots of whole garlic cloves in the bottom of the roaster.  Make sure you have plenty of Worcesershire sauce on hand before you start!!

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What Is Driving Your Thoughts and Behavior??

I will never look at depressed, malcontented people the same way again!  Do you ever wonder why some people are so inherently positive and easy to be around and others do nothing except complain and spew venom into the world??  Do you think sugar is harmless? Read on....

"We see the world around us through the lens of our hormones, neurotransmitters, and, to the degree that we are dependent on it, our blood sugar.  Unhealthy hormonal patterns generate unhealthy arousal patterns and, consequently, unhealthy emotional and behavioral tendencies.  We wake up with low blood sugar due to insulin dysregulation and poor diet, and we feel lousy. We then proceed to interpret the lousy feeling through associating it with events and people in our lives, assuming they are to blame (and that life simply sucks) rather than recognizing that we are operating under distorted biochemically induced misperceptions.  We become hijacked by our dysregulated nervous system, behave in ways we abhor, and may even feel we are somehow fundamentally flawed as a person because of it.  This is a huge source of self-esteem problems.  We then continue to interpret the world around us through this warped lens and beat ourselves up (or blame others) for our own shortcomings.

At any given moment, we all have positive things and challenging things in our lives that we could be focused on as our reality.  Why do we gravitate toward focusing on one thing versus another?  The functioning of our hormones, specifically insulin and leptin, to a very large extent influence the way we focus on and interpret the world around us and the events in our lives. The secondary effects of blood sugar, insulin, and leptin dysregulation, which are a part of this, involve the disruption and depletion of neurotransmitter functioning.  It is a huge issue, and it profoundly influences the way many people interpret and respond or react to their world.  Is it any wonder that our society is in such a state of chaos?

Nothing will ever influence the functioning or dysfunctioning of your hormones or neurotransmitters (or your brain) more than the issue of blood sugar.  Neurotransmitters are our main mood and brain regulators, and surges of blood sugar generate surges--and subsequent depletion or dysregulation--of the neurotransmitters serotonin, epinephrine, norepinephrine, GABA and dopamine.  Blood sugar surges also deplete B-complex vitamins, which are needed for the manufacture of neurotransmitters and a few hundred other things, and deplete magnesium, which is needed for parasympathetic (relaxed) functioning, liver detoxification, DHA synthesis, and another few hundred things."  -Nora Gedgaudas,  "Primal Body, Primal Mind". p.226

Not Sure How To Go Paleo/Primal??

Are you new to the Paleo/Primal dieting concept??  Or maybe you're ready to start but struggling with how to begin? I thought this was a fantastic, reasonably priced resource that covers the "why", the "how" and also includes recipes and a 30-day meal plan to get you started on the right track!

Primal Challenge Update

Well, I didn't do a very good job of posting updates during my 21 day Primal Challenge but the good news is that it went VERY well and helped me get my life back on track.  I blogged earlier (Hitting The Reset Button) about getting into a bad place and trying to dig myself out, and that's exactly what the Primal Challenge helped me to do.

So what changes have I seen in the last couple months since I started the challenge?  Well for one, my weight is trending back down.  Weight is a slippery slope for me and I was fast approaching 140 pounds again, but I finally put the brakes on that and have gotten back down under 135, hopefully trending toward 130. This may not sound like a big deal to you (maybe even annoying if you're  battling a weight problem) but as someone who gains weight very easily and was a biscuit shy of 200 pounds at the end of every pregnancy (x5), I have to be VERY careful about trending weight gain.

The other major change is in my mood. I've entered that lovely phase of life called peri menopause, so I'm already battling hormonal imbalances. When you compound that with poor eating habits, night owl tendencies and less exercise, it's a formula for disaster!  Getting back to the Primal way of eating and living has helped my moods tremendously.  It's a lovely domino effect really! When you start eating better, you're more likely to exercise and take your supplements. When you exercise and take your supplements you're more likely to get better sleep. When you get better sleep, you have more energy.  When you have more energy, you tend to accomplish more. When you accomplish more you tend to feel better about yourself and I don't know about you, but when I feel good about myself I am A LOT more fun to be around!! (Just ask my husband!)

Primal Blueprint Shopping List

So what CAN you eat on the Primal/Paleo/Low Carb diet? Check out Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint Shopping List!

Primal Challenge-Day 2

Primal Challenge-Day2
After it about killed me not to snack after dinner last night, I woke up STARVING today. I've already realized that I graze, WAY too much during the day, which does not mean good things for my insulin levels. I am clearly going through "grazing withdrawal" because every time I enter the kitchen I want to eat something but then realize, it's not mealtime yet!  Another thing I've discovered is that I often times mistake hunger for THIRST because a big glass of water seems to satisfy my "craving" to eat.

Breakfast- Scrambled eggs, chopped ham heated in a skillet, 1 cup of coffee.
Snack-Leftover scrambled eggs off kids' plate, small handful of cashews, 1/2 of a pear. I know, big snack!
Lunch-Leftover pesto chicken breast and green beans from last night's dinner.

What I Ate Today

Today was day 1 of the 21 Day Challenge.  I was dreading it because my goal was to only have one cup of coffee and be finished with it by 9am. Lately, I've been drinking one cup with breakfast and then putting the leftover on ice and sipping it all morning!  I hope to wean off completely again at some point, but at 45 years old and 5 kids 12 and under, surviving my day on just one cup would be a huge accomplishment!

Breakfast-3 eggs, 2 pieces of bacon and 1 cup of coffee (I was hungry!)
Snack-pear
Lunch-Artisan Salad at JD's Coffee House, water
Snack-big handful of salted almonds and dried apples
Dinner-baked pesto chicken with parmesan cheese and steamed green beans with butter

Today, whenever I had any sort of craving for sugar, I would grab a few almonds and drink a big glass of water and that seemed to take care of it.

2/16/13-Coffee Update:
I'm thrilled to report that I FINALLY broke free of my caffeine addiction!!  It was not an easy process. Quite frankly, I thought I might die because the headaches were so bad I thought I was surely having an aneurysm! But after about a week it was finally over.  I really never thought I would be able to start my day without caffeine but the high fat, low carb eating has stabilized my blood sugar and improved my energy levels tremendously.  And now that I'm not strung out on caffeine, I don't have to have a glass of wine to help me wind down in the evening.

21 Day Challenge

As part of my efforts to "hit the reset button", I've joined a 21 day challenge offered by Mark Sisson from the popular blog, Mark's Daily Apple.  Whether small or big, it's always better to surround yourself with a support group when making changes in your diet or lifestyle.  I've also recruited a new workout partner who has similar ambitions and physical abilities, AND she's adventurous enough to brave the early morning darkness of the Nebraska countryside with me! The accountability of a workout partner is critical for me to achieve my fitness goals.

Struggling To Give Up Wheat?.....

......or not even sure why anyone would want to? Go to this link and listen to all 6 parts of Dr. William Davis, author of "Wheat Belly:Lose The Wheat, Lose The Weight" and you'll never look at wheat the same again!

http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/2012-low-carb-cruise-lecture-dr-william-davis/15010

N=1/Hitting The Reset Button

So after a year of eating pretty strict Paleo, feeling full of energy, getting down to 132 pounds (after 5 children) and receiving fantastic results back on my life insurance blood work, I unknowingly entered into my own personal clinical study to test the effects of the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.).  I didn't set out to intentionally ditch the Paleo/Low Carb lifestyle or anything, but it seemed that with my baby weight off and confirmation that my blood work was great, I began to allow myself some indulgences.  Well the indulgences, coupled with a crazy summer of often dining away from home quickly became a slippery slope.  The next thing I knew I was back to consuming wheat several times a week, drinking wine 3-4 times a week and requiring coffee every morning to get my day going!  At first, I seemed to bounce right back after an occasional high-carb meal but over the course of six weeks, I began noticing the familiar consequences of the S.A.D.

The very first sign was a decrease in energy.  With low energy I began reaching for coffee not only in the morning but late afternoon as well.  Deadlines, big events, long trips.....I was crutching on coffee to get me through.  However being very sensitive to caffeine, I often became TOO wired and sleep began to escape me in the evenings.  A harmless glass of wine to quiet the effects of the caffeine turned into practically a nightly ritual, but due to all the entertaining and family gathering this hardly seemed like a big deal.

So now you add caffeine, alcohol, poor sleep quality, the S.A.D (full of grains and sugar) to an already full and hectic schedule and bad things begin to happen.  My joints started to ache with inflammation and I started getting migraines.  My feet actually hurt when they first hit the floor in the mornings!  Of course with low energy and achy joints I didn't feel much like exercising so I quickly began losing strength and muscle mass.  My digestive system  tormented me with unpredictable bouts of constipation,  followed by untimely episodes of the other extreme. Bad moods and negativity seemed to overshadow more and more of my day. The more I strayed from my usual Paleo/Low Carb choices, the worse I would get.

At first I didn't notice any weight gain but because I wasn't feeling well, I kept telling myself, "Oh , I'll get back on track after this trip", or '"As soon as this happens or that happens, things will settle down and I'll get back on the wagon."  Weekend after weekend, family gathering after horse show after holiday after cook out after short trip after celebration..........suddenly I'm staring at nearly 10 pounds of weight gain on the scale! So now I not only don't feel well, I get to add "feeling uncomfortable in my clothes" to my list of woes!  But honestly and truly, the weight gain is NOTHING compared to having  knees so sore I can't crouch to the ground, sleep-wrecking low- back pain, aching hands, foggy memory and crappy moods!!!

Thanks anyway America for your Standard American (grain-filled, sugar laden) Diet (S.A.D.).  My N=1 experiment, while not full of specifically quantifiable data, was enough to convince ME that I WAS on the right track with the Paleo/Low Carb lifestyle and THAT is where I shall return.  I have far too much going on in my life to be burdened with aches and pains and negative thoughts!........sigh.....It is time to hit the RESET button.

Subscribe to FDA Recalls and Safety Alerts

Would you like to be alerted whenever there is a Recall, Market Withdrawal, or Safety Alert for a product, food or drug?  You can receive safety alerts from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration(FDA) by registering HERE.

Kid Friendly Natural Sweetener

If you have young kids and you're trying to avoid sugar in their diet, Sweet Leaf Liquid Stevia is a  must have for your pantry. Our family favorite is the Vanilla Creme flavor.  I was able to wean the kids off sweetened yogurt by adding a few drops to plain yogurt and topping with blueberries. The kids LOVE it! My other personal favorite is the English Toffee flavor. Perfect if you like a little sweetness in your coffee or tea!  Stevia is simply an herb. It has zero calories, zero carbohydrates, zero glycemic index and is a healthy prebiotic for friendly bacteria in the gut. You can Google hundreds of ways to use it in your cooking.

Fresh Seafood in Nebraska?

YES!  I finally connected with who I believe to be the freshest, most reliable and direct source of fresh, flown-in, wild caught, seafood in Nebraska.  The man’s name is Andrew Vounv and he used to own Midwest Seafood in Lincoln. He knows all of his fisherman personally and the fish arrives fresh on Friday and is delivered to you on Saturday morning. He is a small scale distributor so even if you are only wanting enough fish for one meal each week, he is happy to provide it. He is also willing to vacuum pack for freezing if you won’t be able to eat your fish right away.  Andrew is the salmon provider for a select few specialty stores in Lincoln, so there is some cost savings by buying direct from him. Right now there are 2-3 customers ordering from Seward so if we get this going and there is a large enough customer base out here, he will consider delivering to Seward.  Until then, orders must be picked up on Saturday mornings at the Casey’s gas station on HW34 by the Kawasaki plant.  He delivers all over Lincoln on Saturday so if you can’t meet him at the designated time, you can meet up with him elsewhere in Lincoln.

He sends out an email each week letting you know what he has coming in that week. You simply reply with your order.  If you want to be on his email list, please email him directly at andrewseafood@neb.rr.com.  If you have additional questions, you can call him at 402-310-7781. I will forward a price list as soon as I get it.  I would be interested in taking turns to make the Saturday morning pick-up so please let me know if you are interested.  Also, please forward this message to anyone you know in Seward who may be interested in fresh seafood but is not a member of this yahoo group.

Paleo 101-Doesn't Get Any Simpler Than This!

Mark's Daily Apple has been such a tremendous resource to me.  The site is jammed pack with information on  how to make the transition to a Paleo/Primal lifestyle, including the exciting 30-Day Challenge! Whether you're just stumbling onto this or you're a Primal Pro, Mark's site has resources and support to fit your needs!