Experience Design!

Going Paleo?

I remember a friend telling me a while ago that they were eating "Paleo" often times nicknamed "The Caveman Diet".  After a very brief description of what eating Paleo entailed, I remember thinking "Oh my god! I could NEVER do that".  I had forgotten all about that conversation until recently when I stumbled upon a popular blog I had just started reading.  I was checking out a post for a healthy version of the old favorite, chocolate chip cookies, when I began to read the entire post.  The author explained how some of her ingredient choices were due to the fact her boyfriend was on the Paleo diet, and with that I opened a new tab and Goggled  The Paleo Diet.  At first glance I realized I was researching the same diet my friend had mentioned to me a while back, but the more I read the more intrigued I became with the science behind the idea of eating Paleo/Primal.  It is based on modern foods that mimic the food groups our pre-agricultural, hunter-gatherer ancestors ate.  It is also not a diet but rather a lifestyle.

I found two things most interesting when reading up on the Paleo Lifestyle.

1) Food.  What has happened to our food? Agriculture!  We are the only species who have dramatically changed the foods we were meant to eat.  When humans discovered farming, the agricultural revolution exploded, and we became farmers instead of hunter-gatherers. The problem however is that our bodies never adjusted to eating all the grains that we began farming.  Now, rather than mainly eating meat, vegetables and fruits, our diets have been overrun with grains (bread, pasta, rice, and corn). 

Beyond that we have become taken over by processed foods, genetically modified foods, and junk food that cost a fraction of what real food does.  

2) Dairy.  Did you know that we are the only mammals that drink another mammals milk?  Or that we are the only mammals that continue to drink milk after infancy? Some believe that the reason so many people have issues when it comes to dairy is because we are born producing the enzyme lactase, which gives us the ability to digest milk by breaking down lactose, but that we stop producing it around the age of two since it is only meant to aid in our digestion of breast milk.

I was a little nervous when I decided to take on the challenge of eating Paleo,  but when I began looking at all the foods I could eat rather than the ones I couldn't, it didn't seem so daunting.  After eating Paleo for only a week I noticed changes.  For one I didn't feel hungry all the time! I remember reading an article that told you not to worry about always eating three meals a day and to only eat when you were hungry.  I didn't think I would actually feel that way but I did.  I also found that when I stopped eating processed food I stopped craving processed food.  I could already feel my energy increasing as well. 

It is a big change for a lot of people and most go into it making slow changes over time.  A lot of people also eat an 80/20 or 90/10 version of Paleo allowing themselves certain foods weather it be milk or bread etc.  There are so many health benefits to eating Paleo and would encourage you to do a bit of research yourself and look into it with an open mind.  

A quick list of some Paleo foods:

You can eat as much of these as you want: 
Meats
Wild seafood
Organ meat
Fats – tallow, lard, ghee
Oils - coconut oil, olive oil, sesame oil, macadamia nut oil, avocado oil
Eggs
Vegetables
Fruits

In moderation:
Nuts (peanuts are not nuts) :(
Seeds (pumpkin, sesame, sunflower)
Coffee
Dark Chocolate
Tea
Wine
Dried fruits
Raw honey

For a more detailed list you can check out this LIST

To learn more you can check out Dr Loren Cordain's Web Site.  He is the world's leading expert on Paleolithic Diets and the founder of the Paleo Movement.

Do you eat Paleo? Would you ever try eating Paleo?

The Perfect Human Diet!

Thoughts?

16 Things You Can Turn Into Pesto!

 Came across a neat article today on Buzzfeed about ways to spice your ordinary pesto recipe!

 As long as you have all the basic components that make pesto *pesto* (cheese, nuts, olive oil, garlic), the central vegetable can be almost anything you want. And you can even skip the cheese or the nuts if they don’t fit into your personal diet plan. Have at it!

Check it out HERE

Thoughtful Thursday!

Dear 16 Year Old Me!

A great message for everyone!

Creative Shoe Organizer!

Here is a neat idea I came across for storing and organizing your shoes :)

Cut

Bend

Twist

Cover with decorative duck tape

Hang

Enjoy!

Pesto Linguini and Shrimp!

This is a quick and easy recipe to make a delicious homemade dinner. 

Ingreidents:

Pesto

Shrimp

Pasta

 

• You can use store bought pesto but I prefer to make mine from scratch.  Its simple and quick process that brings incredible flavor to your meal.  To find the pesto recipe go here! 

• Next I defrost my frozen shrimp in a bowl under cool running water. (you can also use fresh raw shrimp)

• On the stove I start boiling a pot of water for the pasta.

• Next I measure out my Gluten Free linguini to ensure proper servings.

• If your shrimp are shelled you can easily remove the shells under running water.

• While I leave the shrimp to drain in the sink I add the pasta to boiling water

• In a large warm skillet I add the shrimp and cook till pink on one side then flip them over.

• Once the shrimp is flipped I add a few teaspoons of the pesto and begin to saute the shrimp.

 

After draining the cooked pasta

I add it to the skillet and top it off with more pesto

• Stir the shrimp, pesto and pasta for a few minutes

• Then serve! I like to top it off with a bit of pecorino romano grated cheese.

For this post I used 4 Tbsp of oil and opted to leave out the pine nuts while making the pesto.  Each serving has 11 Weight Watcher Points Plus Values.  Yields 2 Servings